A large Milwaukee-area manufacturer is investing into the future workforce with a sizable donation to Waukesha County Technical College.
The Harry V. Quadracci family’s Windhover Foundation has donated $1 million as part of WCTC’s $6 million fundraising campaign for the second phase of its Applied AI Lab, the school announced. The AI lab will house exhibits, classrooms and collaborative workspaces that will allow students to explore the work of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, from foundational concepts to advanced applications.
The Quadracci family owns and operates Quad (NYSE: QUAD), a Sussex-based marketing experience company that is the third-largest manufacturer in the Milwaukee area, according to Business Journal research.
“As WCTC has evolved to create tomorrow’s workforce needs and skill sets, this is the next evolution,” Quad CEO Joel Quadracci told the Business Journal. “I love what they’re doing because it’s a whole focus program, not only in terms of education but also incubation of ideas in AI. It was a no brainer for us.”
Quadracci said AI runs through his organization’s entire process, from automating administrative functions and billing to technology for scheduling systems.
He hopes the relationship will allow Quad to utilize the lab, whether through education, workforce or new technology.
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The business could have apprentices come through the program, for example. Quad also could attract employees through WCTC's Applied AI Lab, he said.
“As you think about being an incubation for new businesses in AI, it’s a chance for businesses like us to maybe even partner with them,” Quadracci said.
This donation is the most recent move in Quad’s focus on workforce development. In late 2022, Quad opened a recruiting and training hub in downtown Milwaukee known as Quad MKE. The hub, located in the Century City Tower at 4201 N. 27th St., is designed to create a pipeline into entry-level manufacturing careers as well as positions within Quad’s administrative and creative marketing agency units.
Investment in the surrounding communities is a key strategy for Quad and ties directly into its donation to WCTC’s Applied AI Lab.
The WCTC Applied AI Lab is expected to open later this fall. A large portion of WCTC's Building Q will be dedicated to the lab, which will house the gener8tor gALPHA and gBETA Applied AI Lab accelerator programs.
