Lt. Governor Lawton will provide an overview of the state’s arts board efforts. Jack L. Fischer, newly-appointed Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, will reveal his plans and priorities for the Department. He will also outline his agency’s new working relationship with Forward Wisconsin, the state’s public-private business recruitment organization.

• Joel Kotkin, Author, Consultant, and Futurist

Download Joel Kotkin's Presentation (8.2 Mb)

An internationally-recognized authority on global, economic, political and social trends, Joel Kotkin will outline the pervasive realities that all economic developers must recognize and address because they are reshaping the American landscape and our world. You'll learn what you need to know now so you can prepare for the future.

• George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley
• Molly Jahn, Dean of the UW-Madison College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

Download Molly Jahn's Presentation (305 Kb)

Download Cecil Wright's Organic Valley Presentation (3.82 Mb)

Wisconsin ranks #3 in the country with 469 certified organic operations and that number is growing weekly. In this session, Molly Jahn, Dean of the UW-Madison College of Agriculture & Life Sciences, will provide an overview of Wisconsin's organic industry and the tremendous potential that still exists for every part of the state. George Siemon, CEO of Organic Valley in LaFarge, WI, will outline how his organization became the largest farmer-owned cooperative in North America and one of the nation's leading organic brands.

• 2008 Board of Director Candidates

• Jeff Tobe

This fast-paced, high-energy session will be conducted by best-selling author Jeff Tobe who was recently selected as one of the top 15 speakers in North America. Tobe will unleash your innovative thinking skills and challenge you to step outside your comfort zone in order to position what your organization offers more creatively than ever before.

• Steve Brenton, President, Wisconsin Hospital Association
• Richard Blomquist, Blomquist Consulting
• Lawrence D. Prybil, MA, PhD, University of Iowa

You'll be surprised and perhaps shocked by what you'll learn in this point/counterpoint session featuring Steve Brenton, President of the Wisconsin Hospital Association, and Richard Blomquist, President of Blomquist Benefits Consulting in Milwaukee. Dr. Lawrence Prybil, professor in the Dept. of Health Management and Policy at the University of Iowa will moderate the session and provide a regional overview.

• Todd Berry, President, Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance

Download Todd Berry's Presentation (392 Kb)

In the years ahead, Wisconsin's labor force will continue to shrink while the number of senior citizens will more than double. The challenges economic developers face from these and other dramatic demographic trends will be outlined by Todd Berry, President of the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to citizen education and public-policy research.

• Representative Michael Huebsch, Speaker of Assembly (R-94)
• Representative Patricia Strachota, Majority Caucus Vice Chairperson 2007 (R-58)
• Senator Russ Decker, Majority Leader (D-29)
• Senator Julie Lassa, (D-24)

Leaders of both the State Senate and Assembly will discuss and debate economic development-related legislation that will be considered during the 2008 floor periods.