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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 2, 2006 - Study to check benefits of tech By Andrew Hellpap, Daily Tribune Staff Technology is widely viewed as one of the keys to business growth and development, and the leaders of the Community Progress Initiative are taking note. Through the work of the New e-Conomies industry cluster, the initiative is planning an assessment of the technology and telecommunications infrastructure in Wisconsin Rapids and surrounding communities. The study, performed by NorthStar Economics in Madison, will determine the state of the local infrastructure and how it can be marketed to attract potential businesses, said JR Siewert, e-Conomies cluster co-chairman. "We realized we have tremendous assets," he said. The type of telecommunications infrastructure that businesses need includes access to call centers, broadband Internet and proper hardware such as network hubs and switches, said Dennis Winters, vice president and director of research at NorthStar Economics. The first step in the assessment is to determine if there is enough potential to support the types of businesses in an area the size of Wisconsin Rapids, Winters said. The second stage is to find out if the technology is up to par, he said. Officials already have begun the study at the state level, examining what it allows for broadband access, Winters said. The work is expected to take up to three months and will include interviews with businesses like Solarus. Then, Winters plans to talk to users of the technology, Renaissance Learning Inc. for example, to see what telecommunication tools they need. Once the infrastructure is understood, it can be presented to help businesses grow in Wisconsin Rapids, Siewert said. It can be especially helpful to businesses that rely heavily on call centers, plus the knowledge of the infrastructure can draw larger distributors that use online cataloging, Siewert said. "If they don't have strong Internet access, they are out of business," he said. Though Solarus can provide several phone service solutions for businesses, the online element of the study could be crucial to those that rely on mass communication to sell their products, Winters said. "In a lot of ways, the Internet has replaced ... call centers," he said. The study will be funded by money the initiative received as part of a $240,000 grant received from the Ford Foundation in February. It's an example of the Community Progress Initiative's vision to help businesses develop in the region, Siewert said. "I think this aligns very well with it," he said.
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