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July 11, 2008
NEWS FROM THE MAYOR
Dear Friends,
Earn & Learn Puts Second Wave of Teens To Work
One of the best ways we can improve public safety and grow Milwaukee’s economy is to steer more of our young people into opportunities that develop their work skills and connect them to careers. We must develop our workforce by starting early and influencing real connections between work and education.
That’s why I’m going to continue my plea to businesses to help grow the City of Milwaukee’s Earn & Learn program, the summer jobs program for teens. We received more than 3,000 applications from teens who want to work their way towards a brighter future.
Last week we put a second wave of teens to work, as one thousand teens started their first day on the job at one of 73 Milwaukee area non-profit or faith-based agencies. A total of 1,500 teens are working this summer through the Earn & Learn program in city internships, community-based positions or at jobs with local participating companies.
Teens will help fuel the important work of non-profit agencies in our neighborhoods and 175 of them will perform green-related work. It’s my hope the green-related positions will influence a new generation of stewards and connect more Milwaukee teens into science and water-related careers. A conservation job today could lead to an educational/career path that ends with a job at Johnson Controls!
You can read more about the work Earn & Learn teens are doing this summer in this Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article: http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=768191
Special Note: I am pleased to share with you that after reading the news story in which one of our Earn & Learn teens said the program is helping her earn money to someday attend college, Bryant & Stratton College officials contacted us to offer this teen a college scholarship. In this tough job market, teens are challenged to find work to pay for college and this gesture means a great deal to all of us!
Groundbreakings & Grand Openings = JOBS
One of my favorite jobs as Mayor is to lead a groundbreaking or ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new business or business expansion. These events represent good news for our economy and in the past month, Milwaukee has celebrated several of these milestones.
Four business expansion projects alone represent $114.3 million of private investment by businesses to grow in our city.
In the 30th Street Industrial Corridor, DRS Technologies broke ground on an upgrade of its facilities to remain competitive and retain its 300 employees.
On the northwest side, we celebrated the completed first-phase of Direct Supply’s expansion that will add 1,500 new employees over the next ten years. Nearby, Cintas Corporation’s new Milwaukee facility is complete, adding 125 new jobs, mainly entry-level.
Also, Derse Inc. broke ground in our Menomonee Valley Industrial Center, to add 20 new jobs to its 140-employee workforce. These events showcase that Milwaukee continues to be “open for business.”
A Special Grand Opening
Tomorrow we officially open the doors to the Harley-Davidson Museum, a beautiful urban oasis on 20 acres of the Menomonee Valley at 6th and Canal Streets. Just as Harley-Davidson is more than a motorcycle, the Harley-Davidson Museum is more than a museum.
With 105 years of stories to tell, Harley-Davidson has a tremendous gift to share with visitors to the Museum. The Museum will feature one of a kind motorcycles, awe-inspiring tales of entrepreneurship and a chronological procession of legendary Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
Stories will be told through a variety of media - from excerpts of personal stories, photos, authentic Harley-Davidson marketing pieces, apparel and of course, the motorcycles.
The City of Milwaukee was a proud partner in this catalytic project through land assembly, infrastructure work and a re-location of Department of Public Works facilities into a consolidated tax-dollar saving facility in the 30th Street Industrial Corridor.
The MMAC estimates the annual economic impact of the museum alone will be
$37 million once it opens its doors to the public on Saturday, July 12. The festivities will kick off with a Harley-Davidson-style ceremony at 10 a.m. and continue throughout the weekend.
I personally invite you to walk around the Museum’s park-like grounds and enjoy the festivities, including a custom bike-build, tattoo artist and live music. Tickets for the Grand Opening weekend are on-sale at www.h-dmuseum.com/tickets.
Sincerely,
Mayor, City of Milwaukee
Visit my website at: http://www.city.milwaukee.gov/mayor
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