A group of notable companies in southeast Wisconsin have recently joined forces to form a not-for-profit coalition in a focused bid to recruit workers and build Milwaukee into a viable technology hub.
The new MKE Tech Hub Coalition includes Accenture, Advocate Aurora Health, Johnson Controls, Kohl’s, Northwestern Mutual and Rockwell Automation. Together the founding companies will initially contribute more than $5 million to the coalition to accelerate programming, organizations, and initiatives that “advance technology and innovation in the region.”
The seven-county Milwaukee region employs roughly 76,000 tech workers in 89 distinct occupations, who collectively contribute more than $27.6 billion in regional economic impact, according to a 2018 study titled “Milwaukee Tech Talent.” Jobs in the computer/mathematical, engineering, and business/financial sectors account for about 75 percent of the area’s tech talent, the report shows.
“Companies need the combination of a good strategy, technology, and most importantly human expertise to compete — the Tech Hub will act as an accelerator for the Milwaukee tech ecosystem,” said Blake Moret, CEO and chairman at Rockewell Automation.
By combining leaders from the professional services, healthcare, retail, financial services, and manufacturing industries, the coalition hopes to double the number of local tech workers by 2025, the cross-industry group said in a joint press release.
“The digitization of traditional functions and process in industry are changing the way companies do business, so it is vital to the sustainability of this region to have a strong tech presence and to attract the tech workforce of the future,” George Oliver, chairman and CEO at Johnson Controls, said in the statement.
The coalition also included its plans to grow, attract, and retain talent, including by increasing the number of tech startups in the region, expanding the number of tech companies that relocate to or grow in Milwaukee, cultivating a dynamic vision and image to attract tech workers to the region, and creating resources and an environment that supports freelancers.
“The success of our region, across every industry, is increasingly dependent on leveraging new and emerging technologies to enable new capabilities and deliver new customer experiences,” said Jay Kraft, office managing director of Accenture’s Milwaukee office.
The coalition’s board members and a CEO will be named at a later date. In the meantime, the MKE Tech Hub said it is working to form strategic partnerships with new members, businesses, academic institutions, government, and individuals, who share in the group’s vision.
The MKE Tech Hub announced the coalition at Milwaukee’s Fall Experiment festival, which combines tech, art, music, and gaming in a two-day event.
