— This week’s episode of “WisBusiness: the Podcast” is with Joe Hamann, executive director of UW-Milwaukee’s Connected Systems Institute.
Hamann discusses the recently opened Microsoft AI Co-Innovation Lab, located within the institute. The concept for the lab arose about a year ago, with a goal of helping manufacturers connect with campus and innovate with AI while also giving students opportunities to get involved.
The lab is the fifth of its kind set up by Microsoft around the world and the second in the United States. It’s the first to focus on manufacturing. Hamann says it aims to help the small and medium companies in the state that make up 90% of the state’s manufacturing industry.
“A big goal of this lab is to create opportunities for this high density of manufacturing focus in the state of Wisconsin, to have access, to get started on their journey with artificial intelligence,” he said. “And this is not just AI for the sake of AI, right, this is very focused on, let’s identify a real problem statement or a real opportunity statement that these manufacturing companies have.”
Hamann said the new toolkit provided by AI can enable faster problem solving and more opportunities to grow and create jobs, supporting the state’s future manufacturing workforce.
“There’s a lot of technology that’s coming into manufacturing, and we’re doing our part, along with a lot of other groups, to make certain that we’re giving the future generation the tools they need to be ready for these more technology-focused jobs,” he said.
The podcast explores the experience for businesses that connect with the institute, how the Microsoft team will help them and what kinds of resources they’ll have following the experience. Hamann notes it’s free for the companies that choose to engage with the lab.
He also emphasized the benefits of the lab for students, noting “the product that we develop is the next generation” of future professionals going into various industries.
“Very grateful that Microsoft is leaning into the discussion of, how should we be finding ways to get students involved? Some examples of which could be internships or collaborative work assignments with students,” he said. “Or workshops, seminars where this very talented team … can be teaching our students skills about AI to complement the education they’re getting in the classroom.”
Listen to the podcast and see the full list of WisBusiness.com podcasts.
— Wisconsin’s unemployment rate dipped to 3.2% in June, the state Department of Workforce Development reports.
That’s a slight decline from May’s rate of 3.3%, keeping Wisconsin below the national rate of 4.1% for last month.
At the same time, the state’s labor force participation rate fell from 65.3% to 65.1% over the month. But it remained above the national rate of 62.3% for June.
Meanwhile, total nonfarm jobs in the state increased by 5,500 over the month and 19,500 over the year to reach 3,055,000 in June. DWD Chief Economist Dennis Winters says that’s just short of the state’s record high for this figure.
“The Wisconsin labor market has cooled a bit,” he said yesterday during a DWD briefing. “There isn’t any sign of, you know, any drastic changes. It’s more a factor of not as many people getting hired as quickly. Companies are telling us they’re not hiring and they’re not firing.”
Winters referenced a recent study from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York showing the unemployment rate for new college graduates has risen recently, pointing to a slight slowdown in the labor market.
“Businesses are a little bit hesitant to do any real action until they find out what fed policies will be on the economy and trade and interest rates and things like that,” he said.
See the release.
— Rep. Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, is applauding SC Johnson’s move to relocate 170 jobs from Chicago to its operations in Mount Pleasant.
In a statement yesterday, the Assembly minority leader said the company’s plan to move the positions by the end of 2026 is “fantastic news for our community” and the local economy.
“This is a strong sign for future growth and the success of our region, and I’m thankful for SC Johnson’s long-term investment in Southeastern Wisconsin and Mount Pleasant in particular,” she said.
The company’s announcement notes the move will happen in phases to allow for “better collaboration between teams that have been fragmented” across different offices. The decision follows SC Johnson’s move to establish separate business units for North America and its International Consumer Brand segments.
Workers will be moving into the former Educators Credit Union building in Mount Pleasant, which the company purchased in 2023. It’s located near two other SC Johnson facilities in the area.
“For almost 140 years, we’ve enjoyed being part of the Racine community, and proudly call it our home,” Fisk Johnson, chairman and CEO of SC Johnson, said in a statement. “This is an important change for our business given some recent organizational changes, and we look forward to welcoming even more SCJ people to the Racine-area. ”
See Neubauer’s release.
— Marshfield Clinic Health System announced it will start providing urgent care services at its Oakwood Center in Eau Claire in mid-August.
The health system is moving urgent care services from Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire to Marshfield Clinic Oakwood Center amid “changes to the health care landscape in the region,” according to the announcement.
The move comes after Hospital Sisters Health System last year shut down hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls, prompting concerns about local access to health care.
“Volumes have increased at the Marshfield Medical Center-Eau Claire Emergency Department/Urgent Care by just under 50%,” said Brandon Parkhurst, vice president of medical affairs for MCHS.
See more in the release.
— Hospice care provider Agrace has opened a new office in La Crosse as it continues to expand outside Madison.
The nonprofit health care organization yesterday announced the new office, which it says will offer “greater choice for high-quality, in-home hospice care” to residents of La Crosse County in western Wisconsin. Agrace provides hospice care in private residences as well as long-term care facilities.
Agrace President and CEO Lynne Sexten says the company has had more than 100,000 clients since being founded in 1978. It currently serves more than 1,700 patients in the state every day, according to a release.
“With the addition of our newest office in La Crosse, Agrace continues to rapidly expand our geographic footprint to meet the growing needs of the aging population in smaller cities, and isolated, rural or underserved areas of the upper Midwest,” Sexten said in a statement.
The company’s expansion plan includes continuing to grow within its existing 20-county service area in the state’s southern region while also reaching other counties in Wisconsin and parts of adjacent states.
See more in the release.
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TOPICS
AGRIBUSINESS
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BANKING
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ECONOMY
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EDUCATION
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ENTERTAINMENT & THE ARTS
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ENVIRONMENT
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FINANCIAL SERVICES
– Northwestern Mutual’s annual meeting to draw thousands to downtown Milwaukee this weekend
LABOR
– Wisconsin video game developer hit with layoffs amid larger Microsoft cuts
LEGAL
– Wisconsin Legislature spent $26.2 million in taxpayer money on private attorneys since 2017
MANAGEMENT
– Kathryn Dunn brings economic development experience to second turn at WWBIC
REAL ESTATE
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RETAIL
– Milwaukee bans delta-8 THC sales to people under 21
SPORTS
– Report: NFL Draft had $105 million economic impact on state
PRESS RELEASES
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