Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/533571
36 | I NSIGH T • J u l y 2 0 15 w w w . i n s i g h t o n b u s i n e s s . c o m says. "Wouldn't it be great if we had a unified vision of what that was?" e project was championed by a recently graduating group from the Association of Commerce Leadership Fond du Lac program. e idea was to solicit input from all segments of the community and create a vision of the community in the future, determine steps to get there and then charge various groups with executing the plan, including regular milestones to measure progress toward the goal. A Chicago-based consultant assisting the project spent much of the first half of the year meeting with various groups ranging from workers to retirees to students to small and large business owners. ey have prepared a summary of findings, which the Envision Fond du Lac leadership is currently reviewing, says Holly Brenner, vice president of strategic development and marketing for Agnesian Healthcare and part of the Leadership Fond du Lac group that proposed the effort. Another round of community outreach will be taking place soon to make sure the group has heard from all possible segments of the community, Brenner says. "I want Fond du Lac to be something special for my children," says Brenner of her inspiration for the project. "I want them to see the world, but I want this to be a place they will want to come back to where they can find good jobs and build a good life." While Envision Fond du Lac is the largest of the efforts aimed at keeping Fond du Lac moving forward, several specifically targeted measures have been launched as well. e FCEDC brought together more than a dozen groups providing resources to entrepreneurs in the region and created a one-stop program called Ignite! Business Success. e idea was to create consistent service and support for startups and growing businesses. Meanwhile, the Association of Commerce launched Fond du Lac Works, a web-based directory that lists every available job opening in the county in a single location. More than 600 jobs representing a range of employers can be viewed from the site. Emergent Labs, an accelerator for technology startups, graduated its first four companies in late 2014. e program provides a 12-week mentoring process to give startups the business models and preparation necessary to pitch their products to angel investors. e next big boost for Fond du Lac may come from a simple name change, Jenkins says. e change of name from U.S. Highway 41 to Interstate 41 opens up a host of possibilities for the entire region. "It's amazing what a name change does," he says, reflecting on the fact that some site selectors won't look at an area not connected to an interstate highway. "e whole region is an advanced manufacturing corridor and this helps raise the profile." ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT It's like an adrenaline rush career. PERFORMANCE-MINDED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS PERFORMANCE-MINDED BUSINESS SOLUTIONS TRAIN. INSPIRE. ENERGIZE. Six Sigma I Leadership & Supervision I Technical Skills I Customized Training Solutions I Strategic Development for your training@morainepark.edu 920-924-3449 morainepark.edu/training