Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/201303
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT economic development leaders in the New North's upper regions. "Tourism is how we get people to like our area, and then they move here," says Wendy Gehlhoff, economic development director for Florence County. This spring, Florence County plans to target one of the things people like most about coming to northern Wisconsin: the expansive waterways. "We're unveiling a great new event called the Wisconsin Wild Rivers Tour," Gehlhoff says. Signage and marketing materials are already in the works for the 100-mile tour with 15 different stops along the Pine and Popple rivers. Florence County is also in the final stages of submitting the paperwork for the first TIF district at the county level, giving community leaders high hopes for the local economy, which has already seen a 7 percent increase in the county sales tax over the previous year. 40 | Insight • N o v e m b e r 2 013 This spring, Florence County plans to target one of the things people like most about coming to northern Wisconsin: the expansive waterways. A couple counties to the south, tourism and economic development are about a 50-50 split, according to the executive director of the Oconto County Economic Development Corporation, Paul Ehrfurth. On the economic development side, Ehrfurth says Oconto County operates several revolving loan funds to assist in growing local companies or helping companies relocate in the area. One of those companies is North American Finishing in Suring, which manufactures high-end wood flooring. "They'll be ramping up in the next couple years and ultimately employ approximately 250 people," says Ehrfurth, adding, "When you add 250 jobs to rural Oconto County, that's a big deal." Tourism is also a big part of the mix in Oconto County, Ehrfurth says. In fact the county recently passed a milestone in that area. "We finally cracked the 100 million dollar club," says Ehrfurth, citing the Department of Tourism statistics. "While it's nice to pass that threshold, there's still a bit of work to be done." Some of that work includes the launch of a brand new, comprehensive website (www.ocontocounty.org) along with new mobile apps to feed off the site. In addition, Oconto County publishes a Discovery Guide with a distribution of 30,000 statewide and in northern Illinois, Ehrfurth says. w w w. i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m