Because Minnesota today typically outperforms Wisconsin on many economic measures, Governor Perpich’s comments are a useful roadmap.  What is the Minnesota advantage? 

A good portion of the “Minnesota Advantage” can be found in the policies that were created under Governor Rudy Perpich in the early ‘80s.  Perpich’s strategy was simple for citizens and businesses to understand and to rally behind.  It was visionary.  It was the perfect prescription for a state in very ill health.  It moved Minnesota forward and it gave Minnesota a competitive advantage in many areas that Wisconsin should be able to match.  The key ingredient to the Perpich Plan was a genuine broad-based coalition that included business, education, labor, and agriculture.   CWI is a mirror image of that successful Minnesota coalition.  Today, Competitive Wisconsin is stepping forward to take responsibility for fulfilling that promise.

Wisconsin isn’t facing the crisis that Minnesota faced in the early ‘80s, but key indicators  concern us about the future.  The tenets of the Minnesota rebuilding plan are very helpful in charting a course for long-term job growth and new business development. 

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