G. Scott Thomas is a projects editor for Buffalo Business First, part of the fleet of publications operated by American City Business Journals. To say that Mr. Thomas is a numbers guy is akin to saying Richard Leinenkugel knows a little bit about beer. I like Mr. Thomas and I like the 150 years the Leinenkugel family has devoted to their trade. Exhaustive work on both fronts.

Thomas released his 2017 affluence ratings in early July. He employed a 12-part formula to establish a ranking system for America’s 22,568 zip codes. Factors like per capita income, median household income, workers with earnings of $100,000 or more, and adults with bachelor’s degrees and advanced degrees were used. Statistics are valid. They were obtained from the five-year version of the Census Bureau’s 2015 American Community Survey.

Is this a surprise? Houlton, Wisconsin, the unincorporated area in the Town of St. Joseph (St. Croix County) and holder of zip code 54082, is the area’s most affluent. Oh, Houlton ranks #7 among Wisconsin’s 628 zips, placing it near the top one percent and finishing ahead of better-known Middleton (#8), Delafield (#10), and Brookfield (#11). Nationally, Houlton ranked #1,465 against the 22,500+ zip codes, placing in the top 6.5 percent.

Going west across the river to our golden gopher neighbors, the cities of Mahtomedi and Plymouth, Minnesota have similar affluence scores compared to Houlton.

For the record, the 12-part formula reveals 41.8 percent of Houlton’s residents are workers in management, business, science or arts occupations and 24.1 percent of Houlton’s adults have advanced degrees. An estimated 19.7% of workers in Houlton report earnings of $100,000 or more, and the median family income is estimated at $94,893.

Houlton’s secret is out, thanks to G. Scott Thomas.

With the new river crossing open, the region will discover Houlton’s best too.

Go little Houlton, Go.

Harvard’s Michael E. Porter made a splash in economic research a number of years ago with his analysis of similar businesses operating within close proximity of one another. Hollywood has its concentration of filmmakers, the Silicon Valley has its high-tech start-ups and innovators, the Pacific Northwest has its software companies, and Detroit is home to automotive companies. Porter coined the phrase ‘industry clusters’ to describe the interconnected relationships of competing business and industry.

Plastic molding companies play a big role in shaping the economic landscape of St. Croix County and west central Wisconsin. Although their names do not go on finished products, area plastics companies are aligned with medical devices, scientific equipment, consumer goods, and automotive components, with many being on a global stage.

St. Croix County has another budding cluster – alcohol – in the form of breweries, distilleries, and wineries. A skeptic may suggest that while others chase uncatchable business sectors, some revert to the lowest common denominator: alcohol.

St. Croix’s list of brewers, distillers, and fermenters continues to grow. In random order, there’s Rush River Brewery, Dave’s BrewFarm, Oliphant Brewery, Barley John’s Brewery, Bobtown Brewhouse, Pitchfork Brewery, Swinging Bridge Brewery (on the Pierce County side of River Falls), Aberforth Brewing (the former Hanson Brewing Company), soon-to-open Hop & Barrel Brewing, 45th Parallel Distillery, Madison Avenue Wine and Spirits, Demon Rum, 65 Vines Winery, Emerald Vineyard Estate, Cracked Barrel Winery, and Belle Vinez Winery. The list excludes homebrewers, distillers, fermenters, and moonshiners. My apologies to establishments whose names may have been omitted.

A stop in a local taproom gives patrons the chance to enjoy beer in the freshest way possible. That is, from a tapline connected directly to a keg in the cold room. The list of what’s on-tap can be puzzling. These are not your father’s standbys, and at $5+ for a pint, an elder or two may be left wondering about the other five beers to round out the mythical six-pack.

For some, the act of brewing, distilling, or fermenting is about creating something extraordinary. That means coffee and stout can be used together in the final product. Or peanut butter and honey. Who knew? Self-employment may be another reason to open a shop. The owner, head brewer, taproom manager, keg washer, server, and custodian could be the same person.

Breweries have become tourist destinations. Out-of-towners and even recreational bicyclists may choose to frequent a local brewery on a weekend or holiday. They may shop elsewhere or catch a bite to eat before departing.

A-ha. Alcohol as an industry cluster.

Cheers, Mr. Michael E. Porter. Your last name might as well be Stout.

A debt of gratitude goes out to a couple of elder statesmen for their contributions in making the St. Croix River Crossing a reality.

I’ll call them John and Howard. Their names may (or may not) have been changed to protect their true identities.

Both had vital roles in the federally-mediated stakeholder process that played out from mid-2003 to 2006. Imagine the anxiety of getting, say, the Sierra Club and local REALTORS® Association in the same room to explore common interests in cutting a swathe through the protected St. Croix River Valley for the sake of building a modern bridge. Common interests . . . Say What? Would the 1931 Lift Bridge go or stay? And what about the earth-tone color scheme for the finished river crossing? Take the tension level up a couple of notches when the environmentalists and progressives were joined by 26 or 27 other strong personalities. Before the end of the process, one stakeholder was “excused” leaving 28 to finish their work.

The gentleman called John is a banker by trade. Now in his 80’s, he still has office hours and volunteers his time in many ways. He was selected to join the stakeholders for his early work as the chair of a two-state coalition that advocated for a new, modern bridge over the St. Croix. In numerous letters to Madison and the District of Columbia, John urged a common sense approach to solving the vexing issue of getting a new bridge. In the end, this strategy proved successful. John made numerous visits to D.C., and more than one U.S. Representative or Senator made a point to call on John when they were near.

Howard is in his 90s. He crossed the old Lift Bridge many, many times from his residence in Houlton (Town of St. Joseph, WI) to Bayport, Minnesota where he worked for a major employer. Howard is a matter-of-fact, salt of the earth guy. His interests in the stakeholder process were on behalf of the Town of St. Joe, sometimes referred to as the epicenter. The anticipated impact of a new bridge on St. Joe would be dramatic, and that’s the tack Howard took. The interests of St. Joe came first.

The difference between John  and Howard can be explained this way – in  the event of assembling a local militia, make sure you’re in Howard’s foxhole: John will negotiate the accord.

The work of the stakeholders went largely unreported, despite their near-monthly meetings. Articles posted online drew hundreds of comments, both for and against. Observers to the process may have witnessed history in the making. Punches were never thrown, but emotions sometimes ran high.

In the end, the stakeholders found common ground. One or two may have pulled back when they sensed the tide was turning in the favor of a new bridge in a corridor roughly one mile from downtown Stillwater. The stakeholders’ consensus resulted in a more formal Memorandum of Understanding that included signature lines for the participants. The MOU bears the signatures of John and Howard.

I made a promise to Howard long ago. He’ll be driven to the ceremonial ribbon-cutting on August 2nd, Good Lord Willing. John will be there too. What a sight. Two elder statesmen seeing the completion of their work that goes back decades.

May 2017’s unemployment rates for Wisconsin counties and large cities were released by the state’s Department of Workforce Development on June 21st. The state’s seasonally-adjusted unemployment rate of 3.1% came out a week earlier. if the seasonally adjusted components are not factored in, Wisconsin’s rate of 2.8 percent is even lower.

The suggested theme here is Going Low.

St. Croix’s rate for May is estimated at 2.5 percent, making it the tenth-lowest in the state. Perennial frontrunner Dane County led the way at 2.2 percent.

May’s rates are low all across the board – 47 counties were at 2.9 percent or lower; 50 counties were at 3.0 percent or lower; 70 were at 4.0 percent or lower. Impressive, considering Wisconsin has 72 counties. Going Low.

Large cities are in the same low ebb, led by the Madison area. Sun Prairie reported an unemployment rate of 2.1 percent, followed by Fitchburg at 2.2 percent, Madison, also at 2.2 percent, and several, including nearby Eau Claire, came in at 2.5 percent. The highest rate reported for a large city in May was Beloit at 4.7 percent.

The state’s top elected official may have referred to the late musical artist Prince and his famous “1999” hit when Wisconsin’s rate was released. The last time Wisconsin’s rate matched 3.1 percent was in October 1999 . . . . Party like it’s 1999. The historical low rate for Wisconsin was 3.0 percent in May-July 1999. Going Low.

Social media from Madison announced the state’s 3.1 percent unemployment rate as seventh-lowest in the U.S. and the percentage of Wisconsin working age residents who are either a) employed, or b) unemployed but looking for a job, as the nation’s fifth-best, estimated at 68.8 percent. Economists call this the labor force participation rate. By comparison, the U.S. participation rate is 62.7 percent. The higher the percentage, the more working age people are engaged in the workforce. Going High.

Statistics can mean just about anything their creators wish. More numbers to ponder. A while back, Wisconsin crossed a mythical threshold when three million residents were employed for the first time ever. The most current estimate is 3,059,000 people at-work in the state. Going High.

Hmm. Low unemployment and high labor force work participation? Nearly across the board, employers struggle to find new workers. Years prior, labor force analysts predicted more people would leave the workforce through retirement than new workers would enter. Their prediction proved correct.

Young adults coming out of high school, technical college, college, university, and even the military can find opportunities nearly wherever they choose.

Low Unemployment, High Participation. Whether it’s Going Low or Going High, here’s to continued economic success.