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10 | I NSIGH T • N o v e m b e r 2 0 14 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m Employees and community members gathered at the site of the proposed Ironwood Plastics, Inc. expansion to learn about the $19 million project that will bring up to 80 jobs to Two Rivers. Progress Lakeshore was part of the team that worked with the company. C O U R T E S Y O F T H E L E S T E R P U B L I C L I B R A R Y , T W O R I V E R S UP FRONT R e g i o n a l R o u n d u p » 1 1 F a c e T i m e » 1 5 C o n n e c t i o n s » 1 8 "For our communities to be successful in the future, we need to make sure we have some business acumen." – Connie Loden, executive director of Progress Lakeshore C O N N I E L O D E N C A N S E E the waves of change rolling toward Manitowoc County. As one generation prepares to retire and a new, more entrepreneurial group begins to dominate the workforce, they will bring new ways to grow and nurture the economy along the Lake Michigan shore. Traditional sectors such as manufacturing and agriculture will always be important, but she is also looking forward to the new opportunities rolling in on the next demographic waves. "ere are a lot of predictions that we will see more and more people working for themselves in the future — up to 50 percent of all workers by 2020 in some studies," says Loden, executive director of Progress Lakeshore, the private economic development agency serving Manitowoc County. "If we are looking at a percentage that high, it's really important we provide connections to business resources, particularly those that are startups." In some ways, Progress Lakeshore has already positioned itself to assist both existing entrepreneurs as well as those who might be thinking B y S e a n P. J o h n s o n Lakeshore celebrates 10 years of progress Economic development group rides waves of change for 10 years about working for themselves. e organization provides information for business owners and entrepreneurs on its website, provides referrals to experts and mentors and regularly conducts educational boot camps on skills such as business planning, financial management and marketing. "For our communities to be successful in the future, we need to make sure we have some business acumen," Loden says. For the past 10 years, the economic development agency has been working to connect businesses and resources, as well as help train a better workforce to help strengthen the regional economy. Formerly known as the Economic Development Corporation of Manitowoc County, the agency celebrated its 10th anniversary by unveiling a new brand identity earlier this year. e moniker Progress Lakeshore with a tagline of "Accelerating business success," better reflects the agency's expanded emphasis and its role as a private, non-governmental group.