MADISON, February 14, 2012-Governor Scott Walker today announced his “Ready, Set, Build!” initiative to identify certified sites for business development in Wisconsin. The availability of pre-certified property ready for development can be key to attracting and growing jobs in Wisconsin.
“One of the keys to attracting new businesses to Wisconsin, or encouraging existing firms to choose the state as the site for significant expansion, is the ready availability of developable properties,” said Governor Walker. “This site certification will eliminate many of the delays associated with shovel-ready site identification, and ultimately increase Wisconsin’s competitiveness for business growth and job creation.”
The Governor’s “Ready, Set, Build!” initiative calls on the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to select a qualified business to provide site certification services to WEDC. The WEDC recently closed a Request for Proposals (RFP) process, and is in the process of selecting a qualified firm with experience in corporate site selection and site certification. It is anticipated that the site certification program will be available for implementation in early spring 2012.
“Pre-certifying building sites will allow job creators in Wisconsin and around the world to find the perfect location for their expansion knowing they can begin building immediately,” said Paul Jadin, CEO and Secretary of the WEDC. “This action is another example of Governor Walker and the WEDC pro-actively providing the economic development tools Wisconsin needs to accelerate business start-up and growth.”
The 2010 “Be Bold” study identified a lack of certified cites as a competitive weakness for the state of Wisconsin. When the Governor ran for office he said he would implement a “Ready, Set, Build!” process that would ensure job creators have the ability to expand right away. Pre-certifying building sites allows job creators in Wisconsin and around the world to find the perfect location for their expansion and give them the certainty to know they can begin building immediately.
“I want to eliminate the lost opportunities for entrepreneurs looking to start a new business, expand or locate in Wisconsin by resolving pre-development issues involving such things as clear titling, permits, zoning or public infrastructure,” Governor Walker said.
A certified site is one that is shovel-ready and has been reviewed and approved by the certifying agency. Under the Governor’s proposal there will be ten sites certified each of the next three years.
Certified sites will consider a number of factors such as minimum site size, utility and transportation infrastructure in place, physically and technically developable, environmental assessments, quality of labor force and support by local communities.
###