They are not elected officials, but given their resourcefulness and knowledge, the “Powers that Be” would ignore or sidestep them to their own detriment. Most of the women are not employed at a private business, but their business knowledge plays a prominent role in developing local and regional economies.
Our subjects work their will for different organizations, but they often find themselves collaborating on everything from the embattled Edgewater Hotel renovation to the controversial Regional Transit Authority (RTA).
Five women, perhaps not so coincidentally based in MadisonÃÂÂÂs downtown core, have emerged as IB’s pick of the most influential business people in the region. They are Deb Archer, president and CEO, Greater Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau; Jennifer Alexander, president of the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce and Thrive, a regional economic development organization; Phyllis Wilhelm, director of economic development, Madison Gas & Electric; Carole Schaeffer, executive director, Smart Growth Greater Madison; and Susan Schmitz, president, Downtown Madison, Inc.
Each organization has a specific mission, but their leaders understand the power of coalitions. In a period marked by economic development barriers, they view themselves as liaisons and resources, but their influence on area economic development is unmistakable.
Accidental Collaborators
Since most are in the public eye, it may seem like their influence is coordinated on matters like the new hotel to serve Monona Terrace, TIF reform, the city’s zoning code rewrite and downtown master plan, and more non-stop flights to and from Madison. More often than not, however, it’s simply a convergence of interests.
If there is one issue where all five came together in true collaborative fashion, it would be helping to convince the City of Madison to establish an economic development division and bring in an economic development director, who turned out to be Tim Cooley. On issues like the inclusionary zoning ordinance, which was of particular interest to Smart Growth Madison because it represents real estate development companies in Dane County, our women of influence find themselves working toward the same end — especially after exploring the various implications for each organization.
Said Schmitz: “There is a lot of sharing, like, ‘What are you guys going to do? What is your board saying? What do you think?’ It helps all of us because you need to get that broad perspective.”
According to Archer, whose singular accomplishment is getting Greater Madison to think of itself as a destination and act accordingly, the five women are all very familiar with one another and often consult on economic development matters, but each has a distinct role. Their opportunities to join forces not only involve communication, but what Archer calls the cross pollination of boards and committees.
If there is a common denominator among the five, colleagues point to their ability to bring opposing groups together. In their case, sugar definitely works better than vinegar, but they are natural consensus-builders. Their art of persuasion is a cordial, patient one, but it’s also more effective in a city known for hyper democracy and sometimes maddening approval processes.
This has earned them respect from a broad cross-section of the community. Wilhelm served on a team of university and business representatives that helped UW-Madison secure a $125 million federal grant for the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center. She is credited with helping to set up the Madison Development Corp.’s Venture Debt Fund, which provides financing for technology-based companies, and her current focus is workforce development. Wilhelm serves as chair of the Wisconsin Workforce Development Board, which is trying to keep the skills of dislocated workers here so that area businesses can still tap them when the economy turns the corner.
Given that its customers are likely to be on either side of an issue, MGE focuses more on economic problem-solving than issue advocacy. However, its effectiveness is a reflection on Wilhelm, who represents the company in various public roles. “One of the things that has impressed me over the years is how much Phyllis is respected by a wide range of people throughout the community,” said President and CEO Gary Wolter. “Regardless of whether it’s the private sector, the nonprofit sector, or the government, she’s able to command the respect of a wide variety of people. That’s an important skill set and, frankly, a skill set not everyone has.”
Art of Persuasion
That doesn’t mean they are reluctant to break some eggs when necessary. The GMCVB doesn’t get involved in public policy as frequently as other organizations — its mission is to market the destination and bring people here — but sometimes controversy is unavoidable. Archer’s support for another hotel to serve Monona Terrace has not pleased area hoteliers, but she is convinced the Madison destination needs another asset, one that’s a priority in terms of growing downtown Madison and keeping Monona Terrace economically viable. She said the area is losing convention business because it lacks the hotel, so she engaged local hotel operators in a study that confirmed the need, and she is still trying to convince them that with the hotel, Madison will be in an even better position to secure convention business.
On that proposition, the verdict is still out. “I think it’s a difficult thing right now, because business is so bad, to think about a competitor coming into the marketplace,” she admitted, “but I think as there are hints of some light at the end of the tunnel, they start to understand that a hotel wouldn’t be open for another two, three, or even four years, and that hopefully the economy will be in a better place.
“It’s going to take time, and some of them may never like the idea, but people have to realize that some hoteliers weren’t ecstatic about Monona Terrace, and some of them had a difficult time with the Hilton being opened. They both have done great things for this community.”
In contrast, the newly minted Regional Transit Authority, while controversial in some circles, had the unanimous endorsement of the transportation-conscious Downtown Madison board. Schmitz’s challenge was to carry out the directives of her board in advocating for the RTA, which was not an easy lift. Even though commuter rail makes sense to many in a city where commuters navigate around several lakes and through a narrow isthmus, others view the RTA as a politically unaccountable rubber stamp for rail transportation.
Knowing that commuter rail was on the horizon, DMI started looking at the issue in 2007. Schmitz said the people DMI brought to the table knew it was important to downtown parking, but they still had to educate themselves, as did Schmitz. Their feedback helped shape the organization’s eventual position. “Transportation issues are a driving piece in economic development and land-use,” Schmitz noted. “As I heard someone say recently at a conference I attended, ‘It’s not the trains — it’s the tracks.’ We need a denser, more efficient city so people have easy accessibility in and out of our central city.”
Among the burning issues of the moment for Schmitz are a satisfactory resolution of the Edgewater expansion, and completion of a downtown Master plan, but she already has helped DMI establish a Business Improvement District, rule the day on the rejected Dane Casino, and resolve the Halloween mess. The BID, which covers Capitol Square and State Street, requires property owners to be assessed to fund improvements and marketing, but it took some self-educating, including a trip to the International Downtown Association Conference, and some educating of wary shop owners.
Today, it’s easy to see that the BID filled a void, but in the late 1990s it represented scary change. People were typically nervous about something new, even though there was a successful prototype in Denver, Colo. which provided the model for Madison. “That took us a whole year,” Schmitz recalled, “and that was a big deal. We had to get 200-some property owners to agree.”
Allen Arntsen, a partner with the Foley and Lardner law firm and chairman of DMI, has been impressed with the way Schmitz worked through issues like the downtown homeless population, renovations to Lisa Link Peace Park, and downtown hospitality. “I think she’s as effective as anyone in town in advancing economic development issues,” Arntsen said. “She’s very good at working with people, and she’s very good at making things happen.”
Alexander has seen a lot of leadership styles, but prefers a blend of quiet persuasion and, only when necessary, outspoken advocacy. “I think it’s both,” she stated. “While you certainly, when there is an issue that needs attention, have to be very vocal, I took a trip with a group of women legislators many years ago, and this was when Hong Kong was changing rule, and a group of Asian women were saying the concept that was most effective for them was to ‘lead from behind,’ which was to work with a variety of folks to help make things happen. That always stuck with me as a good concept.”
However, given the Madison Chamber’s plans to make endorsements in forthcoming County Board races — it already has done so with city aldermanic candidates — Alexander knows the organization will be out front.
It also will have to act quickly to repair relationships with people who win without its endorsement. “You always want to have the relationship even if you didn’t endorse them, so very quickly afterwards, you look for opportunities to meet with them,” she said. “It’s always important to talk no matter what their views are. I remember when we were going through mandatory paid sick leave, and that was the first one we really lobbied on and one that [former alder] Austin King was leading.
“There was a period of time I saw Austin King more than I saw my husband. We’d be at event after event after event and we’d vehemently disagree, and then I’d give him a ride home.”
With Thrive, Alexander has changed the economic development conversation from one where parochial interests reigned supreme to one in which people think regionally. Yet in some ways, Alexander believes the area functions like a child of privilege in that it takes its resources and blessings for granted and assumes that good things will continue to come its way. In this context, she believes government can really shine or be an impediment, citing the biotechnology tax credits legislation, a priority of Thrive in the most recent legislative session, as a positive tool.
A good rule for government, she indicated, comes from the the Hippocratic Oath for doctors: First, do no harm.
“We need to be focused [and] purposeful and apply resources to our work to encourage economic vitality and diversification,” Alexander noted. “In the case of local government policy related to economic development … less is often more.”
Hurtin’ Thing
Given Madison’s economic development obstacles, it must feel as though they are swimming against the current of Lake Mendota. In Schaeffer’s view, it’s important to have a sense of humor in the face of opposition, which is something at least one person in her membership has mastered. “When I got hired, someone actually said to me, ‘Congratulations on getting hired. We don’t expect you to win. We just want you to make it hurt less.’”
Yet she and Smart Growth Madison scored a victory of sorts on inclusionary zoning when the city allowed the controversial ordinance to sunset and create an adhoc housing diversity committee to look at a more comprehensive approach to housing. “That’s the issue where I was the most hands-on, and I was on the phone constantly,” Schaeffer said. “It’s a huge issue for our organization, with millions of dollars at stake.”
Noting that a draft of the city’s Zoning Code rewrite includes a height limitation of five stories in certain commercial and mixed-use districts, she said anyone watching the Edgewater Hotel expansion “debacle” knows this sets developers up for a nasty fight anytime they have a project that exceeds five stories. In addition, she noted that it runs counter to the city’s stated goal of improved public access to Lake Mendota and of encouraging urban infill development to limit sprawl and protect farmland.
“We say we want urban density, reduction in sprawl, and reduced reliance on cars, and then draft into the zoning code a height restriction that is the antithesis of these policies. It makes no sense,” Schaeffer stated. “We should spend less time restricting and more time incentivizing.”
Wilhelm sees a silver lining in the realization that Madison can be impacted by recessions. “We are a community that expresses itself, but we’ve also had the real luxury of being very selective before because we had a robust economy that we pretty much took for granted,” Wilhelm said.
“I think the situation is quite different today,” she added. “We’ve noticed that we can be impacted by this recessionary trend. I think people are looking at things a little differently than before, and evaluating a project like the Edgewater differently.”
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