Feingold's E4 Initiative

FEINGOLD LAUNCHES “E4” INITIATIVE TO FOCUS ON WISCONSIN JOBS, ECONOMY
Feingold Meets with Milwaukee Common Council, Area Leaders; Kicks Off Initiative With a Focus on Boosting Small Business Innovation

Read Feingold's full remarks at Procorp here.

September 2, 2008

Milwaukee, WI – Today, U.S. Senator Russ Feingold launched his “E4” Initiative, an effort to fuel job creation and enhance workforce development efforts. Feingold’s initiative – dubbed “E4” because of its focus on Economy, Employment, Education, and Energy – will include legislation to boost small business innovation, support job growth in the emerging energy sector, enhance workforce development, and build new education partnerships. Next week, Feingold will officially introduce a package of legislation in the Senate that takes a multi-faceted approach toward job creation and economic development. Feingold met with the Milwaukee Common Council this morning to discuss how the initiative can help cities like Milwaukee. Next week Senator Feingold will continue his E4 Initiative by introducing legislation on workforce development, education, and energy jobs – all to be featured on his website at http://feingold.senate.gov/e4.

Supporting Small Business Innovation

To kick off the initiative, Feingold will focus on boosting small business innovation with a visit to Procorp Enterprises, a Milwaukee-area small business specializing in sustainable water and wastewater treatment solutions. Feingold will visit the facility and meet with area business and research leaders to discuss how the federal government can help small businesses grow and address emerging challenges.

“Wisconsin and the Milwaukee area in particular have unique strengths that offer potential for economic development and job growth, and our small businesses are the engines that can drive that growth,” Feingold said. “The federal government should be helping small businesses harness their innovative strengths to grow, create more jobs and address our emerging national challenges. For example, Milwaukee has the potential to be the ‘Silicon Valley’ of water technology. My upcoming legislation to increase funding for Small Business Innovation Research grants could offer important assistance to small businesses in this growing industry in Milwaukee.”

By partnering with academia and other businesses, Procorp’s innovative water and wastewater treatment technology will provide many companies and communities with solutions to the challenges they are facing today,” said Franz Hoffmann, Ph.D., President of Procorp Enterprises of Milwaukee. “Sustainable, next generation technologies will allow industry including dairy plants and food processors to recycle phosphorus from wastewater and enable communities to soften water without dumping millions of pounds of chlorides into our rivers. Another innovation is the fully sustainable removal of radium from our water supplies. This great example of successful collaboration between industry, UWM, Milwaukee 7, DNR, and DHFS is ready to move to a large-scale demonstration and holds great promise for many U.S. communities grappling with that issue. Efforts such as Senator Feingold’s proposed legislation will help provide the important incentives for businesses and communities alike to take the leap and become leaders in investing and adopting new, proven, sustainable technologies. As more collaborations like these are funded, businesses will grow, benefiting our economy and our environment.”

“The increasingly complex challenges facing our state must be addressed with creative ideas and cooperative approaches,” said UW-Milwaukee Chancellor Carlos E. Santiago. “Working together with focused support from the federal government, as proposed by Senator Feingold, our university can better partner with businesses and industries to create jobs and boost the economy.”

"The primary driver of economic growth comes from innovation and small business. This has always been especially true in Wisconsin. Senator Feingold clearly recognizes this with his initiative, especially with SBIR grants. We enthusiastically welcome his support as we work to build the Milwaukee Region into the "Silicon Valley" of fresh water," said Greater Milwaukee President Julia Taylor.

Feingold’s upcoming legislation to help small business will focus on enhancing the Small Business Innovation Research grant program and the Small Business Technology Transfer program established to promote small business innovation. A fact sheet about the legislation is attached.

Tomorrow, Senator Feingold will discuss his initiative with Madison business leaders and speak at a business appreciation lunch in Fitchburg.

 

U.S. Senator Russ Feingold - http://feingold.senate.gov