41-acre parcel certified as ‘development-ready’ by Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
NEWS RELEASE — The Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) announced today that it has designated a portion of the Wausau Business Campus as a Certified In Wisconsin® development-ready site.
The 41-acre site at the business park, located near County Highway O and State Highway 29 in Marathon County, is the state’s 19th Certified Site. The Certified In Wisconsin designation gives site selectors and business owners confidence that building plans will not be held up by costly delays in permitting and approvals.
“The Wausau Business Campus is already a successful, growing business park that is home to more than 60 companies,” said WEDC Secretary and CEO Mark R. Hogan, who announced the certification Thursday in Wausau. “The Certified In Wisconsin designation will enable the city to build upon that success by providing assurances to companies and site selectors that the property is ready to be developed.”
“The City of Wausau is proud to continue expanding the Wausau Business Campus—an investment in jobs, families and our future as a region,” said Wausau Mayor Robert Mielke. “The Certified Site designation from WEDC further underscores that Wausau is a prime location statewide for continued economic development.”
The Certified Site is about eight miles west of downtown Wausau and less than five miles from Interstate 39. The site is about 20 minutes away from the Central Wisconsin Airport in Mosinee and an hour away from the Rhinelander-Oneida County Airport. Wausau also is home to a Northcentral Technical College campus that offers local training and educational opportunities and to the University of Wisconsin-Marathon County.
The site is zoned for industrial uses, including manufacturing and assembly operations; general fabricating and processing; and research laboratories and facilities. Among the major employers at the Business Campus already are Wausau Window and Wall Systems, Foot Locker/Eastbay, and Linetec, along with many growing small businesses. Great Lakes Cheese Co. is now building a 170,000-square-foot, $100 million facility adjacent to the Certified Site. That project is expected to be completed by January.
Local and regional officials say the Certified In Wisconsin designation will be a key factor in attracting new companies to the business park.
“The Certified in Wisconsin Program is a great resource for businesses looking to develop. It cuts back on time and costs associated with site selection and permitting by streamlining the process,” said state Rep. Patrick Snyder, who represents Wausau and attended Thursday’s announcement. “I am excited to have part of our Wausau Business Campus labeled as a Certified Site because it really invites businesses into our community and shows that we are committed to their success, too.”
“This Certified In Wisconsin designation for the Wausau Business Campus is truly exciting and shows that Wisconsin is moving forward due to the reforms we have initiated in the past few legislative sessions,” added state Rep. John Spiros, who represents part of Marathon County and also attended the announcement. “This designation will provide a boost for Wausau and central Wisconsin as business developers seek new locations to grow or set up their operations. I anticipate great things for this community as businesses join a number of already thriving corporations and small businesses in the Business Campus.”
The Certified In Wisconsin Program, which was launched in 2012, provides potential tenants with all the information needed to make quick decisions about whether that site is right for their needs, such as utility and transportation infrastructure, environmental assessments, quality of available labor force and more. WEDC is utilizing Deloitte Consulting to help evaluate sites that are determined to be ready for development and to meet certification requirements. WEDC markets each Certified Site through its Locate In Wisconsin website, LocateInWisconsin.com.
WEDC administers the Certified In Wisconsin Program to enhance Wisconsin’s appeal to companies looking to expand operations here. Working with WEDC, communities can obtain site certification for properties at a much lower cost than they would pay to pursue the designation on their own through an independent consultant.
Wisconsin has 21 development projects completed or underway on the state’s Certified Sites. Those projects, when complete, are expected to create nearly 2,300 jobs and generate nearly $400 million in capital investment.
In addition to Wausau, the state’s other Certified in Wisconsin sites are in: Beaver Dam, Beloit, Black River Falls, Chippewa Falls, Deforest, Fitchburg, Green Bay, Howard, Menomonie, Prescott, Sparta, Stevens Point, Verona, West Bend, Westport, Whitewater and Wisconsin Rapids.
For more information about the Wausau Certified Site, visit inwisconsin.com/wausau-
