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March 9, 2026
SHEBOYGAN COUNTY – The Sheboygan County Economic Development Corporation (SCEDC) is bringing together municipal leaders, developers, bankers and business stakeholders April 23 to focus on growing the county’s economy.
T.J. Crowns – director of economic development at SCEDC – said the summit will spotlight current opportunities for business expansion, available land and properties and strategies to create jobs, strengthen tax bases and enhance quality of life.
Rather than booths, Crowns said the event will feature presentations by municipalities followed by a networking session designed to spark collaboration.
“We are bringing them together to meet with the different municipalities to get to know them, understand them and have them see what these different areas are…,” he said. “It’ll basically be presenting development opportunities that are currently available. [And] by having a networking event after the formal presentations, it will provide more opportunities to drive further collaboration conversations and networking.”
Though past summits have contributed to significant business development in the county, Crowns – who has been in his role less than a year – said this year’s focus is on the opportunities currently unfolding and the collaborations that will shape Sheboygan County’s economic future.
Hosted at the Pine Hills Country Club at 4914 Superior Ave. in Sheboygan, Crowns said summit programming will take place from 1-3 p.m., followed by networking from 3:30-5 p.m.
“We’re all excited for the summit,” he said. “It’ll be a great place for individuals to learn about opportunities in Sheboygan County, as well as networking and making lasting impacts – both short- and long-term development projects.”
With that in mind, Crowns said the event isn’t just a look back at past successes – it’s an active platform to showcase ongoing projects and emerging opportunities across the county.
Current economic development in county
Crowns said several projects are already in motion – from new business ventures to collaborative initiatives between municipalities and private stakeholders.
One such project, he said, is a new Amazon “last-mile” logistics facility on the southern end of the SouthPointe Enterprise Campus (Sheboygan Business Center).
Several major manufacturers, Crowns said, have also recently completed expansions or are actively growing.
Masters Gallery Foods recently finished an expansion project, while Sargento, Sartori Cheese, Vollrath and MilliporeSigma are in the midst of new development.
The latter, he said, is a bio-health company that recently opened up a new production, packaging, material handling, maintenance, quality operations and laboratory facility in Sheboygan Falls.
Located at the site of the former Aldridge Chemical Company, Crowns said the location employs more than 400 people, with possible growth coming in the future.
Housing is big business in Sheboygan County
As in many Wisconsin communities, Crowns said affordable entry-level housing is in high demand.
One advantage for Sheboygan County, he said, is that the area isn’t landlocked, allowing room for thoughtful expansion.
To address the need, Crowns said SCEDC launched the Forward Fund – a community partnership aimed at boosting homeownership in the county.
One of the fund’s first and largest initiatives, he said, is a three-phase housing development, with two phases planned in Sheboygan Falls and one in Plymouth.
“We received four $2-million-dollar donations from Kohler Company, Johnsonville, Masters Gallery Foods and Sargento to total $8 million,” he said. “We also received $2 million in ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) funds for land acquisition.”
Phase 1 of the Founders’ Pointe subdivision in Sheboygan Falls, Crowns said, is nearly complete with 54 homes, while Phase 2 – the Founders’ Pointe Neighborhood – is underway, adding 41 additional homes.
“The first handful of homes in that phase are now listed and up for sale,” he said. “And in 2026, we will start infrastructure on Phase 3, which is located in Plymouth. That will add roughly 102 homes.”
Residential prices for the developments, Crowns said, range around $315,000 in Phase 1 and approximately $280,000 in Phase 2, with Phase 3 expected to be in a similar range, ideally $300,000 or less.
The housing development, he said, does come with specific buyer requirements.
Crowns said purchasers must be employed full-time in Sheboygan County or have a job offer, reside in the home for a set number of months each year and are not allowed to rent out the property.
“These [requirements] are meant [to drive] more workforce into Sheboygan County, as well as increasing the number of entry-level homes,” he said.
To date, Crowns said 70% of the purchasers are first-time homeowners and 305 of the homeowners have relocated to Sheboygan County.
Business park parcels now available
Crowns said Sheboygan County now has a sixth business park, with the Village of Cedar Grove opening 152 acres of former farmland along Interstate 43 for development.
As another example of a public-private partnership, he said the landowner will retain ownership of the parcels, while Cedar Grove develops the infrastructure needed to support new businesses.
Crowns said the business park is Gold-shovel Certified by New North – which is designed to identify both publicly and privately owned sites through the region that are suitable for development.
The goal of this program – per thenewnorth.com – is to gather uniform site information to increase the quality of site documentation, as well as the overall number of sites that are ready for development.
“We’re [also] working on getting it deemed as site-certified through the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation,” Crowns said. “It would be the largest chunk of land between Green Bay and Milwaukee to receive that certification. So, these sites are certified as practically ready-to-go.”
Crowns said the streamlined process benefits developers, with documents, codes and approvals “all packaged and ready to go” – potentially speeding up project turnaround times.
The county’s other five business parks, he said, are either nearly full or completely occupied, making the Cedar Grove site an important new opportunity for growth.
As Sheboygan County continues to grow through business expansions, new housing and public-private partnerships, Crowns said the upcoming April 23 summit offers a chance for local leaders and investors to see these opportunities firsthand and explore how they can contribute to the county’s continued development.
Head to sheboygancountyedc.com for more details.
