A Joint Initiative Between     Heart of Wisconsin     Business & Economic Alliance and     Community Foundation of Greater     South Wood County

Home About Us B2B Club Breaking News Contact Donate Events / Programs Feedback Ideas Incubator Industry Clusters Links / Resources Progess Funds Progress Teams Public Art / Murals Publications		Breaking News June, 2005 - Taking Back Their Town This article originally appeared in Central Wisconsin Business magazine, June 2005. Reprinted with permission of Gannett Wisconsin Custom Publishing. Taking Back Their Town: Wisconsin Rapids’ Community Progress Initiative Instead of relying on a traditional paternalistic corporation, community leaders began looking at ways the community could heal itself. By Cathy Meils The citizens of Wisconsin Rapids embarked on an adventure into the unknown one year ago: the Community Progress Initiative (CPI). A sweeping conglomerate of programs and actions with one objective, CPI set out into uncharted territory, unsure of where it would end up or how it would get there. Its mission: to turn around the pessimistic attitude that was suffocating the city and surrounding towns following massive layoffs and an epidemic of economic uncertainty. You might trace the beginnings of the regional depression back to 1987, when the closure of three large businesses resulted in the loss of 1,000 jobs. Or you might trace it all the way back to the founding of the paper industry in Wisconsin Rapids, 101 years ago. The success of Consolidated Papers Inc., (the other CPI), created a cozy cocoon for the happy citizens. Wages were high, employment was practically guaranteed (especially if a family member already worked there), and benefits generous. But that same comfort zone also acted as a buffer to new business coming into the area. It was difficult to compete for a skilled workforce when confronted with the wage and salary standards set by Consolidated Papers. All that changed in 2000, when Finnish paper company Stora Enso bought out the Rapids mill and faced up to the reality of the dwindling global paper market. Within five years, 4,000 jobs had been eliminated. The economic downturn was evident in the face of the town and the mood of the residents. Businesses shuttered. Houses went on the market. Families worried whether they would be in the next round of layoffs. The future of Wisconsin Rapids was no longer in the hands of local ownership. Without a knight in shining armor to rescue them, an attitude began to emerge. Instead of relying on a traditional paternalistic corporation, community leaders began looking at ways the community could heal itself. To that end, the Heart of Wisconsin Business and Economic Alliance (the local chamber of commerce organization) teamed up with the Community Foundation of South Wood County to fund a three-year program which would encourage individuals to take back control of their town by working together to set goals and put them into action. The move was revolutionary. Instead of acting alone, or at cross-purposes, two important institutions were now holding joint staff and board meetings and creating a positive, strong new alliance. The community had already experienced an unlikely success built on a setback. Wal-Mart had vacated its downtown location to open a superstore on the south edge of town. The large building sat empty, due to a clause in the Wal-Mart contract that prevented another retail business from occupying the space. An intense campaign, and a new city bond, led to the opening of a new community resource on the site, the Centralia Center, which houses a senior citizens center, a Montessori school, local cable TV and health screenings. The Centralia Center was the first example of a four-pronged cooperation involving the city government and private initiative. An outside facilitator was hired to guide the new project. David Buerle, an Australian with a background in helping revitalize ailing rural communities, held the first of several community meetings in April, 2004. The towns of Nekoosa, Port Edwards, Rome, Rudolph and Vesper held similar meetings to openly discuss the visions they had for their futures. In Wisconsin Rapids, the groundwork was laid for the creation of eight cluster groups, each focusing on one aspect of the local economy. A cutting edge program, CPI was based on the model of industry clusters, an economic strategy that looks at assets, supply chains and business transactions to determine how more spending can go to the local economy to make larger wins for the community. Even small increases were determined to create large impacts. During the course of the summer, cluster groups in the fields of agriculture, downtown revitalization, education and workforce, new e-conomies, paper and forestry, small business and tourism formulated vision statements. An important part of CPI has been the sharing of information through community-wide meetings, held about once each quarter. The sharing of vision statements at a late summer meeting set the stage for the next round: determining the first steps to take in achieving those visions. In the process, CPI arranged study tours to communities that had successfully transformed themselves into magnets for new business and growth. Coming up on the first anniversary of CPI, the first success is clear. The pessimism that greeted the launch of the initiative has flowered into optimism. What’s more, the dynamic involvement of private citizens and community leaders has not escaped the attention of outsiders. A visit by representatives of the Commerce Department and the Main Street Program noted the breadth of the initiative, something unparalleled in the state. CPI scored a major coup, announced at its January community meeting: $248,000 in federal monies for a revolving grant fund for new businesses.
		Copyright © 2005, Community Progress Initiative, South Wood County & Town of Rome