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March 23, 2023
GREEN BAY – The Global Business Hub – a new space in Green Bay’s Rail Yard District is being described as a “soft-landing spot” for foreign-based companies looking for their first North American presence.
“If you are going to launch in the United States, this is the perfect location,” Laurie Radke, president and CEO of the Greater Green Bay Chamber – the entity behind the hub – said.
The Global Business Hub is located inside the Urban Hub in downtown Green Bay, and Eric DeKorne, vice president of development for the chamber and key member of the project’s creation, said the new program provides a steppingstone of sorts for international businesses.
“The (hub) is an easy way for an international business to transition into a new market without them needing to sign onto a long-term lease or purchase a facility,” he said. “It’s an intermediate step before long-term, capital heavy investment.”
Standing out
DeKorne said the program was created as an extension of the chamber’s work in some of the key industries in the Greater Green Bay area.
“We know manufacturing is by far the strongest industry here,” he said. “We have the highest concentration of manufacturing companies and industry in the entire country. Wisconsin is the number one paper producing state in the country.”
DeKorne said the Greater Green Bay area has an industry concentration that is 14 times the national average.
“So, through some of our work, we are looking at – what strengths do we have here, and how can we harness those strengths to encourage additional business investment?” he said.
The U.S. Department of Commerce ranks the Greater Green Bay area in the top 28% for foreign direct investment attractiveness, and DeKorne said he believes the people who comprise the workforce in this region are primary contributors to that attractiveness.
“We hear time and time again from other organizations or businesses that are making investments here that they know we have a highly skilled, highly qualified workforce,” he said. “Wisconsin is always among the top in the country for workforce participation or labor force participation rate. There’s a strong work ethic, and people understand how to produce quality products or provide good services.”
First tenant
It didn’t take long for the Global Business Hub to welcome its first tenant – Paper Board Alliance, a company that specializes in producing recycled paper and core board headquartered in Milan, Italy.
“The goal is to promote our products in this market – with a focus on the gray paperboard for tissue and industrial tubes, (as well as) present our latest acquisition: Tecnopaper, which represents the technological competence of our group,” Paper Board Alliance CEO Cima Giuseppe said.
Eric DeKorne
DeKorne said the program encourages businesses to start here and stay here, which can benefit the region in the long-term.
“This program is providing an on-ramp for businesses… by providing them the opportunity to start here and to start small,” he said. “Ideally, within five, 10, 20 years from now, they (are) continuing to grow and expand, and then employ more people here in Greater Green Bay.”
DeKorne said the program’s launch is partly in response to conversations that they’ve had with different international companies trying to understand what their needs are, how we can meet their needs and provide them with an opportunity to enter the North American market.
“We (provide) them with a workspace… high-speed internet, building security,” he said. “We also provide them with a U.S. mailing address, a key part to establishing operations here in the United States.”
DeKorne said the chamber will also assist companies in networking and making connections to desired businesses, customers and suppliers.
“We are providing them with some of the physical needs of a business and a place to set up a legal entity,” he said. “Second to that is helping with the connections, so they can be successful in their transition to the North American market.”
DeKorne said he thinks that some of the work that the chamber has done before the launch of the Global Business Hub will help spark new interest in international business investment into the area.
“We’re not starting from scratch here,” he said. “There are already many companies with headquarters in other countries that have an established presence here. Some of our top countries in the area include Canada, Italy, Germany and the (United Kingdom). We have a lot of momentum and I think it’s only going to continue to grow.”
