Outgoing Wisconsin EDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes spent six years leading her state to achieve $8 billion in new capital investment and the creation or retention of 45,000 jobs. After a performance like that, the new gubernatorial candidate paused to reflect on the highlights of this era in a recent interview.
YOU RECENTLY HOSTED THE NFL DRAFT IN GREEN BAY. HOW WERE YOU ABLE TO USE THAT EVENT TO PROMOTE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN WISCONSIN?
HUGHES: It gave us two different opportunities to showcase Wisconsin. One was the big national show where millions of people got to see Wisconsin in all of its glory. Second was the smaller event we did with the site selectors. They were able to ask us questions. We could ask them questions too. It was a highly valuable exchange.
WHAT WAS THE REACTION OF VISITORS TO WISCONSIN?
HUGHES: Folks were pleasantly surprised and said that Wisconsin was what they expected in a good way. Midwest hospitality was something they all experienced. They all said it was so wonderful to have volunteers welcoming them off the plane. Wisconsin has a reputation for beer, cheese, snow and hospitality. I think we gave them everything but the snow. This was our biggest event since Ryder Cup. Milwaukee was also featured as the “Top Chef” location, and that brought a lot of attention to our state.
Missy Hughes, former Secretary and CEO, Wisconsin EDC
WISCONSIN IS DOING A LOT TO PROMOTE INNOVATION AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP. HOW IS THAT EFFORT SHAPING YOUR ECONOMY?
HUGHES: Wisconsin has always been a state of innovation. With our farming background, we are always solving problems. Our manufacturers are always solving problems. Plus, we have research coming out of the University of Wisconsin in Madison. Now, we are taking that heritage and tradition of innovation and asking — how do we do this intentionally? Microsoft is a key partner in this effort. It is amazing to have them as a partner at Titletown Tech. They are also investing in Southeast Wisconsin with a big data center, as well as a co-location lab in Milwaukee. Companies are ecstatic about what they are able to accomplish there in a short period of time. You can then use those building blocks to solve other problems.
THE $800 MILLION KIKKOMAN EXPANSION DEAL IS ONE OF THE LARGEST FOOD PROCESSING INVESTMENTS IN U.S. HISTORY. HOW DID WISCONSIN WIN THAT DEAL?
HUGHES: We won that deal through a lot of hard work. They have been here for 50 years. It made more sense for them to go to another state and diversify, but because we have been such excellent partners and leaned in at the hyper-local level building those relationships in Jefferson and Wadsworth, that made a real difference. They wanted a partner for a long time. We were so excited when they chose Wisconsin for that deal in Jefferson and Wadsworth. It is very significant. It is part of a series of big wins for us. We also won a $4 billion Eli Lilly facility and the $3.3 billion Microsoft facility.
WHAT ARE SOME OTHER BIG ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WINS OF THE PAST YEAR IN YOUR STATE?
HUGHES: We just had two others. Yaskawa is a Japanese company that has been here and had a headquarters in Illinois. They are moving their operations from Illinois to Wisconsin. They will build robots in Franklin. This is the first time they are building robots outside Japan. That is very exciting. We also just announced an expansion with Milwaukee Tool and 300 jobs. That now will bring their total to over 4,000 jobs in Wisconsin. The quality of the engineers and high-skilled jobs that we are churning out of our colleges and universities is truly remarkable.
