Department of Administration Secretary Visits WAF

Earlier this week, Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan made a trip to Manitowoc to talk to administrators at Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry. Brennan actually has a familial connection to Manitowoc, as his father was born here in 1927. Also, his grandmother worked in the shipyards in Manitowoc for 40 years.

The history of Manitowoc is filled with manufacturing, and Brennan says that the continued success of the industry here is a great thing to see, but notes it didn’t happen by accident. “It’s great to see that they continue to think about innovation, and thinking about the next 50 or 100 years,” Brennan said. “There are so many companies here in Wisconsin that are the lifeblood of their communities, but they’re in peril unless they are always thinking about what’s coming next.”

His visit here was not just for a vacation, but was rather to sit with and listen to the members of WAF’s administration about the issues they face. One major point that was brought up was about the employee shortage that almost all employers are facing, especially in the Manufacturing industry. A big reason for that is the fact that schools pounded it into student’s heads that going to college was the ONLY way they were going to have a career that made them a good amount of money. Brennan explained that schools are now trying to change that thought process, including starting career planning in the 6^th grade. Brennan told SeehaferNews.com, “As we get deeper in our administration…we need to make sure that they right conversations are happening at the school level, with parents, and other stakeholders, so that everybody understands that there are several career paths for people.”

WAF CEO Sachin Shivaram took Brennan on a tour of the facility at 838 S 16th Street at the end of the discussion, and Brennan appeared to be very impressed with their operation. Brennan also us that he has and will continue to visit other places to get a general consensus as to what needs to be done on the state level to help the manufacturing industry survive.