Royle Printing Provides Printing Sponsorship for UW's Curb Magazine (UW-Madison News)

Curb Magazine Examines the Unexpected Side of Wisconsin

Link to Full Article: http://www.news.wisc.edu/20182

Link to Curb Magazine: http://curbonline.com/

Link to Royle Printing: http://www.royle.com/

Blogger's Note: Just one of many examples of how our local economy is linked to UW-Madison.

Hallman Lindsay Paints to Donate $1 to Wisconsin Food Pantries for Every "Like" on Their Facebook Page (Dane Buy Local)

Hallman Lindsay Paints to Donate $1 to Wisconsin Food Pantries for Every "Like" on Their Facebook Page

Link to Hallman Lindsay Paints Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hallmanlindsaypaints?sk=app_201143516562748

Blogger's Note: A great Wisconsin company helping a great cause. If you have a serious painting project, whether its commercial or residential, you need serious paint. Hallman Lindsay Paints are outstanding in both color quality and coverage.  We're proud to have them here in Sun Prairie!

New Perspective Senior Living Releases Updated Project Fact Sheet (New Perspective Senior Living)

Fact Sheet - Lighthouse of Sun Prairie

What: Lighthouse of Sun Prairie is senior living community being developed by New Perspective Senior Living. When completed in the Winter of 2013, it will offer 152 independent, assisted and memory care apartments. Construction has begun and a groundbreaking ceremony will be held in late January or early February.

The 152 units include studio, one- and two-bedroom units within 60 independent living units, 48 assisted living units and 44 memory care units.

Location --222 S Bristol Street Sun Prairie, WI 53590: The 185,000-square-foot community will be located on five acres at the intersections of Linnerud Drive and South Bristol St., downtown Sun Prairie.

Amenities: The Lighthouse of Sun Prairie’s amenities include a restaurant style dining room, salon, library, computer room, fitness area, rehabilitation pool, bar, bistro, community rooms, private family dining spaces and a number of outdoor patio spaces.

Employment: Initially, it is expected to employ about 40 persons and ultimately approximately 80 persons when fully leased. In addition, the construction project will include 75 full time construction workers for the duration of the project.

About: New Perspective Senior Living

New Perspective Senior Living and its affiliates operate and develop senior living communities throughout the Midwest.  The company was founded in 1998 on the belief that all seniors deserve attentive, personalized, respectful care that enables them to live with purpose and age with dignity.  Its mission is “To put the residents first in everything we do.”  New Perspective is based in Edina, MN, and has five sites in Minnesota: Barnum, Cloquet, Columbia Heights, Mahtomedi and Waconia; five in Wisconsin: Brookfield, Brown Deer, Mequon, Superior and West Bend; Pella, Iowa, and Silvis, Illinois. For more information on New Perspective Senior Living call, 952-746-3630 or visit www.NPSeniorLiving.com.

Blogger's Note: Earth is being moved on the site (see photo above)!  The unseasonably warm weather has allowed for a late season start to project this year.  In addition, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation awarded the City $350,000 to help offset environmental remediation costs for redeveloping this site.   Watch for the official groundbreaking sometime after the New Year.

Findorff Aids SPHS House Building Class (Sun Prairie Star)

(Photo Source: Sun Prairie Star)

Findorff Aids SPHS House Building Class

Link to Full Article: http://sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=21&ArticleID=9207

Blogger's Note: Thanks to Findorff for their support of this program. 

Salvatore’s Makes Pizza From Sun Prairie With Love (Madison.com/77 Square)

(Photo by Michelle Stocker)

Salvatore’s Makes Pizza From Sun Prairie With Love

Link to Full Article: http://host.madison.com/entertainment/dining/reviews/salvatore-s-makes-pizza-from-sun-prairie-with-love/article_928176b9-67d4-51cf-a883-d4e82bd342ca.html

Blogger's Note: Glad to see Salvatore's is still getting some attention in the Madison press.  (Why am I suddenly hungry for a tomato pie?)

Local Florist Decorates Governor's Mansion (Sun Prairie Star)

(Photo by Brenda Eckardt Photography)

Local Florist Decorates Governor's Mansion

Link to Full Article: http://sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=129&ArticleID=9174

Blogger's Note: Merry Christmas everybody!

2011 - A Year in Review: An Economic Development Top Ten for Sun Prairie, Wisconsin (City of Sun Prairie Office of Economic Development)

• Closing of Wisconsin Cheeseman
• Announcement of Closing of Famous Footwear
• New Perspective Senior Living Breaks Ground on South Bristol Street/WEDC Grants Sun Prairie $350,000 Brownfield Grant
• Main Street Interchange Project Completed
• Woodman's Begins Construction
• Costco Announces Sun Prairie Site
• Governor Announces Special Legislative Session at Thermal Spray Technologies
• Thermo Fisher Scientific Buys TREK Diagnostic
• Frontier Communications Expands in Sun Prairie
• Walmart Announces Plans to Expand on its Current Site

Blogger's Note: What else should be on this list?   What is the number one story for 2011?

Omaha, Madison MSA's Set Pace With Lowest Jobless Rates for Previous Decade (BizJournals.com)

Omaha, Madison MSA's Set Pace With Lowest Jobless Rates

Link to Full Article: http://www.bizjournals.com/milwaukee/news/2011/12/22/omaha-madison-set-pace-with-lowest.html  

Blogger's Note: Something we should all be thankful for, and it reminds us how fortunate we are in our local economy.  But we can't afford to be satisfied and just say that this is good enough.  There are plenty of opportunities to try to make things better to make the Greater Madison area an even greater place to do business.

Sun Prairie Receives $350,000 Brownfield Grant for Senior Living Project (Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation)

PRESS RELEASE - Governor Scott Walker today announced the City of Sun Prairie will receive a $350,000 Brownfield Grant award from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) to assist with preparing a five-acre site for the construction of the New Perspective Senior Living complex. The senior living complex is projected to create up to 11 full-time equivalent positions within the first year of operation and will feature 144 units.

The award will reimburse the city for remediation of soil and groundwater contamination from two previously removed underground storage tanks

“The completion of this important redevelopment will advance the revitalization of an area highlighted in the City’s Downtown Master Plan and should attract significant investment in the community,” said Governor Scott Walker.

“The City of Sun Prairie is grateful to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for their support of the redevelopment of one of our key remaining downtown sites in Sun Prairie.  We are also thankful for the both the investment and the jobs that New Perspective Senior Living will bring to our community, and look forward to this development being a positive impact on our downtown,” said Sun Prairie Mayor John Murray.

Media Contacts:

Tom Thieding, WEDC Communications Manager
608-267-9661 Tom.Thieding@wedc.org

Shauna Breneman, WEDC Communications Specialist
608-267-5187 Shauna.Breneman@wedc.org

Neil Stechschulte, Economic Development Director
City of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
6-8-825-0894 nstechschulte@cityofsunprairie.com

Source: http://wedc.org/sun-prairie-brownfield

Blogger's Note: If you haven't been by the site on South Bristol St., they started their site preparation this past week.  Thanks to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for their support of this project.  We're excited to have New Perspective Senior Living building on this site near our downtown.  There will actually be 70 health care jobs created with this facility, bringing with it good benefits and a substantial payroll.  It will provide a full continuum of care from independent living to 24/7 memory care.  The project should be open in late 2012.

Heavy Metal Is Back: The Best Cities For Industrial Manufacturing (NewGeography.com; Forbes.com)

(Photo credit: Getty Images)

Heavy Metal Is Back: The Best Cities For Industrial Manufacturing

Milwaukee-Waukesha-West Allis Metro Area is ranked #2 on the list by Forbes.com.

Excerpt from the article:
"If new industrial growth is just another piece of good news in the Pacific Northwest, it’s manna from heaven to the long suffering industrial heartland heavily concentrated in the Great Lakes region, which includes much of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois , Wisconsin and Minnesota.  Long reviled as the “rust belt” this area now leads in the industrial rebound with over 100,000 new manufacturing jobs in just the past year.

Particularly well positioned is No. 2 ranked Milwaukee, which is home to a wide array of specialized manufacturing firms ranging from machine tools to energy. Over the past year alone the region added almost 3,900 heavy metal jobs and has consistently led other Great Lakes communities in job creation."

Link to Full Article: http://www.newgeography.com/content/002572-heavy-metal-is-back-the-best-cities-for-industrial-manufacturing

Link to Original Forbes Article: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joelkotkin/2011/12/15/heavy-metal-is-back-the-best-cities-for-manufacturing/

Blogger's Note: If you are going to ask me what this has to do with Sun Prairie, than you are probably one of those people who believe that I-94 doesn't exist unless you're on your way to a Brewers game.  This is yet another example of why we need to change how we think about Wisconsin's economy.   Milwaukee can be a driver for the Madison economy and vice-versa.  The question is...How can we position ourselves to align our local manufacturing strength with that of Milwaukee?

Harms Insurance Group Prepares for Changes in 2012 (Harms Insurance Group Blog)

 Coming Attractions

Link to Full Blog Post: http://harmsinsurancegroupblog.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/coming-attractions/

Blogger's Note: The blog mentions a complete revamping of their website, a total computer overhaul, and some not so secret photos of what appears to be a new office being constructed somewhere.  (Why do I suddenly have a craving for those new Steak Bites from Buck & Honey's?)

Prairie Athletic Club, Sun Prairie Ice Arena to Host US Bank Eve Events (Sun Prairie Star)

PAC, Sun Prairie Ice Arena to Host US Bank Eve Events

Link to Full Article: http://www.sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=52&ArticleID=9146

Blogger's Note: Not to get ahead of ourselves, but this is a great way for families to spend New Year's Eve.

Sun Prairie's Jerry Bradley Re-Elected to Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation Board of Directors (WisBusiness.com)

Bill Bruins Re-elected President of Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation

[Excerpt from Press Release] Jerry Bradley, a corn and soybean grower from Sun Prairie in Dane County was reelected to a three-year term representing District 2 (Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Rock and Sauk counties).

Link to Full Article: http://wisbusiness.com/index.iml?Article=255021

Blogger's Note: Special thanks to Jerry Bradley for his continued leadership for farmers in our region, as well as all of Wisconsin.

Our View: Welcome Costco (Sun Prairie Star)

Our View: Welcome Costco

Link to Full Editorial: http://www.sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSectionID=5&ArticleID=9138

Blogger's Note: Thanks to the Star for yet another business supporting editorial.  Sun Prairie is more than willing to welcome quality development that provides people real shopping opportunities.  Projects like Costco and Marcus are what will separate this retail area from the rest of Dane County.   With the critical mass being built here, we are already starting to increase our draw from all the major transportation corridors, including I-39/90 and I-94. We're already looking forward to the next store to call Sun Prairie home.  Costco should be open in late 2012.

Results of First Business' Economic Survey of Dane County for 2011 Released (First Business)

Results of First Business' Economic Survey of Dane County for 2011 Released

Link to Downloadable Survey Results From First Business: http://www.firstbusiness.com/data/temp/DANE_Report_ver6.docx

Blogger's Note:  My take on this is that there are both opportunities and issues in our current local economy.  There will be media outlets that will present this as the glass is half-empty. I strongly suggest you read the actual survey results, and then decide for yourself what the outlook for 2012 is. Personally, I remain very optimistic about potential facility expansion and employment growth for several local Sun Prairie companies.

UPDATE: See what I mean about media outlets...

Survey finds local business optimism; Economy still not reaching pre-recession numbers (Sun Prairie Star)

Link to Full Article: http://www.sunprairiestaronline.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=50&ArticleID=9127&TM=58001.07

Survey: County business execs not optimistic about 2012 (Madison.com)

Link to Full Article: http://host.madison.com/wsj/business/survey-county-business-execs-not-optimistic-about/article_c53612f6-2066-11e1-843d-0019bb2963f4.html

Blogger's Note #2: Yes...both of these articles refer to the same survey and the same data.  Be mindful of the source whenever you're reading data like this.

Dane County Regional Airport Goes Mobile (Sun Prairie Star)

 
Dane County Regional Airport Goes Mobile

Link to Full Article: http://www.sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=52&ArticleID=9113

Blogger's Note:  The long term success of this airport could play a significant role in Sun Prairie's ability to attract employers.  Glad to see they are keeping up with the times in utilizing available technology to provide a great flight experience for its travelers.

City of Bloomington, Illinois Approves Purchase of Fire Training Tower From Sun Prairie's Fire Facilities Inc. (WJBC.com)

City of Bloomington, Illinois Approves Purchase of Fire Training Tower From Sun Prairie's Fire Facilities Inc (Actual Title of the Article is "City to Spend Extra $1M on Street Maintenance")

Link to Full Article: http://wjbc.com/city-to-spend-extra-1m-on-street-maintenance/

Blogger's Note: Congratulations to Fire Facilities, Inc.! 

Costco Final Plan Approved (Sun Prairie Star)

Costco Final Plan Approved

Link to Full Article: http://www.sunprairiestar.com/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=52&ArticleID=9094

Blogger's Note:  Keep an eye this site once they get started in the Spring.  Costco has one of the fastest construction timelines for a building this size, so they should be up and running in 2012.

Midwest Power Organization Endorses Three Projects in Wisconsin (Madison.com)

Midwest Power Organization Endorses Three Projects in Wisconsin

Link to Full Article: http://host.madison.com/wsj/business/midwest-power-organization-endorses-three-projects-in-wisconsin/article_761241e0-21f1-11e1-a813-0019bb2963f4.html

Link to the Midwest Independent System Operator web page: https://www.midwestiso.org/Pages/Home.aspx

Blogger's Note: Wisconsin needs to continue to improve its connection to the regional and national grid for both purposes of improved reliability and increased access to affordable energy.

St. Mary's Hospital Wins Award for Emergency Department Improvements (Madison.com)

St. Mary's Hospital Wins Award for Emergency Department Improvements 

Link to Full Blog Article: http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/health_med_fit/st-mary-s-hospital-wins-award-for-emergency-department-improvements/article_3ce61b8a-204d-11e1-8298-001871e3ce6c.html

Link to Full List of Award Narratives: http://www.pressganey.com/Documents/Press%20Ganey%20Awards/2011_Press_Ganey_Awards_Book.pdf?viewFile (Go to Pages 183-184)

Blogger's Note: Congratulations to St. Mary's on this recognition from Press Ganey.  We're proud that the Sun Prairie Emergency Center helped earn this distinction.