The Brownfields of Business
By Cary Silverstein

Recently the City of Milwaukee and the state have lost jobs as the American Bowling Congress moved to Texas, Miller Coors to Chicago and now Metavante to Florida. How many more well-paid skilled jobs do we need to lose before the governor and mayor wake up to the fact that the tax base is eroding? We must adopt an aggressive stance on creating an atmosphere that is “job friendly” and entice employers and entrepreneurs to move to this state and to our city. By introducing tax incentives, training funding for higher paying jobs and other initiatives will make us competitive with North and South Carolina and other states that are attracting the growing companies.

At one time we were the heart of our country’s manufacturing sector, but we are now seen as the “rust belt” by the rest of the country. We are in the midst of an identity crisis; we don’t know what we want to be. At a recent MMAC meeting our mayor stated that much of our workforce is unemployed because many entry level jobs are no longer available. Why are we aiming so low? We need to enroll these workers in training programs that increase their skill sets so they can fill jobs that pay higher rates and have a future. We need the assistance of the unions to lobby the city, state and federal government to provide funds for training opportunities to these disenfranchised workers. The unions will benefit as they can fill these union jobs with skilled workers and increase their membership. It is a “win-win” opportunity for both the city and organized labor. If we attract more jobs, the city receives more payroll taxes, sales taxes and reduces the drain on the resources of the city and county. Recently, the state and federal governments have passed legislation that has freed up money to remediate polluted properties so that the land could be used for development. But, what have they done to encourage the growth of our imbedded businesses? Why not target some of stimulus money to reducing the cost of doing business? The answer is not new taxes and regulations that make it more expensive to conduct existing business, finance expansion and new business start-ups.

We as a community need to move in another direction. We need to aid the worker with job training opportunities and move the focus away from providing sick days for people who don’t have jobs. We need real jobs, ones that stimulate our local and state economy. Temporary jobs that are provided by stimulus money to fix our roads, clean up our parks repair aging schools will only be a short term solution. Yes, our infrastructure needs to be upgraded, but once these projects are completed, who will employ these workers? We need permanent high paying jobs that pay wages that can support a family and provide for future salary growth. The answer is not to artificially increase the minimum wages of the workers in this state who perform entry level jobs. Upgrading worker skills so we can attract high tech companies to our community is the answer. If given the opportunity, the business community will respond.

In the past few years the City of Milwaukee has lost one or more national conferences because of the lack of quality hotel rooms. The business community responded and we have new hotels under construction on Water Street and Third Street that are designed to fill that need. Also, the Marcus Corporation invested in upgrading two of their hotels. It is time we the business community be asked to help reinvigorate the city and partner with the administration instead of only being a source of funds to inflate the benefits offered our employees and support a bloated budget with wheel and other taxes that encourage business to move out of the city and the state.