On Sept 20, St. Croix EDC hosted a lunch program at Northwood Tech with Scott Hodek and Deb Nichols. Their slides are available through the links below.

Scott Hodek

Deb Nichols

Scott Hodek is the Section Chief of the Office of Economic Advisors, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development. He provided a comprehensive economic update, offering valuable insights into current trends and opportunities shaping the St. Croix Valley’s economic landscape.

Deb Nicholas is the Director of Business Services at the West Central Wisconsin Workforce Development Board. She presented information on the Workforce Advancement Initiative, an exciting program that offers employers up to $10,000 of support for employee training, daycare, transportation, and much more.

On September 20th, the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced the preliminary August 2023 unemployment rates for Wisconsin’s 72 counties and the 35 cities with populations greater than 25,000 residents. St. Croix County’s August rate was estimated at 3.8%, which is higher than July’s final rate of 3.2% and June’s final rate of 3.5%. One year ago, the county’s unemployment rate was estimated at 3.0%.

DWD said preliminary unemployment rates from July to August decreased in one county and rose in 71 counties. Year-over-year, rates decreased or stayed the same in five of 72 counties. Current rates range from 2.7% in Door to 11.2% in Menominee.

Preliminary unemployment rates from July to August increased in all of Wisconsin’s 35 largest cities. Year-over-year, rates rose in all 35 cities. Rates ranged from 3.0% in Fitchburg to 5.5% in Beloit, Milwaukee, and Racine.

The five counties with the lowest unemployment rates in August include Door (2.7%), Lafayette (also at 2.7%), Pepin (also at 2.7%), Dane (3.0%), and Green (also at 3.0%). Menominee had the highest rate in August at 11.2%, followed by Iron (5.4%), Adams (5.1%), Forest (5.0%), and Milwaukee (4.7%).

St. Croix, Pierce, and Polk counties comprise Wisconsin’s Greater St. Croix Valley. In addition to St. Croix’s rate of 3.8%, August’s preliminary rate for Polk was 3.7% and 4.0% for Pierce.

St. Croix and Pierce counties are included in the 15-county Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington MN-WI metro area. The August 2023 unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was estimated at 3.2%, which is the same as July’s final rate but lower than June’s final rate of 3.3%. The unemployment rate for the Twin Cities was 2.7% in August 2022.

Nearby Washington County in Minnesota reported a preliminary rate of 3.0% in August, while Dakota County, MN reported a rate of 3.1% and Chisago County, MN had a rate of 3.5%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Wisconsin in August was estimated at 2.9%, which is higher than July’s final rate of 2.6% and June’s final rate of 2.5%. One year ago, the state’s seasonally adjusted rate was 3.1%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate for Minnesota in August was estimated at 3.1%, which is higher than July’s final rate of 3.0% and June’s final rate of 2.9%. Minnesota’s seasonally-adjusted rate one year ago was 2.7%.

The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) unemployment rate in the U.S. for August was estimated at 3.8%, which is higher than July’s final rate of 3.5% and June’s final rate of 3.6%. One year ago, the U.S. rate (seasonally adjusted) was estimated at 3.7%.

Wisconsin’s preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for August was estimated at 65.7%, which is higher than July’s final rate of 65.5% and June’s final rate of 65.3%. One year ago, Wisconsin’s labor force participation rate was 64.8%. The preliminary (seasonally adjusted) labor force participation rate for the U.S. in August was estimated at 62.8%, which is higher than the final rate of 62.6% for both July and June. One year ago, the labor force participation rate in the U.S. was 62.3%.

August’s estimates are preliminary and are subject to revision within the next few weeks.

St. Croix Economic Development Corporation (EDC) proclaims Thursday, September 28th as Craft Brewing Day in St. Croix County. This is an annual celebration in recognition of a small but growing business sector in the county. The first craft brewing day was held in September 2019 and survived the global pandemic of COVID in 2020-2021.

“Craft breweries are important community anchors,” said Bill Rubin, St. Croix EDC’s executive director. “Many times they are the focal points for area residents and tourists alike. They enjoy a loyal following. Small breweries bring people together to socialize, dine, and even listen to live music,” he added.

St. Croix County boasts six craft breweries, including Rush River Brewing (River Falls), Pitchfork Brewing (Town of Hudson), Oliphant Brewing (Somerset), Botany BrewFarm (Wilson), Hop and Barrel (Hudson), and Lift Bridge Brewing (New Richmond). Swinging Bridge Brewing and The Garage Bikes + Brews in River Falls are located just across the St. Croix-Pierce County line.

Each brewery will receive a framed proclamation from the EDC as part of the celebration. An in-person event at Rush River Brewing runs from 4:30-6:00 p.m. and co-founder Nick Anderson will be honored with Rush River’s proclamation at 5:15.

The Brewers Association (www.brewersassociation.org) is a national trade group for craft brewers. Overall beer production in 2022 was down -3.1 percent, however, craft brewing production was up +0.1 percent. The total number of U.S. breweries in 2022 was around 9,710 and included around 2,035 microbreweries, 3,838 taprooms, and 3,418 brewpubs. The overall beer market was estimated at $115.4 billion last year and the craft beer market was $28.4 billion.

In 2022, Wisconsin ranked 14th in the U.S. with an estimated 249 craft breweries. Those breweries contributed an economic impact of $2.53 billion, ranking the state 8th. Wisconsin craft brewers produced almost 1,078,665 barrels last year to rank 7th.

The EDC asks residents and beer enthusiasts to consider stopping at taprooms on September 28th or ordering a local product at a bar or tavern. Whether enjoying a lager, pilsner, pale ale, IPA or stout, please do so responsibly.

For questions or comments, please call St. Croix EDC at 715.690.2110.

St. Croix EDC hosted attorneys from Bakke Norman on Monday, August 28th via Zoom® for short presentations packed with expert advice for your business.

Topics presented by Bakke Norman included creditor and business owner matters, business litigation, new laws governing LLCs, working with municipalities, employer and employee issues, and navigating mergers and acquisitions.

You can access the recording here until September 30, 2023.