Insight on Business

22 | I NSIGH T • M a r c h 2 0 2 1 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m 22 | I NSIGH T • M a r c h 2 0 2 1 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m STRONG PARTNERS I n those first days when life was changing so rapidly, LaMue realized New North needed to involve itself in multiple initiatives and programs to help businesses throughout the region. She began by forming a close relationship with the WEDC, realizing it would benefit area businesses and communities. By sharing information about WEDC grants and other state and federal programs with New North's local partners, she says businesses were able to receive information quickly and tap into a variety of grants. rough the We're All In grant program, the WEDC provided 55,000 small businesses statewide with $240 million in 2020. In addition to making sure its economic and community partners knew about available grant programs — which they then shared with businesses in their communities — New North worked with those same partners to make sure they provided businesses with the information and paperwork they needed for their Paycheck Protection Program loans. "In the first round of PPP loans, businesses needed a letter of support and we worked with chambers and the EDCs on those as well as did some ourselves," LaMue says. "It was truly a team effort." Hearing about the need for personal protective equipment through the WEDC, New North reached out to manufacturers in the region to see if any could switch up their operations to produce masks, gowns, shields and anything else front-line workers needed. at initiative proved to be a success as it provided additional income for businesses while producing much-needed equipment for those who needed it. Beyond assisting companies, New North also found ways to help individuals find work, especially those in hard-hit industries, such as retail or hospitality, where the jobs may never come back. e organization brought multiple parties together to create the gener8tor Upskilling program. A key part of the program, which provides free training for in-demand jobs, was Microso offering its LinkedIn Learning modules for free. e tech company partnered with gener8tor and adopted its organizational model to help people learn a lot in a short span of time. Together, they created the gener8tor Upskilling program, which is now being used in other parts of the Microso organization. New North received additional funding for the program from American Family Insurance and the rivent Foundation. for customers "to come out of hibernation," says Jeffrey Sachse, interim director for the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Center for Customized Research and Services. e center has surveyed state businesses monthly since last April to gauge how the economy is doing. "Putting those numbers together, business leaders, educators and economic development leaders can have a better understanding of how businesses are doing and their largest concerns," he says. New North was an early partner with UW-Oshkosh on the survey, eventually bringing in the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., which took the survey statewide. "We work with a lot of partners, and bringing in the WEDC to the survey took it to the next level and provided statewide information on how businesses were managing," LaMue says. Manufacturers in the region responded to the pandemic in many ways, from making PPE, including masks, to producing hand sanitizers and other cleaners. "We've also noticed (in our research) higher-wage earners are more likely to be able to work from home, while those at the lower end are less likely to have that option. There definitely remains a divide in the recovery." –Marc Schaffer, economics professor, St. Norbert College P H O T O G R A P H S C O U R T E S Y N E W N O R T H , I N C . R E S I L i E N C Y

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