Hi Everyone,

Last weekend, we traveled to Gordon for the 51st annual Governor’s Fishing Opener, which took place at the Minong Flowage in Northwestern Wisconsin.

We look forward to kicking off Wisconsin’s fishing season every year! You know, fishing is a major recreational sport and tourism attraction in our state, attracting 330,000 anglers from outside our state every year.

Those visitors are inevitably spending money in our local communities for necessities like bait, lodging, and food, which not only bolsters our local economies but the economy of the state as a whole.

So why is fishing such a big attraction here in Wisconsin? 

Wisconsin continues to climb the rankings of Chief Executive magazine’s annual “Best State for Business” survey of CEOs. This year, CEOs ranked Wisconsin 11th Best State for Business in America. Wisconsin has improved 30 places in this ranking since 2010.

Last year, we traveled to the United Kingdom, Canada, and throughout Europe to sit down with business leaders and highlight the numerous reasons why establishing or expanding business operations in Wisconsin is a great idea.

This week, we announced we’ll be traveling to Mexico in June for that very same reason.

Secretary Ray Allen of the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) recently wrote a column for the Sun Prairie Star highlighting our workforce development reforms.

By working to eliminate fraud and abuse, we’ve transformed our Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund from a $1.3 billion deficit in 2010 to a $743 million positive balance, and employers now pay less UI tax as a result of these efforts.

To read Ray’s entire column, “UI reforms protect system for workers, employers,” click below.