Milwaukee, WI
Opinion: Manufacturing is Wisconsin’s fastball. Opportunities abound for economic growth.
Opportunity is knocking in our region.
Reshoring is bringing advanced manufacturing jobs back to Wisconsin
Stoughton Trailers is a Wisconsin-based company that suffered mass layoffs due to unfair competition from China. A plant that closed reopened in 2011.
Milwaukee PBS
As our Milwaukee Brewers are headed to the playoffs a baseball analogy seems appropriate.
Fans know a successful pitcher needs a repertoire of weapons in his arsenal. A potent curveball or slider are nice for any pitcher to have in his back pocket. But that overpowering fastball is typically what gets the job done.
The same holds true for a regional economy. A diverse make-up of business sectors defines any successful economic climate, but you need that one sector to drive the region forward. For generations here, it’s been manufacturing.
Companion column: Manufacturing opportunities come to Wisconsin. Do we have a workforce ready?
Manufacturing is our fastball in Wisconsin. We have the highest concentration of these jobs in the country. We are makers and producers here.
Manufacturing jobs pay about 20% higher than service industry
Have the jobs changed? Yes. Advances in technology provide efficiencies that help companies increase productivity while protecting the bottom line.
Has the volume of manufacturing jobs decreased? Again, yes. Over the past quarter century, those same efficiencies coupled with the offshoring of jobs, have caused the overall volume to decrease. In the four-county Milwaukee metro, the latest figures showed about 114,000 area residents employed in manufacturing compared to about 165,000 in 2000.
That said, the loss of manufacturing jobs is not indicative of a post-manufacturing economy here. Quite the contrary. We need to continue growing the sector through expansion and attraction efforts as well as advocating for common-sense policy at the local, state and federal levels.
The future of manufacturing job fair and town hall: Register for the free event Oct. 3 at MATC
Growing our manufacturing base is vital for a strong local economy. These are good jobs – paying about 20 percent more on average compared to those in the service industry. We can lift the fortunes of this generation and those that follow by providing the right opportunities.
On a macro level, investing in manufacturing is also in the best interest of our national well-being. Growing a resilient supply chain will ensure parts are made right here in the United States. Countries like China are cheating by stealing intellectual property and knowhow while providing direct government support to bolster manufacturing and exports. This is a clear threat to the rules of international free trade and presents a substantial threat to national security, our economy and, therefore, our way of life.
Milwaukee is fast becoming home to advanced manufacturing
The cliché about manufacturing floors being dirty, dark and dangerous is a relic of decades past. Today, Milwaukee is fast becoming home to advanced manufacturing. Our density of advanced manufacturing jobs is nearly twice the national average.
Look no further than Rockwell, a global leader in industrial automation, manufacturing products that help businesses optimize their production. Rockwell’s operations paint a perfect picture of advanced manufacturing, conducting it themselves while helping clientele move in the same direction.
At the same time, Microsoft’s historic $3.3 billion investment in a cutting-edge data center will drive AI-powered production in the region. Having forward-thinking manufacturers in an environment where an investment like this is being made makes it clear that Milwaukee is a place where the information technology economy is intersecting with the manufacturing sector. It’s a good spot to be in.
There’s more good news. This spring, the region was named one of 12 U.S. Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs. The designation, focused here on biohealth and personalized medicine, is expected to create more than 30,000 direct jobs, 110,000 indirect jobs and produce a $9 billion economic impact over the next decade.
But the work is just beginning.
Organizations like MMAC, it’s economic development arm – the Milwaukee 7 Regional Partnership (M7) – and partner organizations driving economic growth are working on a number of fronts to create an environment welcoming to manufacturers moving to or expanding in our region. We have a story to tell, this region is where the software economy is intersecting with the traditional hardware economy.
We need to recruit and retain talent. And welcome immigrants.
One of the demands this will place on southeastern Wisconsin is a workforce ready to meet the moment. We already hear our manufacturing members say attracting and retaining talent is a huge challenge. That said, MMAC is working to bring real-world manufacturing programming, such as robotics and other advanced manufacturing education, to high school classrooms in our area. Sparking an interest in our students and making them realize they can thrive in this sector is the first step in getting them into a manufacturing career.
In a region where population has stagnated, we also need to be welcoming to an immigrant population that can help us meet the staffing needs necessary to be competitive. Smart immigration policy is paramount in building a strong, growing workforce in southeastern Wisconsin so the history of manufacturing brainpower and muscle is intertwined with the story of immigration.
A historic opportunity: Wisconsin’s largest cities have synergies to make tech hub flourish with new partnership
Lastly, our tax policy needs to be economically feasible for companies looking to move, or even stay here. That’s why it’s critical Wisconsin retains the Manufacturing and Agricultures Activities Credit – which allows business to keep income derived from manufacturing tax free. Losing this credit would force many to look elsewhere – most likely states with no income taxes – to do business.
Opportunity is knocking in our region. In getting back to baseball, one could liken our current situation to being at the plate with the bases loaded. If we take the right approach, it could be a really productive at bat.
Dale Kooyenga is president of the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce.
MILWAUKEE – A Milwaukee man, previously named one of Wisconsin’s Most Wanted, has been sentenced to prison for shooting and killing his cousin in 2020.
In court
What we know:
A Milwaukee County jury found 39-year-old Brandon Gladney guilty of first-degree reckless homicide and possession of a firm by a felon earlier this year.
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Judge Michelle Havas sentenced Gladney to 29 years in prison on Friday, April 17. He was granted credit for more than a year’s time served and further sentenced to 14 years of extended supervision.
Arrested in Arizona after years on the run, court records show Gladney has also been ordered to pay the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office more than $1,800 for extradition costs.
Homicide investigation
The backstory:
The shooting happened in May 2020. Investigators said Gladney was captured on video apparently arguing with the victim, his cousin, outside a Milwaukee convenience store near 21st and Meinecke.
“It’s all on video, and it’s devastating for that family,” the marshal on the case told FOX6 when Gladney was profiled on Wisconsin’s Most Wanted. “You have a family member that shot and killed another family member.”
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Prosecutors said Gladney walked away but then returned with a gun pointed directly at the victim and shot him. The victim died from his gunshot wounds at a nearby hospital. Multiple bullet casings were found at the scene.
Gladney went on the run for years. He was arrested in Arizona in January 2023, years after he was charged.
The Source: FOX6 News referenced information from the U.S. Marshals Service, Wisconsin Circuit Court and prior coverage.
Brice Turang slides to home plate to score during a game between the Miami Marlins and the Milwaukee Brewers on April 17. (Photo by Chris Arjoon/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
MIAMI – Garrett Mitchell went 2 for 4 with three RBIs including a two-run double in the 10th inning and the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Miami Marlins 7-5 on Friday night.
By the numbers:
Miami’s Calvin Faucher (1-2) entered a 4-all game in the 10th and walked Gary Sánchez with Brice Turang on second. Jake Bauers hit a single to load the bases.
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Luis Rengifo reached first on a throwing error by second baseman Xavier Edwards, allowing Turang to score. Mitchell followed with his double.
The Marlins scored one run in the bottom of the 10th when Jakob Marsee came home on Trevor Megill’s wild pitch. Megill settled in for his fourth save.
Coleman Crow, who made his debut on the mound for the Brewers, threw 77 pitches over 5 1/3 innings. He threw four strikeouts, gave up two earned runs and a walk.
The right-hander was 2-0 with a 4.07 ERA in two starts with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in Nashville. He missed part of the 2023 season and all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
The Brewers scored three runs in the fourth inning. With the bases loaded, Mitchell hit an RBI single, Bauers scored on a forceout at first and Rengifo scored on a throwing error by catcher Agustín Ramírez.
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Miami’s Otto Lopez hit a triple to center field in the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly by Owen Caissie. Lopez hit a two-run homer in the sixth to pull Miami within 4-3 and Ramírez doubled in the eighth to tie the game at four.
Abner Uribe (1-0) earned his first win of the season, coming on in the ninth inning.
Marlins third baseman Graham Pauley left the game in the seventh inning with right oblique discomfort after spinning out of the way of a pitch.
What’s next:
The Brewers and Marlins continue their 3-game series on Saturday, with Brandon Woodruff (1-0, 4.36 ERA) taking the mound for Milwaukee and Sandy Alcantara (2-1, 2.67) for Miami.
The Source: The Associated Press provided this report.
Michigan wins the national championship over UConn
Michigan beats UConn to win the national championship and we break down how they did it and where both programs go from here.
Loyalty is a word you rarely hear anymore when it comes to college sports.
Amare Hereford is an exception.
The night before he was able to put pen to paper and make his commitment to the UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball team official earlier this week, the Beloit Memorial standout was invited for an on-campus visit with the Wisconsin Badgers.
Hereford did his due diligence. What player wouldn’t have in his position?
“Me being an 18-year-old kid, my first high major [visit], I just decided to go check it out,” Hereford said.
UW put on the full-court press in an attempt to lock down the Wisconsin “Mr. Basketball” finalist.
“They offered me a scholarship,” Hereford said. “It all happened so fast. It was all within a day.”
Hereford went home, processed the situation with his family and came to a decision.
He would honor his commitment to the Panthers, with his signature cementing the deal and UWM announcing the news Thursday, April 16.
“No, it wasn’t really hard to turn down,” Hereford said, referring to UW’s offer. “I love every school and I appreciate every school that reaches out to me. But I’m going to choose a school that I have a great relationship with, with all the coaching staff, and that’s been thinking highly of me and recruited me for the longest time. And that was the Panthers.
“Wisconsin is a great school, of course. But I’m going to the school that has been with me for the longest time.”
The 6-foot-2, 175-pound Hereford is a huge addition for a Panthers squad that, like so many other programs due to transfer portal madness, is in the midst of rebuilding its roster for the 2026-2027 season almost from scratch.
“Amare will be a star here at Milwaukee,” coach Bart Lundy said. “He will be a fan favorite from the beginning. He is a complete basketball player but probably has as good of an ability to score as I’ve seen in any high school player. He is a great student and a great worker and completely fits our culture.
“We are so excited that he will represent the city of Milwaukee and the state and especially his hometown of Beloit.”
Indeed, Hereford put the ball through the net for Beloit Memorial at a prodigious rate, averaging 37.5 points per game – tops in the state – as a senior. He finished as the school’s all-time leading scorer with 2,493 points in four years.
Hereford also poured in 49 points in his final high school game, a WIAA sectional semifinal loss to Verona last month.
Hereford was tough to guard going to the basket as his 60.7% shooting this past season indicates, but he also shot a terrific 45% from from 3-point range (81 for 180) and capitalized on all the contact he drew to the tune of 83% accuracy at the free-throw line.
More than just a scorer, though, Hereford also finished with team-leading averages of 8.5 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 3.9 steals per game.
“My playing style fits the way [the Panthers] play – they get up and down, play fast,” Hereford said. “Coach Lundy said he definitely sees me running [point guard], having the ball in my hands, playing the same way I did in high school, finding teammates, getting to the rim and scoring at all three levels.”
Defense is typically where newcomers experience the biggest growing pains, learning the all-out effort it takes to guard at a high level on every possession.
Hereford, however, indicates he’s more than just a scorer.
“I love playing defense,” he said. “Hitting the gaps, getting steals and different things like that, being active with my hands a lot. I’m definitely looking forward to getting pushed defensively and picking up the ball full court, on-ball pressure in the half court.”
Hereford took his visit to UWM in mid-March, after the season had been completed, but saw enough games on TV to cement his opinion of the challenge ahead.
“The Horizon League is amazing,” he said. “There’s a lot of guards who play the same way I play, like to get up and down, play fast. That’s why I love Coach Lundy and the Panthers and the rest of the staff. They let guys be themselves. They play fast, get up and down, play together as one.
“They let everybody touch the ball and be themselves.”
Before Wisconsin entered the picture, Hereford said he’d narrowed his school choices to UWM and San Diego, where Whitefish Bay Dominican product and former Iowa State assistant JR Blount has taken over as head coach.
Now, Hereford projects as an important piece in the Panthers’ rebuilding process.
“Coach Lundy and the staff, they believe in me heavy. And I just want to prove them right,” Hereford said. “I want them to see that I can come in and make a huge impact right away for the team and in the Horizon League.
“I’m definitely going to come in and compete for my minutes. And obviously, I want to stay there.
“So, definitely looking forward to coming in and earning my spot.”
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