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BurkeStevens Point, Wis. I sat down recently in Stevens Point with new Wisconsin Secretary of Commerce Mary P. Burke during her third full day on the job to talk about the foremost issues at hand for Commerce, Governor Jim Doyles budget proposals and Wisconsins business scene.

WTN: What are some things youve got your eye on that can help businesses not only thrive, but be forward-looking?

Mary Burke: I think that is actually the key, because the biggest opportunity we have for creating jobs is to help businesses to look forward to see how theyre going to need to change and how they can change in order to be able to compete in this ever-changing marketplace We have to make sure, one, do we have the programs or are we supporting the types of programs that can aid people in how to think through those issues?

WTN: Such as what?

MB: Well, the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs Network thats being put together. When we put that together, are services going to be available to help companies and business people? Its oriented toward startups, but they face a lot of the same types of issues, whether thats technology issues, information system issues, accounting issues, or issues about exporting products.

Through the WMEP, the Wisconsin Manufacturing Extension Partnership, its the same sort of thing: Are the tools there to help companies understand how to compete best?

[We need to] make sure we have those tools in place and that were partnering with organizations that can provide or are supporting those types of programs

Second, once youre sure you have those programs in place, are they readily accessible? I think that can mean a number of things, whether its geographic location, [through] information technology, or Web-based [technology].

Third, even when theyre accessible, do people know about them? Does [a small business person in Stevens Point] know what tools are available to help him when hes looking at how to compete?

Im going to add a fourth: Are the programs effective? And are we keeping track of what works and what doesnt work and changing the programs as the needs change, too? Sometimes you can create programs, but if the programs arent changing with how the marketplace is changing and youre delivering something that people no longer need, youve missed the point of the type of education were providing.

WTN: Regarding Gov. Doyles budget proposals, what plans are pertinent to drawing and retaining business in your eyes?

MB: I think its his complete plan thats so important to Wisconsin businesses for job creation: [In] balancing the budget without increasing taxes, while still holding down property taxes, but yet investing in education and in job creation; in not cutting healthcare benefits and making sure local economies have the support they need for vital services. Its so crucial to having a thriving economy.

If you take the opposite approach and say its only about holding taxes to the minimum, and youre not investing in our infrastructure and our education and our services, who will want to do business here? Who will want to live here? Thats what I think is really important his complete vision. He doesnt skimp where we need to spend, and yet he doesnt spend where we dont need it. He holds taxes down, which is important to attracting businesses and people

WTN: Whats going on with WTNs readership seems to be very much on the front burner for him and just about everybody in state in terms of cultivating biotech and high-tech players. Is that something youve spent a lot of time studying?

MB: Absolutely. We have no intention of doing anything other than supporting our existing industries, because they are the backbone of our economy, and we need to constantly strive to be competitive and to not lose our market share in those traditional industries.

Think the governor has a two-pronged approach to also push really hard on the technology front, on new companies, on biotech and high tech. Its very smart, because thats where the U.S. economy as a whole is heading, and we dont want to be left behind. So that is definitely something I will spend a lot of time on and something that the governor has put resources into. We have a great base with the research system that we have, with the university system we have. I think the things that have been funded and cultivated are building on that research and resources and are getting [to the point where] they create jobs. Its exciting.

WTN: Whats really on your must-do list for the next year?

MB: Well, Id love to keep going with the success the governor has had. Last year we created 70,000 new jobs in Wisconsin. We lead the country in manufacturing jobs. Keeping that piece going would be a great accomplishment; but I think that really moving forward on implementation of a number of objectives and making sure we deliver what weve set out to do, whether its with WEN or the Angel Network.

Its one thing to get funding and to come up with idea, but I think the impact on businesses is having effective programs; so I would say if theres one thing in the next year, its making sure that the programs that we are supporting are reaching the businesses and making a difference, working with those programs, making sure they reach local businesses and are delivering on what we have in mind.

I think that it starts with implementation and people at commerce. I think whats important is having clear objectives about what we want to accomplish and exactly how we can make sure that what were doing is reaching businesses that the programs are encouraging job growth and helping businesses.

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