Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor sat in on a Small Business Roundtable in Rhinelander Tuesday.
Several area business owners discussed a series of on-going concerns including state and federal regulations...the lack of skilled workers in some trades...and more high-speed internet.
Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch says the majority of new hiring comes from small businesses....
".....pay attention to the needs of our small business owners...the challenges they face and also the things they find rewarding in our state then we're losing potential prosperity..."
Kleefisch says the northern economy tends to be more tourism-based, and has fluctuations caused by weather, gas prices and other factors...
"....we heard some concerns about tourism and some licensing issues and also our(toursim) marketing budget...."
Kleefisch says manufacturers are having a problem getting enough skilled workers, but luring younger workers to Wisconsin will also be a challenge....
".....the 'skills gap' is exacerbated by the fact that we don't have nearby very large city centers. So you're looking at attracting a generation of Millenials to an atypical location for Millenials. So that's a challenge we're going to have to overcome...."
Kleefisch disputed a report last week from the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance saying the recently passed state budget would show a deficit in two years. She says the growth in Wisconsin's economy over that time will collect enough taxes to not have a deficit.
