Portage County is centrally located in Wisconsin and offers a unique value proposition to those who live in, work in, and visit the county. As a midsized community with the advantage of infrastructure, connectivity, service and amenities, Portage County is a place where economic vitality meets quality of life.

Chippewa County, Wisconsin is known for its positive business climate. “We have a stable history of growth and pro-business environment,” says Charlie Walker, President/CEO of The Chippewa County Economic Development Corporation. The EDC is committed to continuing this legacy of business success. “The economic development organization leads the state and we have won many awards in recognition of our innovative programs. We are proud of that.”

In the November 2015 issue of Business in Focus, we spoke with Paul Ehrfurth, Oconto County Economic Development Corporation’s executive director. He talked of the area’s tourist and recreational opportunities, its proximity to Green Bay, Wisconsin and of the multiple economic efforts underway. Now, we are back with Mr. Ehrfurth to concentrate more on economic development and to follow up on some of the initiatives that were in place last November.

Vernon County, Wisconsin is known for its culture of cooperation. Home to a wealth of cooperatives, this can-do community embraces innovation and opportunity while holding on to rural values and neighborly support.

Monroe County, Wisconsin serves up an idyllic, rural lifestyle as well as business opportunity. Home to a long list of leading manufacturers, the county has perfected the knack of maintaining a laidback lifestyle while welcoming industry.

The largest county in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Marquette County serves as a retail and health care hub for the region. As such, Marquette County has all of the services and amenities to support economic growth and a good quality of life.

Nestled among the lakes and forests of northern Michigan, Otsego County is a rapidly growing community known for its tourism as well as its thriving business opportunities. This northern treasure may be off the beaten track, but it has as much to offer as better-known metropolitan destinations…

Juneau County is located in the state of Wisconsin, just thirty minutes north of the famous Wisconsin Dells area with its scenic glacier-created gorge. Situated three hours from Minneapolis and three and a half hours from Chicago, this well-positioned piece of paradise has the most beautiful landscape filled with bluffs, forests, prairies and lakes.

Like many communities in the rural parts of the Midwest, Marshfield, Wisconsin is well-known for agriculture, particularly dairy. Marshfield boosters, however, make it clear that their region has a lot more to offer than just agricultural products.

Located in south-central Mississippi, Simpson County is full of potential and is primed for development. With the advantages of location, spectacular assets and a great quality of life, Simpson County, through the efforts of entities like the Simpson County Development Foundation (SCDF), is marketing, promoting and capitalizing on its untapped potential.

Ontario’s Bruce County is a little bit of heaven on earth and is home to numerous conservation areas and national and provincial parks including Bruce Peninsula National Park, Fathom Five National Marine Park, Sauble Fall Provincial Park and many others. The area is perhaps most famous for the Bruce Peninsula and the Bruce Trail that follows the edge of the Niagara Escarpment for approximately 900 kilometres and is one of the thirteen United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Biosphere Reserves in Canada.

Ninety miles from the urban density of Dallas, Texas lies Paris, a midsize town of some 25,000 souls at the nexus of the old railroad and the Red River that divides the lone-star state from neighboring Oklahoma. At the heart of this down-home community immortalized in Wim Wender’s film of the same name is the Paris Regional Medical Center.

The healthcare industry continues to grow and face new challenges, creating an ongoing need for innovative, up-to-date solutions that drive down administrative costs while improving medical loss ratios. Global healthcare spend already makes up 10.6 percent of the gross domestic product and this spend is forecast to grow more than 5 percent annually as the number of people aged 60 and above rises from 12 percent of the population in 2013 to 21 percent in 2050. To meet the increasing demands, the industry must integrate new technology solutions to improve efficiency and develop new delivery models…

Hailing from Oakville, Ontario, Canadian Hospital Specialties (CHS) is a premier supplier of medical and surgical products including patient care trays, specialty IV extension sets and other tubing products as well as neonatal, intravenous, anaesthesia, critical care and operating room supplies. We spoke with Director-Brand Development MedRx Vince Morelli, Executive Vice President-Sales Gary Enns and Chief Executive Officer Mike Canzoneri to learn more…

For decades, the health benefits of hemp products have been known. Hemp has long been recognized for its nutritional value, but in recent years, the plant has taken on an estimated 25,000 new uses. Today, hemp has been developed into food, textiles, fuels and more. With the emergence of new research and technology, the potential of hemp has evolved tremendously, and CV Sciences has been at the forefront of this hemp revolution.

When we last spoke with Jamie Perino, owner of Euflora Cannabis Dispensary, she talked about the ins and outs of the newly legalized marijuana and the state of the industry. A lot has changed since then, and we are pleased to report that Euflora now possesses its own greenhouse. The cynics of legalizing the recreational drug have largely become a thing of the past, and the industry is evolving into new holistic directions.

With its population of 72,000, Franklin County is the most rural county in Massachusetts. Located within a two-hour drive from Boston and three and a half from New York City, it consists of twenty-six small towns, many of which have fewer than one thousand residents. However, what it lacks in population, it certainly makes up for in innovative entrepreneurial spirit and the support and strength of a community that continues to grow and reinvent itself.

The Labourers’ International Union of North America (LiUNA!) is the fastest growing union of construction workers, waste management workers, show service workers and healthcare workers in Canada. The organization boasts more than half a million members across North America, united through collective bargaining agreements to help secure better pay, better benefits, better pensions, and better opportunities.