January 2004

Doyle Praises State’s Workers

Governor says work force will attract businesses

A highly skilled and productive work force is Wisconsin’s best asset for attracting and retaining businesses, Gov. Jim Doyle said Monday.

“My vision for Wisconsin is that we are going to compete at the higher end,” Doyle said. “We’ll lose any competition for low-wage jobs.”

The state has lost about 84,000 manufacturing jobs in the past three years including some due to competition from lower-cost overseas manufacturers.

After exactly a year in office, the governor spoke to about 70 employees of Mead & Hunt, a Madison architectural and engineering firm. His appearance was requested by the firm’s employees as part of a series of meetings with public officials.

Rajan Sheth, Mead & Hunt president, said Wisconsin’s government is the 103-year-old firm’s largest client.

While other states have ocean breezes or mild climates, Doyle said Wisconsin can offer a more important incentive to businesses.

“What we have is the best work force found anywhere in this country,” he said. “At the forefront, we stand for quality.”

He said Wisconsin workers are the most productive and best educated of any state in the nation.

Doyle told the Mead & Hunt employees that they are Wisconsin ambassadors when they travel for projects in other cities.

“You are representatives of this state, and I know the quality of work that you do reflects well on the state,” he said.

Although he has pledged to reduce the number of state employees, Doyle said that doesn’t mean the state will be hiring private firms more often.

“I just think you need to have a very good balance,” he said. “I don’t think we should in a major way be upsetting that balance.”

The governor said Wisconsin schools must have the resources to stay current with computer technology.

“I believe Wisconsin should become a real leader in distance learning for communities and business,” he said. “A student in Rhinelander should be able to study Japanese (through the university).”

Wisconsin hasn’t received as much homeland security money as more populous states, but the governor said the money is needed more in larger cities.

Mead & Hunt is especially active in airport projects and Doyle said preserving the quality of air travel is important to the state’s infrastructure.

Reprinted from the Wisconsin State Journal