Wisconsin Department of Commerce: A Conversation with the Secretary -

IMPORTANT: As of July 1st, 2011, functions once performed by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce have been moved to other state agencies and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. The former Commerce web site will continue to exist for the next several months as resources are moved to new web site locations. We will make every attempt possible to direct our users to the new locations as web resources are moved.

Two Months into the Job, Secretary Jack L. Fischer, AIA, Takes the Pulse of Commerce – and the State

Having accepted Governor Jim Doyle's "kind offer" to head the Department of Commerce – a job he feels is "vitally important' to the future of Wisconsin's economy - Secretary Fischer has committed the next years of his life to the state of Wisconsin and learning about the workings of state government – something he is heretofore familiar with mainly through serving on state and local boards.

Secretary Fischer at a Glance

Secretary Jack L. Fischer, AIA

Secretary Fischer is married to Karen, a family practice physician. The couple has three children, Matthew, 21 and Jonathan, 19, both students at University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Katherine, 17, who will be joining her brothers at UW-Madison in the fall.

Born in Appleton, Fischer earned both his undergrad and graduate degrees at UW-Milwaukee, earning both its Young Distinguished Alumni (1987) and Distinguished Alumni awards (1993)

Sec. Fischer doesn't hesitate when asked who his "mentors: are. Aside from his parents – both alive and well in Appleton, he says, "Larry Schutte and Harold Miller," both former partners and gentlemen much his senior.

"I was fortunate to know both men – an architect/engineer and engineer, respectively – and they shared the qualities of kindness and professionalism. They were bright, good listeners, and willing to spend time with young professionals such as myself. They were ethical – they had tremendous integrity and were viewed as exceptional in their field. I was kind of in awe of them, really."

Fortunately for Wisconsin, Jack Fischer is a quick study. In appointing him as Secretary, Governor Jim Doyle noted that "with over 30 years' experience in the private sector as an architect, business owner, CEO, international consultant and developer, Jack brings a wealth of knowledge to the department.

As a registered architect, Jack is familiar with business development literally from the ground up. He has a tremendous grasp on the issues facing the department, and boundless energy to tackle them. In little over two months' time he has traversed the state, meeting with state and local officials, CEOs, managers in both the public and private sectors."

"It's imperative," says the Secretary after listening to what they all had to offer, "that we collaborate with our public and private partners – the senators, legislators, business CEOs – our terrific regional economic development groups such as the Milwaukee Seven, New North and Thrive – among many others. We must all act as economic stewards of the state and step forward – regardless of political affiliations – and expand our stakeholders in Wisconsin's economy.

"Governor Doyle has a tremendous economic development plan that he will be rolling out during his annual State of the State address on January 23," said Sec. Fischer. "I'm delighted to be a part of his team to help advance these new incentives to grow Wisconsin's economy."

Q. It's been about two months since you've settled in here at Commerce. What are your first impressions?

A. Internally, I have been genuinely pleased with the quality of the individuals on staff here at the agency. There are some tremendously bright, talented people here, who have been very patient and kind in helping me learn the programs and getting me up to speed.

They understand that all of the divisions here – no matter how diverse – have a significant impact on economic development.

We're taking a look at a number of things in our strategic planning for Commerce – our mission, vision and how we can best expand our network of public and private collaboration.

But we want to make this bigger than Commerce. We will complement our programs with those in other agencies, regional groups, and private businesses for an integrated, collaborative effort to welcome new businesses to Wisconsin and ensure that existing businesses expand here. We all have a stake in Wisconsin's economic future. Together we have the horsepower to take our state to the next level.

We continue to come together as a strong coalition, because we all care about our state, and are all working toward the same thing – a prosperous economy, good-paying jobs, great schools, safe neighborhoods, clean natural resources – the things that make Wisconsin, Wisconsin.

Since joining Commerce, I've spent six weeks traveling around the state – corner to corner – talking to business and community leaders about Gov. Doyle's economic agenda. We are going to be approaching things in an extremely focused way.

First and foremost, we will focus on our retention program – keeping Wisconsin-based businesses in Wisconsin. We will be talking a lot about that soon.

We'll be rolling out our national – and international – growth strategies. Since Governor Doyle has been in office, exports have gone up over 60 percent - topping the national average year after year.

A. Wisconsin is fortunate to have a highly-educated, tremendously talented workforce throughout the entire state. We also have a great network of regional economic groups whose members know their particular areas better than anyone, and the sorts of businesses that would mesh well with them.

Q. Spending on research and development was $2.7 billion in Wisconsin or 1.23 percent of the state's gross domestic economy in 2005. Nationally, states on average invested 1.65 percent of their economies in 2005 to research and development. Minnesota devoted more than twice as much of its economy to R&D than Wisconsin. How is the Governor addressing the R & D gap?

A. Governor Doyle is introducing , which will provide new tax credits to businesses that significantly increase their investment in research and development. If a business increases its R and D spending by 25 percent over its three-year average, every dollar they invest in R and D beyond that will be rewarded with a $1 Innovate Wisconsin tax credit.

Second, the sales tax exemption that applies to machines and equipment used in manufacturing will be extended to cover equipment used in research and development.

Together, these steps will reward the research-oriented businesses that have proven time and again that better solutions and products are just beyond the horizon.

Q. With talk nationally focusing on advances in science and medicine, how do Gov. Doyle's new initiatives address that – the fierce competition for "knowledge-driven" business?

A. We need to give private investors opportunities to match their resources with emerging technologies by expanding our Angel Investment program – such as the recent investment in Cellectar, a Madison company that is developing products to image and treat cancer in humans; and Procertus, another Madison company that, is developing pharmaceuticals to protect patients from the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation.

And I'm tremendously excited about the Governor's new program to encourage the development of new, fast-growing businesses. There are four components to the new program:

A. To remain competitive, our manufacturers – some of the best in the world - must continue to become leaner and more efficient. The Governor's new plan will build on our success by helping Wisconsin manufacturers modernize and access the support they need to compete in the global economy.

The plan is part of the next phase of Governor Doyle's Grow Wisconsin agenda. Wisconsin is well-positioned to be a 21st century leader in manufacturing. The state is home to some of the world's most recognized names in manufacturing, including Kohler, S.C. Johnson and Harley-Davidson. Continued foreign demand for high quality manufactured goods, combined with a weak dollar, should continue to provide opportunities for Wisconsin manufacturers to export products and maintain its status as a world leader.