Accelerate Magazine January 2022

As we kick off 2022, Waukesha County businesses are optimistic about growth. Despite the ongoing pandemic, a Waukesha County business survey from fall of 2021 reported that more than 79 percent of businesses plan to expand in the next three years. These results are on par with prior years, including 82 percent in 2019 and 76 percent in 2017. Robust business growth and expansion took place throughout Waukesha County in 2021 and look to continue into the new year. The primary modes of planned growth for Waukesha County businesses in 2022 include expanding sales (74 percent), hiring additional employees (70 percent) and expanding product/ service offerings (52 percent). Eaton redesigned its southeast Wisconsin footprint, consolidating three operations into one City of Waukesha location. The 233,000-square-foot expansion in 2021 was the result of the company’s $35 million long-term investment in the community. The expansion will enable Eaton to increase production of regulators and transformers and better meet the growing needs of customers in the utility markets. “Eaton’s Waukesha roots date back to the late 1940s with the Rural Transformer and Equipment Company (RTE) and continue today with the investment in our Badger Drive facility. On behalf of the nearly 800 Eaton employees in Waukesha, we are passionate about being an integral part of the community,” said Jackie Pride, Eaton communications manager. Menomonee Falls manufacturer Tailored Label Products broke ground in October on a new state-of-the-art facility, which will expand its current 55,000-square-foot facility to 82,000 square feet. Designed with lean manufacturing in mind, the new space is optimized for flexographic, screen and digital print production and will include a wellness and fitness facility, training locations and open space for continued growth. While the COVID-19 pandemic stifled certain industries, there was significant growth among the business community in many areas in 2021. Just over 73 percent of businesses reported that sales grew in the past year, which is down only slightly from 78 percent in 2019. Optimistically, over 88 percent of businesses project sales to grow in the coming year. Glenroy, a manufacturer of flexible packaging solutions in Menomonee Falls, doubled the size of its manufacturing footprint with an expansion that connected several buildings into a single larger building. “Ultimately, our customers see value from these efficiencies and improvements, and our goal is to serve them even better. There are many benefits of the expansion, such as gaining much-needed space to add new equipment, which improved our manufacturing capabilities and capacity,” said Amy Jablonka Nelson, family owner and managing director of real estate for Glenroy. Waukesha County businesses continue to be in a workforce expansion mode. Despite the pandemic, 85 percent of businesses plan to expand their workforce in the next three years, which is the same pace as the past six years. SUZANNE KELLEY President & CEO Waukesha County Business Alliance, Inc. WAUKESHA COUNTY POISED FOR GROWTH JANUARY 2022 MAGAZINE 19