Rep Zimmerman UWRF ScITech Building Project

This is Wisconsin State Representative Shannon Zimmerman and I wanted to share some information today about a key project that I supported and I worked tirelessly for to see it come to approval during this past budget cycle in Madison. Science and technology is vital to the state of Wisconsin and certainly the St. Croix Valley. I was proud to advocate for the University of Wisconsin River Falls Science and Technology Building. Now some may ask why do we need another building? Is that what taxpayers need to spend their money on? Investments in science, technology and engineering are key and strategic investments for not only the University of Wisconsin River Falls and the St. Croix Valley but for the state of Wisconsin as a whole. Wisconsin has an opportunity to enhance its identity as a technological leader. This is a step in that direction but rather than hear it from the university or hear it from me, I wanted to take a moment today to hear from one of the employers who hires a lot of these students who are retaining our Wisconsin product, recruiting new people to come into the state of Wisconsin. This is a great opportunity and it has financial return for decades and decades to come. At Interfacial we work to develop materials for primarily the plastics industry. The key thing is people. We have to have the right people who have the right training, the right level of creativity and the right scientific background to stay at the top of our game. We have to continue to develop and attract and retain. SciTech quite frankly was a strategy and why we supported it to grow people locally and keep them here. This particular facility will allow us to up our game in marketing not just what we want to be but what we actually are today. Ultimately I think first and foremost we want to keep our best and brightest here here and give them opportunities for great jobs and employment here. If they're more successful and more aligned and on track if you will through their education, they're going to be better employees who are ready to work for and contribute right out of school.