Background

A Certified Site is a development-ready site meeting certain criteria, including site size, availability of utility and transportation infrastructure, physical and technical condition, environmental assessments, quality of labor force, and support by local communities. The cost of certification is split between WEDC and the community. WEDC selected Deloitte Consulting to compile consistent standards for industrial sites, develop the program application form and recommend basic requirements and verification for site criteria. Twenty-seven communities applied for consideration in the first round in May 2012. Following a preliminary desktop review of the sites, Deloitte Consulting narrowed the list of communities for site visits and eventually for certification. Each community that applied received a detailed site summary. First round certified sites include: Beaver Dam, Beloit (2),DeForest, Village of Howard, Fitchburg, Janesville, Menomonie, Prescott, and West Bend. Some additional sites submitted in the first round may be announced in the first quarter of 2013.

Profile of a selected site

Beaver Dam’s 151 Business Park is a brand new, 200-plus-acre corporate park development on the city’s far north side, with Highway 151 for its east border. The entire site has high visibility from Highway 151.The park will provide large-scale facilities with ample space for immediate development plus additional land for future development. A TIF District is in place for the site to actively fund improvements.

Next steps for Beaver Dam

Beaver Dam mayor Tom Kennedy shares the benefits of having the “Certified in Wisconsin” designation at the announcement December 11, 2012.

Beaver Dam will promote and market its newly certified site in a variety of ways, including:

  • The city will create a special “certified site” section on its website, which will contain all available electronic study information compiled as part of the site certification process.
  • The city will target consultants, contractors, businesses and other potentially interested parties with electronic site summary information.
  • Beaver Dam Area Development Corporation will market the certified site through its own developed professional network.

Next steps for WEDC

WEDC will utilize its national and international connections to market all certified sites, including:

  • Feature each site on the Locate In Wisconsin landing page (www.locateinwisconsin.com).
  • Build a special overlay for each site on the searchable map on the Locate In Wisconsin page
  • Market all sites at the annual Site Selectors Guild conference in New Orleans Feb. 25-27
  • Target marketing campaigns to site selectors
  • Include site profiles in upcoming national business attraction campaigns
  • Include site profiles in upcoming international business attraction campaigns

Phase II application process

The second round of applications will be sought in March. Watch the WEDC Certified Sites webpage for more information: /site-certification/

For more information:

Graham Callis
WEDC Tool Specialist
608-210-6837

(January 2013)