Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle paid a visit to Sturgeon Bay on Thursday, February 3rd to announce a pledge of $9.2 Million in state funds to support implementation of Phase I of the Shipbuilding Plan. Phase I, expected to begin in mid-2005, totals $29.35 Million and includes four projects: a new 140,000 sq. ft. production facility for Palmer Johnson; street and utility improvements required to accommodate the new Palmer Johnson building; upgrading the boat launch system Bay Shipbuilding and Palmer Johnson both currently use; and an aggressive workforce development initiative. The two shipyards estimate that the project will contribute to the creation of 600 new jobs within the next three years. DCEDC is currently appealing for federal money to fill the gap between the anticipated budget and previously pledged public and private funds.

Door County businesses that sell wholesale products will again open their doors to buyers in June for the second annual Door County Wholesale Showcase Tour. The tour of area businesses will take place on Saturday, June 11, starting at 8am with registration and coffee at the Door County Chamber Visitor Center in Sturgeon Bay. From there, buyers will travel to a variety of area businesses to see the making of many Door County products first hand. The show will give potential buyers the opportunity to tour local businesses that make items such as candles, bath and body products, wine, home decorations, Door County food items or roast coffee beans.

Wholesale business owners who would like to participate in the tour should contact Sam Perlman, 920-743-3113 x204 or sam@doorcountybusiness.com. Retail buyers are encouraged to register in advance by visiting the tour's web site: www.DoorCountyWholesale.com.

Mark your calendars! May 4-6 will be the dates for the second Door County Legislative Days in Madison. The purpose of Legislative Days is to educate state officials about Door County, and to lobby for state action to help address local issues and concerns. This year's events are building directly on the success of the first County Legislative Days in 2003, which brought the specific concerns of the Door County community directly to our elected representatives and influential government appointees. The main day will be May 5, when Door County Legislative Days participants will call on our elected officials: May 4 and 6 will be reserved for visiting various state agencies.

The 2005 Legislative Days agenda is still being formulated. If you are interested in participating in Legislative Days or providing some input on the agenda, contact Bill Chaudoir, 920-743-3113 x203 or bill@doorcountybusiness.com. We need at least 100 Door County delegates to effectively call on legislators!

The annual Career Day for Door & Kewaunee County 8th grade students will be held on Thursday, March 10th, 9am to 2:30pm at NWTC-Sturgeon Bay, sponsored by the Door Kewaunee Business & Education Partnership and the Sturgeon Bay Rotary Club. The Career Day program gives area students an understanding of local career clusters and the variety of occupational opportunities available; information about the skills that employers are looking for; and recommendations about what courses and extracurricular activities they might participate in during their high school years. If you have questions about the Career Day program or would like to volunteer, please contact the DKBEP Program Manager, Sharon Spengler at Sharon@doorcountybusiness.com or 920-743-3113 x205.

DCEDC recently unveiled its 2005 Strategic Work Plan: the Work Plan is adopted by the Board of Directors each year and reflects the organization's top priority objectives. The Board and DCEDC staff will commit the majority of their time, attention and resources to the achievement of these top six objectives during the coming year. Among other objectives for 2005, DCEDC will continue to work for improved high speed telecommunications accessibility and redundancy for Door County; provide leadership in the planning and execution of Door County Legislative Days; complete and begin implementation of the Door County Economic Development Adjustment plan; continue to facilitate the redevelopment of the former Emerson Motors building; focus on Workforce Development, especially for the shipyards; and continue to work towards the full implementation of the Sturgeon Bay Shipbuilding Cluster Master Plan.

Planning is already underway for the DCEDC Annual Meeting this spring. The date and keynote speaker are currently being finalized, but expect a date within the last two weeks of April. As part of the Annual Meeting, the findings and recommendations from the Door County Economic Development Adjustment Plan will be presented. A Door County Economic Summit will immediately follow the Annual Meeting and go into greater depth regarding the implementation of the Adjustment Plan. To make sure you receive an invitation to the Annual Meeting, contact Kay Jensen at 920-743-3113 x202 or kay@doorcountybusiness.com.

Additionally, the DCEDC Board of Directors is currently accepting nominations for the Door County Entrepreneur of the Year and Industry of The Year Awards. The Industry of the Year award recognizes a construction, service or manufacturing business that has made a substantial impact on the community and enjoyed significant accomplishments during the past year. Selection criteria include the firm's stability, growth, innovations, leadership and corporate citizenship. Last year's award winner was Bay Shipbuilding Company.

The Entrepreneur of the Year Award, first granted last year to Door County Coffee & Tea founder Vicki Wilson, celebrates those individuals or small companies who have taken the initiative to start and grow a successful small business in Door County. Eligible businesses include those with fewer than 50 employees, exhibit exciting growth potential and have at least three years of successful business experience.

Any Door County resident or business can nominate a business or entrepreneur by contacting DCEDC or any of the award committee members: Jay Krauss (City of Sturgeon Bay), Karen Raymore (Door County Chamber of Commerce), Cindy Weber (Homespun Touch) or Ron Halverson (Hatco Corporation). The award winners will be announced at the Annual Meeting this spring.

Partially funded by a $75,000 Wisconsin Department of Commerce Community Development Block Grant, Brilliant Cities, Inc. (BCI) and Siemens completed a feasibility study for a Door County fiber optics telecommunications infrastructure initiative during 2004. After conducting both a pre-engineering technology feasibility study and a conjoint market research study, BCI and Siemens remain positively focused on Door County as an optimal deployment site for a BCI/Siemens network. Final results of the study will be presented to local government bodies during the first quarter of 2005, and BCI hopes to begin deploying fiber optic cable on the peninsula during 2005 and offering ultra-high broadband telecommunications services to Door County beginning in early 2006.

We are unhappy to report that Phyllis Foltz, owner of Seaside Cottage, passed away on January 29. Seaside Cottage, a wholesale distributor and importer of floral and gift products, had been a tenant of the Door County Business Development Center since May 1999. Contributions may be made in Phyllis's memory to the American Cancer Society, Gail Singer Memorial Building, 360 State Route 101, Suite 501, Bedford, NH 03110.