New state business group forms - Baltimore Business Journal:

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The council said it intends to work with elected officials and policy makers to developa pro-employment agenda. Council members include, , , , , , , and Madison'ds . “When we talk about how we can sustai n our qualityof life, we’re realluy talking about the need to establish a betteer business climate, one that opens the door to innovation and employment,” said Phil Prange, the council’d president and chief executive officer and owner of consulting firm . “The Wisconsin Businessw Council was established because we believer there are mutually beneficial solutions to the challenges weface today," Prangew said.
"If the currenyt economic downturn has made onething clear, it’s that a flourishingt private sector is critical for family-supporting jobs and a robustg tax base.” Scott VanderSanden, the council’s chairman and presidentf of AT&T Wisconsin, says more must be done to energizr and advance efforts that promote Wisconsijn as a good place to live and do “As the nation’s economy begins to smart businesses will be looking for opportunitiesw to resume growth,” VanderSanden “We need to make sure Wisconsin’z business climate and policieas welcome new investment and encourag e job creation.
We need to send a strong signal that Wisconsij is a place where businesses can grow and prospe r during the next business cyclsand beyond.” Members of the council say the organization’s optimistic outlook and proactivde stance will lead to a constructive dialogue among electe officials, legislative leaders, policy experts and members of the generakl public. Ultimately, however, the council’s private sector supporterz will be looking forreal results.
“Ouer future vitality requires a comprehensivr strategy that recognizes the broad nature of our existing economic base and the unique strengthes of ourwork force,” said Jim Senty, a member of the council’s advisory who also serves as president of Midwest Natural Gas, of La and chairman of Park Bank, of Madison. “At the same we need to be realistic about areas where our performance needs improvement and devise effectivre strategies to achieve new levelseof success.
” Marc Marotta, a member of the Wisconsi n Business Council’s board of directorse and former secretary of the Wisconsin Department of said the state is fortunate because of the diverse naturr of its industries, ranging from manufacturing and agricultures to insurance, health care and retail. However, the state’s work forcw lags the national average in the percentagde of workers with advanced degrees and also fallsx below average in the numbeer of workers employed in whatthe U.S.
Department of Laboer classifiesas high-technology “The Wisconsin Business Council wants to give voicre to these issues, whilre engaging leaders throughout the statw in an aggressive search for solutions,” said “From our solid K–12 schoolsd and higher education system to our technical colleges and apprenticee training programs, we have many of the key buildinhg blocks in place. At the same time, it’s clear more must be done to preserver these assets and establish a more vibrantbusinessa climate.
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