Lake Geneva Has Well Balanced Business Sector
Lake Geneva is unique, and fortunate, to have a well balanced business community that allows a wide variety of businesses to grow and prosper. This also means a wide variety of job opportunities here for local residents. The Lake Geneva Economic Development Corporation (LGEDC) is proud to be a part of this success.
Our community is known nationally for the vacation and hospitality opportunities we provide for visitors and residents. A recent article in this paper outlined the substantial growth of these activities. All looks positive for the future.
Also, another leading business sector is the varied group of manufacturing organizations located here. This group has grown to market their products around the nation and the world. A fortunate feature of this group, for our community, is that they are not tied to one industry base but range from medical equipment, metal forming and plastic parts to store signage and others.
A truly valuable Lake Geneva asset is the strong and vibrant downtown which continues to expand around the core area. This is tied to the needs of both local residents and visitors. Look around the area and the country and you will find many communities our size with dying and empty downtown sections. Much of this success can be tied to cooperative efforts between the local BID organization and the City of Lake Geneva.
Add to all this a healthy group of service and distribution businesses ranging from medical services, construction services and business equipment to fuel distributors and a brewery.
All of this says we are fortunate to have Lake Geneva as a great place to live, work and play – but there are other problems tied to continued success we must seriously consider. LGEDC is combining all this in a new marketing program for 2012-13.
Now the BUT! Students coming out of our schools, here and around the U.S.A., are not prepared to take the jobs available in their communities. A number of factors must be considered. Not all students should or desire to go on to a four-year college. They want to get specialized, short-term training or go straight into the workforce. The community must realize this is a beneficial move and should be encouraged. These young people must be given the education, personal skills and support they need for these valuable non-college opportunities. This must be a cooperative effort of employers, educators and the total community. These graduates are essential for local business growth.
Along with this, parents, families, educators and the students themselves must understand that in today's world these jobs are interesting, and essential. The typical old "factory" setting and "jobs" of the past do not exist today. Virtually every business today needs men and women with good math, computer and other skills plus the personal skills and desire needed to be a part of a successful business organization. It is especially important that parents don't look at the four-year degree as the only badge of success for their children. Many will enjoy a successful life without it.
The LGEDC Board of Directors believes the solutions to these problems must come as a cooperative effort between businesses, local education systems, technical colleges, state/county economic development organizations, workforce agencies and others. LGEDC has assisted in this arena in the past and have indicated we are willing to take whatever future action we can to assist in solving these problems.