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Thrive, the Madison Region Economic Development Enterprise, is a not-for-profit economic development organization supporting the eight-county Madison Region.
Formed in February, 2007, our counties include: Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock and Sauk.
Thrive was born from the efforts of leaders across business, nonprofits, education and governments. Unlike many regional economic development organizations, Thrive was formed not in a time of crisis, but from an understanding that we are operating in a global economy. These leaders recognized that the old model of municipalities or cities battling for resources or businesses no longer holds. Thrive was built from an understanding that our competition is now other regions nationally and around the world. We recognize that we are strongest when we work collaboratively to promote the tremendous assets of the region, both for business and for quality of life.
Formed in February, 2007, our counties include: Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock and Sauk.
Thrive was born from the efforts of leaders across business, nonprofits, education and governments. Unlike many regional economic development organizations, Thrive was formed not in a time of crisis, but from an understanding that we are operating in a global economy. These leaders recognized that the old model of municipalities or cities battling for resources or businesses no longer holds. Thrive was built from an understanding that our competition is now other regions nationally and around the world. We recognize that we are strongest when we work collaboratively to promote the tremendous assets of the region, both for business and for quality of life.
The Madison Region is known both inside and outside the area for its intellectual curiosity and innovative, creative energy—so much so that it’s our regional brand. What is the ultimate benefit of this creative, innovative energy? To Thrive. Thrive is our name, and it’s our goal for the Madison Region. Come to the Madison Region. Thrive here.
Thrive works with regional partners and investors to support and facilitate robust economic growth that preserves and enhances the quality of life in the region.
Our investors represent a public-private partnership. Our board, work teams, and supporters are leaders across business, nonprofits, education and government who work together in a collaborative partnership to build the Madison Region and promote the region as a place where business and quality of life can thrive.
Our investors represent a public-private partnership. Our board, work teams, and supporters are leaders across business, nonprofits, education and government who work together in a collaborative partnership to build the Madison Region and promote the region as a place where business and quality of life can thrive.
We are driven by our Strategic Plan, which includes five external driving strategies:
1. Grow target sectors: To accelerate the entrepreneurship, growth and development of targeted regional industry sectors.
2. Retain and expand key base sectors: To nurture the region’s existing key base industry sectors.
3. Enhance quality of life: To preserve and enhance the quality of life in the region.
4. Engage regional stakeholders: To build a regional and collaborative environment to achieve the mission.
5. Brand the region: To develop, market and communicate a brand for the region.
1. Grow target sectors: To accelerate the entrepreneurship, growth and development of targeted regional industry sectors.
2. Retain and expand key base sectors: To nurture the region’s existing key base industry sectors.
3. Enhance quality of life: To preserve and enhance the quality of life in the region.
4. Engage regional stakeholders: To build a regional and collaborative environment to achieve the mission.
5. Brand the region: To develop, market and communicate a brand for the region.
Thrive works in a strategic, focused way to leverage the area’s natural and manmade assets by working in target sectors.
The Madison Region’s natural assets contribute to our success. We live in a region with the greatest agricultural resource in the world, the largest freshwater resource in the world, the northern timberlands and the Mississippi River Basin. These four forces overwhelmingly shape our economy and culture.
Wisconsin’s capital city, Madison, at the heart of the region, is the seat of state government and the home to the UW-Madison, providing a stable economic base. The UW-Madison, a center of world class high tech and biotech research and facilities, is a primary economic driver for the region and continues to be one of the top recipients of federal funding. A strong partnership with our actively involved technical college system and a highly-ranked K-12 system continues to foster workforce development by developing a vital and dynamic workforce.
Our areas of natural strength coupled with these manmade resources dictated our target sectors: agriculture, biotechnology, and healthcare. What we consider our regional sweet spot, though, is their areas of convergence—bio-agriculture and bio-medical. This strategic model allows us to grow the region’s economy in ways that preserve and enhance the quality of life.
Our base sector strengths in financial services, insurance, government, light manufacturing and healthcare provide a strong base of support for our emerging sectors like biotechnology, bio-agriculture and bio-medical industries.
The Madison Region’s natural assets contribute to our success. We live in a region with the greatest agricultural resource in the world, the largest freshwater resource in the world, the northern timberlands and the Mississippi River Basin. These four forces overwhelmingly shape our economy and culture.
Wisconsin’s capital city, Madison, at the heart of the region, is the seat of state government and the home to the UW-Madison, providing a stable economic base. The UW-Madison, a center of world class high tech and biotech research and facilities, is a primary economic driver for the region and continues to be one of the top recipients of federal funding. A strong partnership with our actively involved technical college system and a highly-ranked K-12 system continues to foster workforce development by developing a vital and dynamic workforce.
Our areas of natural strength coupled with these manmade resources dictated our target sectors: agriculture, biotechnology, and healthcare. What we consider our regional sweet spot, though, is their areas of convergence—bio-agriculture and bio-medical. This strategic model allows us to grow the region’s economy in ways that preserve and enhance the quality of life.
Our base sector strengths in financial services, insurance, government, light manufacturing and healthcare provide a strong base of support for our emerging sectors like biotechnology, bio-agriculture and bio-medical industries.
1) Regional
2) Past efforts by individual communities instead of cohesive regional efforts
3) Economy grows regionally and does not recognize municipal boundaries
4) Collaborative
5) There has been no shortage of ideas or efforts, but there has been a shortage of focus and collaboration
6) Addressing complex issues across sectors is the most effective way to get at them
7) Quality of life - understanding that quality of life and economic development must work hand-in-hand drives Thrive’s strategic plan and initiatives
8) Private sector is directly involved in Thrive and investing in it
2) Past efforts by individual communities instead of cohesive regional efforts
3) Economy grows regionally and does not recognize municipal boundaries
4) Collaborative
5) There has been no shortage of ideas or efforts, but there has been a shortage of focus and collaboration
6) Addressing complex issues across sectors is the most effective way to get at them
7) Quality of life - understanding that quality of life and economic development must work hand-in-hand drives Thrive’s strategic plan and initiatives
8) Private sector is directly involved in Thrive and investing in it
A high quality of life is what keeps and attracts talented people and successful companies. Major quality of life issues, such as land-use, water, education and traffic, cross jurisdictional borders. There has been no lack of effort to address these issues, but there has been a lack of cohesion and cross-sector cooperation.
Each year, Thrive will choose one or two major quality of life issues in the region and be the catalyst for regional leaders to address them.
Each year, Thrive will choose one or two major quality of life issues in the region and be the catalyst for regional leaders to address them.
Our quality of life initiatives begin with education and transportation, with particular attention to how these areas impact workforce and business development. These are issues that often cross jurisdictional lines but impact the entire region—for example, over 1/3 of Dane County’s workforce commutes from Columbia County. Thrive works with its regional partners in these areas to build on best practices to bring together diverse working groups for better results.
1) Forward Wisconsin has a state-wide focus. Thrive’s focus is on the eight-county Madison Region (Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock and Sauk).
2) Thrive uses a sector-based strategy to grow the economy, focusing on specific sectors that enhance our regional assets and quality of life.
3) Thrive acts as a catalyst in creating, growing and retaining our own companies in those targeted industries.
4) Forward Wisconsin is heavily focused on the recruitment of companies. Thrive will not be a traditional business-recruitment organization. Any recruitment will be highly targeted and based on sector needs, not a shotgun approach.
5) Thrive is proactive on quality of life issues as a catalyst to address key regional challenges and opportunities.
6) Thrive receives a majority of funding from the private sector, allowing it to focus on the job at hand and not fundraising.
2) Thrive uses a sector-based strategy to grow the economy, focusing on specific sectors that enhance our regional assets and quality of life.
3) Thrive acts as a catalyst in creating, growing and retaining our own companies in those targeted industries.
4) Forward Wisconsin is heavily focused on the recruitment of companies. Thrive will not be a traditional business-recruitment organization. Any recruitment will be highly targeted and based on sector needs, not a shotgun approach.
5) Thrive is proactive on quality of life issues as a catalyst to address key regional challenges and opportunities.
6) Thrive receives a majority of funding from the private sector, allowing it to focus on the job at hand and not fundraising.
Having Thrive as a central economic development and quality of life catalyst for the region is a starting point.
Thrive will connect businesses to the resources they need to grow in this region.
Collaboration between businesses, economic developers, Chambers of Commerce, governments, educational institutions and nonprofits will be the process. Thrive will be the catalyst.
Cooperation between communities will be essential and Thrive will be a catalyst for that cooperation.
Thrive will connect businesses to the resources they need to grow in this region.
Collaboration between businesses, economic developers, Chambers of Commerce, governments, educational institutions and nonprofits will be the process. Thrive will be the catalyst.
Cooperation between communities will be essential and Thrive will be a catalyst for that cooperation.
We are already growing as a region. For example, 60,000 people were added to Dane County alone over the past decade (this means adding roughly the size of Appleton to the county population!).
The question is not “Will we grow?” but rather “How will we grow?” Thrive’s focus is to ensure that growth in the Capital Region is targeted growth that positively affects quality of life.
Thrive will nurture business sectors that are most compatible with the region’s resources, assets and quality of life.
The question is not “Will we grow?” but rather “How will we grow?” Thrive’s focus is to ensure that growth in the Capital Region is targeted growth that positively affects quality of life.
Thrive will nurture business sectors that are most compatible with the region’s resources, assets and quality of life.
The eight-county region of Southwest and Southcentral Wisconsin that Thrive represents, comprised of Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock and Sauk counties, has at its urban core Wisconsin's capital city, Madison.
National market research has shown that only 14% of CEOs and business people surveyed knew anything about the region, but those who did know about the region were able to place it geographically by the capital city. Madison is the "hook" by which audiences outside the region find us.
Use of our tagline, Madison Region Economic Development Enterprise, helps locate the region geographically with search engine functionality, as well as placing the organization in an industry 'bucket" for search functionality.
National market research has shown that only 14% of CEOs and business people surveyed knew anything about the region, but those who did know about the region were able to place it geographically by the capital city. Madison is the "hook" by which audiences outside the region find us.
Use of our tagline, Madison Region Economic Development Enterprise, helps locate the region geographically with search engine functionality, as well as placing the organization in an industry 'bucket" for search functionality.
615 E. Washington Ave., P.O. Box 71 Madison WI 53701 608-443-1960 info@thrivehere.org
© Madison Region Economic Development Enterprise. All rights reserved. The material contained within this website is protected by copyright.
© Madison Region Economic Development Enterprise. All rights reserved. The material contained within this website is protected by copyright.