>> NOW TO THE ECONOMY AND NEW
LEADERSHIP AT THE WISCONSIN
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
CORPORATION.
MISSY HUGHES IS THE NEW CEO,
FORMALLY GENERAL COUNSEL FOR
ORGANIC VALLEY, A NATIONAL COOP
FARM ORGANIZATION.
SHE TAKES THE REINS FROM MARK
HOGAN WHO WAS APPOINTED IN 2015
AND STEPPED DOWN IN SEPTEMBER.
HOE DPANHOGAN OVERSAW THE $3 BILLION
FOXCONN CONTRACT WITH THE STATE.
WE TALK NOW ABOUT THE FUTURE OF
THAT PROJECT AS WELL AS OTHER
AGENCY PRIORITIES WITH NEW WEDC
HEAD MISSY HUGHES.
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> THANK YOU.
>> TELL ME HOW YOUR BACKGROUND
INFORMED HOW YOU WILL WORK AS
CEO AT WEDC.
>> I CAME FROM A CORPORATION OF
2,000 FAMILY FARMERS.
AND MY BACKGROUND THERE IS
REALLY BRINGING ALL OF THESE
DIVERSE STAKEHOLDERS TOGETHER.
THEY'RE THE OWNERS OF THE
BUSINESS AND BRINGING THEM
TOGETHER TO UNDERSTAND WHERE ARE
WE GOING, HOW ARE WE GOING TO
MARKET AND WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO
DO TO SUCCEED.
SO I THINK THAT THAT EFFORT OF
COLLABORATION IS GOING TO SERVE
ME REALLY WELL AS I WORK AT WEDC
WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT
STAKEHOLDERS INVOLVED IN
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN
WISCONSIN.
>> NOW, YOU HAVE TOURED THE
STATE EVEN IN YOUR SHORT TENURE
AS CEO.
WHAT DID YOU FIND AND WHAT WILL
BE YOUR PRIORITIES?
>> I FOUND THAT THERE'S A LOT
GOING ON ALL AROUND THE STATE AS
FAR AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
GOES.
AND WHAT I WAS REALLY IMPRESSED
WITH IS THE PUBLIC/PRIVATE
PARTNERSHIP THAT I SAW
THROUGHOUT THE STATE IN PLACES
LIKE GREEN GREEN BAY OR EAU CLAIRE,
BUSINESSES THAT WERE TAKING
ADVANTAGE OF BEING IN A STRONG
COMMUNITY AND WORKING WITH THE
COMMUNITY TO MOVE THINGS
FORWARD.
>> WHAT IS THE SITUATION WITH
FOXCONN RIGHT NOW?
>> SO FOXCONN IS UNDER A WHOLE
GAMBIT OF CONSTRUCTION AND
THERE'S A TON HAPPENING THERE.
WE JUST BRIEFED THE WEDC BOARD
ON THE CONSTRUCTION THAT'S
HAPPENING THERE.
WHERE I'M LEARNING ABOUT IT, I'M
MEETING WITH THE LEADERSHIP
SOON.
THERE'S BEEN A WHOLE TRANSITION
OF DIFFERENT FOLKS.
THERE'S A DIFFERENT
ADMINISTRATION, A DIFFERENT ME
AND A DIFFERENT FELLOW IN CHARGE
OF AMERICA'S PROJECTS FOR
FOXCONN.
SO I'M GOING TO BE MEETING WITH
HIM AND REALLY LEARNING MORE
ABOUT HOW DO WE MAKE THIS
PROJECT SUCCEED, BOTH FOR FOR
EXAMPLE CON AND FOR THE STATE.
>> HOW IMPORTANT IS
ACCOUNTABILITY?
>> HOW IMPORTANT IS
ACCOUNTABILITY?
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT ACROSS
THE BOARD FOR FOXCONN OR ANY OF
THE PROJECTS THAT WEDC IS
INVOLVED IN.
AND SO MARK HOGAN HAS PUT IN A
GREAT FOUNDATION OF
ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY
AND I LOOK FORWARD TO REALLY
BUILDING ON THAT.
BUT ALSO REALLY THINKING ABOUT
WHAT ARE THE OTHER PROJECTS THAT
WEDC CAN BE INVOLVED IN, WHETHER
IT'S COMMUNITY BUILDING OR SMALL
MINORITY BUSINESSES, HOW ARE WE
HELPING THEM.
I THINK THERE'S A WHOLE GAMBIT
BEYOND FOXCONN.
AS CEO OF WEDC I HOPE WE'RE
TALKING A LOT MORE ABOUT THOSE
PROJECTS AND A LOT LESS THAN
FOXCONN.
>> WE READ THAT MANUFACTURING
HAS SLIPPED IN WISCONSIN.
WHAT IS YOUR PLAN TO MAKE SURE
THAT THE STATE'S LARGEST
EMPLOYMENT SECTOR THRIVES GOING
FORWARD?
>> I THINK THAT THERE'S A NEW
DAY FOR MANUFACTURING IN
WISCONSIN.
AND AS PART OF MY TOUR, I
VISITED A NUMBER OF
MANUFACTURING FACILITIES.
AND I SAW AMAZING ROBOTICS.
I SAW AMAZING NEW TECHNOLOGY
THAT'S BEING IMPLEMENTED.
AND JUST SIMPLE IDEAS.
PRINT PACK IN RIEN RHINELANDER HAS A
GREAT NEW IDEA FOR SIMPLE THINGS
LIKE PRINTING FILMS THAT GO
AROUND CANDY BARS.
I THINK THERE'S ALL SORTS OF NEW
THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BE
HAPPENING AND THE FUTURE OF
WISCONSIN IS MANUFACTURING AND
THE FUTURE OF WISCONSIN'S
WORKFORCE IS WORKING IN THAT
MANUFACTURING.
>> WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE
MANUFACTURING AND AG TAX CREDIT
AS A JOB CREATION TOOL?
>> I THINK THAT THAT OFFERS THE
ABILITY FOR MANUFACTURING AND AG
BUSINESSES TO LOCATE IN
WISCONSIN WITH VERY LITTLE TAX
IMPACT.
AND SO THEN THEY'RE ABLE TO
SPEND THEIR MONEY ON THE
WORKFORCE AND ON DEVELOPING
JOBS.
SO IT'S A REGENERATIVE EFFORT.
I THINK WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND IS
THAT WHY COMPANIES ARE STAYING
IN WISCONSIN AND WHY THEY'RE
COMING TO WISCONSIN AND
UNDERSTANDING THE IMPACT OF IT,
AS WE NEED TO BE DOING WITH ALL
OUR TAX CREDITS.
>> WHAT ARE OTHER KINDS OF JOB
CREATION TOOLS THAT YOU WOULD
LIKE TO MAKE USE OF?
>> I THINK ONE OF THE REALLY
MOST IMPORTANT THINGS IN JOB
CREATION IS HAVING THE
FOUNDATION FOR FOLKS TO WANT TO
COME AND STAY IN WISCONSIN.
SO STRONG COMMUNITIES, A STRONG
QUALITY OF LIFE, HOUSING,
BROADBAND.
THERE'S A GAMBIT OF ALL
DIFFERENT TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX
IN ORDER TO CREATE JOBS.
IT'S NOT JUST TAX CREDITS.
IT'S NOT YUS JUST THE STATE GIVING
AWAY INCENTIVES.
BUT IT'S WORKING WITH ALL MY
PARTNERS IN THE AGENCIES.
I JUST CAME FROM MY FIRST
CABINET MEETING AND MEETING ALL
THE FOLKS I'M GOING TO BE
WORKING WITH IS REALLY EXCITING.
>> ONE THING THAT I KNOW THAT
THE PREVIOUS CEO HAS EMBARKED
UPON WAS THIS KIND OF AD BLITZ
TO KIND OF ATTRACT EMPLOYEES TO
WISCONSIN.
HOW IS THAT GOING?
ARE WE DOING WELL ON THAT?
>> WELL, I THINK WE HAVE A GREAT
CAMPAIGN.
AND WHAT I ALWAYS SAY, COMING
FROM A MARKETING COOPERATIVE,
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A GREAT PRODUCT
AND THEN YOU CAN MARKET THAT
GREAT PRODUCT.
SOICSO MAKING SURE WE HAVE STRONG
COMMUNITIES, STRONG BUSINESSES,
PLACES THAT KIDS WANT TO GO AND
WORK AT, THAT PARENTS WANT THEIR
KIDS TO GO WORK AT AND THEN
WE'LL MARKET THAT PRODUCT AND BE
ABLE TO RETAIN TALENT AND BRING
FOLKS