Beat the recession: Madison's plan of attack

Beat the recession: Madison's plan of attack

Wisconsin officials say unemployment across our state has reached nearly nine percent. That’s up from 7.7% in January and nearly four percent higher than a year ago.
In light of those alarming numbers, we sat down with Madison’s new Economic Director Tim Cooley to get an idea of how our city plans to beat the recession.
“Madison is in good shape right now,” said Tim Cooley. “It’s got challenges. Being affected by the same things that are affecting everyone else. But, the leadership and the people are getting it.”
When Tim Cooley took over as Madison’s Economic Development Director, three weeks ago, he knew the city had a lot to offer economically, like a highly educated work force, world renown university, airport, low crime rate, and strong transportation system.
Said Cooley, “But for the most part people aren’t aware of what is going on here. All the work that Mark Bugher is doing with the research park, what WARF is doing to commercialize new technology. The vibrancy of the downtown that has come about over the past couple of years.”
Part of Cooley’s new agenda is to actively get the word out.
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