Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/100667
A closer look Tourism packs an economic punch cou r te s y of U W - O s hko s h O The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh broke ground this fall on the new 22,000square-foot UW-Oshkosh Alumni Welcome and Conference Center. Built on the Fox River, the building will be a welcome center for visitors and can be used for business and community events. square feet to its north side facility. Manufacturers aren���t the only ones expanding. Tech companies such as ImproMed, which makes software for veterinary offices, and Dealer Fire, a maker of websites for the automobile sector, both call Oshkosh home and are growing. Last summer, ImproMed moved into a new 10,000-square-foot office while Dealer Fire has grown from two to 75 employees in just the past few years. Heading downtown, nearly 2,000 employees work in City Center, including those from Miles Kimball, 4Imprint, U.S. Bank and more. ���Those employees are a real boost to our downtown commercial [continued] �� shkosh rebranding itself as Wisconsin���s Event Center is paying dividends. In 2011, visitors spent $201.7 million ��� an increase of 6.38 percent. Winnebago County boasts the 10th-highest tourism spending in the state. While the final numbers for 2012 won���t be released until spring, Wendy Hielsberg, executive director of the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau, calls the summer months ���amazing.��� ���June and July were our busiest months ever when it comes to the number of tourists,��� she says. Oshkosh and its neighboring communities in Winnebago County are home to more than 1,000 events annually, including gallery walks and farmer���s markets as well as major festivals like Country USA and EAA Air Venture, the largest air show in the world. ���We also had the addition of some new events, such as Rock USA, that drew more people to the community,��� Hielsberg says. When the Oshkosh Convention & Visitors Bureau launched the Wisconsin���s Event City brand in 2010, some people were skeptical. Hielsberg says time has shown that it was the right move. ���We have so many events and activities going on here, it was a perfect fit,��� she says. Choose UW Oshkosh. Learning isn���t limited to a classroom. Explore online degree and certificate programs and professional development opportunities through UW Oshkosh. For customized opportunities for businesses, including conference-planning services, call (800) INFO-UWO. Adult student resources w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m Personal and professional development Online degree and certificate programs Learn more at uwosh.edu/llce. J a n u a r y 2 013 ��� Insight | 39