Chamberlain Research Consultants has tallied the results of last month’s survey questions, and forwarded comments from the participant company CEOs.
Compared to current levels, business owners and managers were asked if they intended to increase capital improvements and investments in the next 90 days, keep the level the same, or decrease those allotments.
Seventy-three percent of replying executives said their company would likely keep spending for investments and capital improvements at the present levels. However, 19% said they expected to increase spending in those two areas. Only 8% expected to decrease spending.
We are seeing some anecdotal signs of a recovering economy in this region. Lead salesman Bill Smith at Zimbrick, for example, reports that car sales (both used and new) are more than brisk – they are record-setting (compared to recent months and comparables) in the first quarter to date. Either cars are finally breaking down and have to be replaced after being in service longer than usual, or people are feeling confident enough to buy a new car. The result is the same.
Likewise, ghost trains are disappearing – those train chains that suddenly appear on the horizon as train yard engineers take them out of commission. They have to be parked somewhere during a recession, and many rural off-switching areas became train parking lots. As you drive through scenic Wisconsin, the haunting ghost trains are disappearing as the nation begins moving lumber and other goods again.
But the real course for our future will be set by area companies, and for those results, we continue to poll and bring you hard numbers.
More comments are posted at IBMadison.com. If you’d like to participate in the survey this year, e-mail jodyp@magnapubs.com.
