Saturday, June 11, 2011

How to be “Open for Business”

It’s no secret why Texas is kicking economic butt while other states languish.

And so it was awkward last week when Sullivan told a packed auditorium of civic leaders that he needed to make a “confession,” something he’s kept quiet for years. Finding qualified, factory-grade welders in an old-line industrial city such as Milwaukee had become arduous to near impossible. Calling himself a “killjoy,” Sullivan said he quietly phoned a few contacts in Texas to see whether the Lone Star State could provide him enough welders who are qualified to piece together the colossal mining machines that Bucyrus ships to India, China and elsewhere around the world.

A delegation of senior Texas government authorities met Sullivan at the airport, including the mayor of the town of Kilgore. In a one-hour lunch, they matched Bucyrus with a ready-to-occupy factory with every possible amenity.

More important, they asked Sullivan exactly what sort of workers he needed. Sullivan said 80 with specific skill. The state gave Sullivan a guarantee that the workers would be waiting when the doors opened at the expansion site in Kilgore. State officials customized a recruitment, training and certification program. One year later, when the expansion site in Kilgore opened its doors, the 80 welders were waiting.

In the two years since then, the Texas site has more than doubled to 184 total workers and plans to keep hiring. And back in Milwaukee, Sullivan has said next to nothing in public about the Kilgore expansion.

(11) Comments
Posted by Owen at 2103 hrs
Economy + Politics + Politics - Texas + Politics - Wisconsin

  1. This is the liberals biggest problem.  They don’t like business and they have no understand what it is like hustle for a buck.  So they fail miserably in recruiting. 

    When a company in Milwaukee talks expansion, Tom Barrett forwards the call into voicemail.  Two weeks later he will have a staffer call the CEO back and offer them employee vouchers for free “Microsoft Windows Basics” class taught at MATC or UWM should the company decide to add jobs in Milwaukee.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 11, 2011 at 2244 hrs


  2. Evil corporation makes machines that scour Mother Earth of her resources!

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 12, 2011 at 1013 hrs


  3. I put myself through college as an industrial welder—it paid more than twice what the intern rate was in the engineering department and offered unlimited overtime. It’s dirty, hard, and somewhat dangerous work, but at the end of the day it’s pretty nice to say, “I made that.”

    But I’m afraid that this is an old-school attitude. I see signs all around Wisconsin looking for welders, but nobody seems to want to do it these days despite good pay. Getting your hands and the rest of you dirty isn’t appreciated any more. That’s a shame.

    So I don’t think it’s just that Texas is willing to help employers. It’s the whole social attitude that’s different between the prissy “Oh, gross, you got your hands dirty working so hard” folks and the “It’s a good paying job” folks. Guess where there are more of each?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 12, 2011 at 1143 hrs


  4. So Texas delivered and MATC failed.  Surprise.

    MATC is run by an appointed Board that brags about how much they pay their teachers and raises our taxes at will.  Does anyone except me think it is time to disband the group of thieves?

    Posted by bill meyers on June 13, 2011 at 0629 hrs


  5. ...but at the end of the day it’s pretty nice to say, “I made that.”

    That’s the biggest part of the economic problem with Wisconsin and the nation as a whole. We’re a service economy, not a production economy.

    This news item could be Part 4 of Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged!” Somehow one part of the country has excelled, in spite of the efforts of the looters to wreck everyone’s economy and make them dependent on the schemers in D.C.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 13, 2011 at 0730 hrs


  6. And, in the meantime, WMC runs lying ads on the radio to tell us that the strip mine in Iron County will bring jobs to Wisconsin.  Add Sullivan to the list of liars

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 13, 2011 at 0818 hrs


  7. The key is that Bucyrus had someone to call in Texas that put the deal together for them.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 13, 2011 at 1031 hrs


  8. “State officials customized a recruitment, training and certification program.”

    Exactly. An emphasis on education. Couldn’t agree more. Every study out there finds the number one factor for business locating or relocating is a pool of educated, qualified potential workers. So how has the current administration been doing on that education front?

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 13, 2011 at 1112 hrs


  9. So we’d just have to start doing siting, capital investment, construction, hiring, training and certification, then promise to meet business leaders at the airport and we could have more jobs?  And here we are spending all that time and money on healthcare for children.  How many jobs do children create???

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 13, 2011 at 1457 hrs


  10. It’s funny that Jason is so against working class American’s having jobs.  Texas is *only* responsible for 32% of all the jobs created since president retard took office and lost *millions* of other jobs through over-regulation and general anti-business policies.  But hey, who needs a job to earn money to use to eat.  Daddy Federal Government will pay for everything.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 13, 2011 at 1701 hrs


  11. That’s true GMan, I hate working class Americans and I hate jobs.  That’s the only possible explanation for me being less than enthused about having government take care of all the business things that go along with running a business.  You’re really smart and level-headed.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on June 14, 2011 at 0916 hrs


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