South Pointe Business Park in Sparta Earns Certified In Wisconsin® Designation

MADISON – Governor Scott Walker today announced that a portion of the South Pointe Business Park in Sparta has been designated as a Certified In Wisconsin® development-ready site, a move that will help the city better compete for corporate expansion and attraction projects.

The 114-acre site at the park, located just off Interstate 90 and State Highway 27 in Monroe County, is the state’s 18th Certified Site. Certified In Wisconsin designation gives site selectors and business owners confidence that building plans will not be held up by costly delays in permitting and approvals.

“The Certified In Wisconsin Program is one of the many steps we have taken in the last seven years to establish a pro-business climate in Wisconsin and to make it easier for companies to establish or expand operations in our great state,” Governor Walker said. “Since this program was created in 2012, 21 projects have been developed on our Certified Sites by companies planning to create more than 2,200 jobs. We expect to see that level of success in Sparta as well.”

“There already are many reasons why Sparta is an ideal location for growing businesses, and we just added another one with the Certified In Wisconsin designation,” said Sparta Mayor Ron Button. “We look forward to working closely with the state to make sure corporate decision-makers across the country are aware that the South Pointe Business Park is ready for development and that Sparta is without a doubt open for business.”

Governor Walker made the announcement today at the Monroe County Economic Development Conference in Warrens, where he also provided economic development leaders from throughout the region with an update on Wisconsin’s historic low unemployment rate, workforce development initiatives, and Wisconsin’s increased exports in 2017.

With fully improved lots ranging in size from 1 to 120 acres, the South Pointe Business Park features convenient access to I-90 and Highway 27, and boasts community stormwater retention that is included with each parcel. The site, which is zoned for manufacturing, is also about half an hour away from the La Crosse Regional Airport.

The Certified In Wisconsin Program, which is overseen by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), provides potential tenants with all the information needed to make quick decisions about whether that site is right for their needs, such as utility and transportation infrastructure, environmental assessments, quality of available labor force and more. WEDC is utilizing Deloitte Consulting to help evaluate sites potential Certified Sites. WEDC markets each Certified Site through its Locate In Wisconsin website, LocateInWisconsin.com.

WEDC administers the Certified In Wisconsin Program to enhance Wisconsin’s appeal to companies looking to expand operations or locate within the state. Working with WEDC, communities can obtain site certification for properties at a much lower cost than they would pay to pursue the designation on their own through an independent consultant.

The major economic development projects that are taking place on Certified Sites include:

• Mills Fleet Farm, which is building a $64 million distribution center at the Lake Wissota Business Park in Chippewa Falls that is expected to create 325 jobs;
• Diversified Manufacturing Corp., which just relocated its operations from Minnesota to the Eagle Ridge Business Park in Prescott and expects to create 150 jobs;
• United Natural Foods Inc., which operates a distribution facility on the Prescott Certified Site that employs about 300 workers;
• The Little Potato Company, which established its U.S. headquarters in the DeForest Business Park and plans to create 125 jobs; and
• Dollar General Corp., which opened a $75 million distribution facility at the Highway 11 Business Park in Janesville that will employ more than 500 people.

The state’s other Certified Sites are located in: Black River Falls, Beaver Dam, Beloit, Fitchburg, Green Bay, Howard, Menomonie, Stevens Point, Verona, West Bend, Westport, Whitewater and Wisconsin Rapids.

For more information about the Sparta Certified Site, visit InWisconsin.com/sparta-certified-site.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for its accuracy or completeness.