Given that more than 60 percent of employers are operating at 90-100 percent of their current square footage, Waukesha County businesses will continue to address space challenges in the coming year as they max out existing square footage and look at expansions or new, larger locations. A key focus for the Waukesha County Center for Growth, the county’s economic development organization, will be ensuring those businesses can find the land and buildings they need to continue growing in Waukesha County. What percent of your facility’s square footage are you currently using? • 0-50%: 8% • 51-75%: 9% • 76-89%: 20% • 90-99%: 22% • 100%: 41% A follow-up question asked whether business owners own or lease sufficient property to allow for expansion at their current location, and 40 percent of respondents said no, they do not have adequate property to allow for expansion. However, 68.97 percent of businesses are planning to expand in the next two years. While not all expansions will require physical space, the overall growth projections, combined with tight existing space needs, point to the need for continued work with Waukesha County businesses to support their growth. When business owners were asked about the importance of different factors that would go into a decision to relocate their business, the top factor was crime, followed closely by workforce availability. Other factors that rank as very important include available parking, available existing building(s) and taxes. Crime rose to the top of the list, surpassing workforce availability, which had been the top factor in a 2021 survey. At that time, crime ranked as the tenth most important factor. Overall, Waukesha County businesses remain optimistic about this year and continue to project growth. •
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgzMDI=