Continuing the Wisconsin theme of the last few posts, another Wisconsin State Journal article described a recent meeting of local business, government and community leaders to create an economic development plan.

This is what they came up with, accompanied by some of my editorial comments in bold:

* Business recruitment and retention -- creating a climate to help existing companies grow and to attract other businesses. That includes Madison's effort to find out what the city can do to improve its relationship with businesses.

[Here's a suggestion: disband the City Council! Ok, that won't work, but if you really want to attract and grow businesses, you will need to change the SOP (uh, standard operating procedure, for those who didn't grow up in my house).]

* Work force -- keeping local talent here, for instance, by connecting UW-Madison graduates to job openings.

[It's not clear to me why you need a special effort here. If you build it, they will come.]

* "Branding" the Madison area and marketing it -- for example, by highlighting "the wonderful health-care facilities that we have here and targeting folks that would be interested in that," Alexander said.

[Madison is already branded, and I don't mean this in a snarky way. People already know that it is a great place to live. This is not a problem.]

* Making sure that as the area grows, its quality of life is not diminished.

[Doh!]

* Examining Madison's relationship with other communities, such as Milwaukee and the local suburbs. Alexander said the area must "make sure Madison and Verona and Middleton and Fitchburg aren't competing against one another but they're working together to compete" against other communities.

[Regional cooperation is a good thing. I live in Middleton, it is booming, and most of us feel like we are part of Madison.]

I am not sure about the value of discussion groups like this one. I suppose that talking about concern for businesses places that on everyone's plate, but I am skeptical about the prospect of getting concrete policy actions from such a group.

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That was the front-page headline in the Wisconsin State Journal. The story reported that high school seniors in Wisconsin and Minnesota tied for the highest composite ACT scores in the nation. For Wisconsin, this is the 12th straight year at the top. Just in case you coastal dwellers had any illusions about where the smartest people in the country are to be found.

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Forbes {registration required} recently ranked Madison the "best metro area to launch a business or a career". The big difference maker? Education.

In a subsequent article, Forbes called Madison a "Miracle In the Midwest," and a "Hotbed Of Biocapitalism." It offers a nice description of the business landscape:

This hotbed of radicalism has grown into a seedbed of biocapitalism, propelling the region to the number one slot on our list of Best Places for Business and Careers. Scientists are developing artificial skin (at a company called Stratatech), vitamin D therapies for patients with chronic kidney disease (Bone Care International) and proteins that inhibit cancer-cell development (Quintessence Biosciences). Such biotech ventures cluster around the university and nearby Milwaukee, home of the Medical College of Wisconsin and a unit of GE Healthcare (2003 revenues: $10 billion), which acquired Lunar, a Madison maker of bone densitometers and ultrasound equipment, in 2000. Some 120 technology companies employing 8,000 people have sprung up in Madison during the past decade. Average annual salary: $60,000.

Unemployment runs at 2%, compared with 5.5% for the entire state, which has lost 54,000 manufacturing jobs since 2001. Brains power the Madison economy: The university, which employs 17,000 souls but has helped create 70,000 jobs in Madison, generates $4.7 billion a year in direct and indirect output, reports NorthStar Economics. The city has the highest concentration of advanced degrees in the country--2% of the population. And it has long been a haven for postgraduates who resort to driving cabs and delivering pizzas just to stay in Madison, drawn in part by year-round lakefront recreation, endless bike paths and a hyperactive schedule of performing arts. A growing magnet for retirees, entrepreneurs and university alumni, Madison has seen a gentle 23% rise in median home prices, to $163,000, since 1997.

It snows in May sometimes, but Madison is pretty cool in other ways, too.

Thanks to Ann for the pointer. (I am a little embarrassed that Anne Ann beat me to this business related story, but I don't read Forbes regularly, and she got the story from the local paper, about which I am sporadic.)

UPDATE: Ann might be interested to know that Ann is the #48 most common female name in the United States, while Anne ranks #85. Why am I so inclined to spell her name with an "e" on the end? Because of Anne of Green Gables, of course.

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And not just a little bit. This is a genuine, mid-winter snowfall. If this were December 24, I would think that it's magical, but on May 2, it's just annoying. This is a picture of some tulips in my backyard. Maybe Bainbridge was right, after all.

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Middleton lies just on the western edge of Madison. While Madison is pretty cramped, Middleton is in the midst of a building boom. New roads, new housing, and lots of new businesses. The new shopping center is Greenway Station, which is a middle American playground. Sharper Image, Galyens Sporting Goods, Ann Taylor, Bombay Company, and lots of new chain resaurants, including Macaroni Grill, Big Bowl (Asian), and Bear Rock Cafe (nice new concept). The newest addition to the still-unfinished development is Cheeseburger in Paradise. I suppose that I like Jimmy Buffet as well as the next guy, but this restaurant has flopped with my family.

It started last week, when my wife tried to get dinner with some of our children. (Where was I? Probably with the other children ...) Anyway, after being ignored and insulted by the wait staff -- not uncommon treatment for families with young children, which have a deserved reputation for being small tippers -- my wife left and had a very tasty meal at the Panchero's Mexican Grill, vowing never to return to CIP.

Well, since the family is out of town for their spring break (which doesn't match mine ... don't get me started!), I decided to take advantage of the opportunity to try CIP. Although I was seated immediately (single man, wearing a suit ... "Sure, we have room."), CIP was otherwise a disaster. Slow service, bad-tasting food, and a distracting decor. It was sort of a cross between a bad sports bar (the television in front of me played an infomercial for the entire length of my meal) and a Joe's Crab Shack. The food is unimaginative, and my pork sandwich was simply not good. I definitely should have tried the cheeseburger, but it was just a cheeseburger:

Cheeseburger in Paradise "I like mine with lettuce and tomato, Heinz 57 and French-fried potatoes." We can handle that. We put everything Jimmy likes onto 100% pure fresh ground choice beef and also top with Cheddar and American cheeses, with a big kosher dill pickle on the side.

This is your "signature item"? A burger with cheese, lettuce, tomato, and Heinz 57? Back to the drawing board, Jimmy.

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Several regular readers of this blog have contacted me to say that they like reading stories about Madison. These are people who lived in Madison at some point and enjoyed it. (Doesn't everyone who lives in Madison enjoy it?) Anyway, with that last post I inaugurated a new category called "Life in Madison," and I will attempt to share tidbits from time to time. Even if you have never lived here, I hope you will find something redeeming in the stories.

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In my ode to bakeries last week, I somehow failed to mention two local bakeries: Scott's Pastry Shoppe and Clasen's European Bakery. Scott's cake doughnuts -- especially their seasonal flavors, like pumpkin -- are as good as any you will every eat. Clasan's does fancier things, including breakfast pastries. Next week, I am looking forward to a King Cake from Clasen's for Mardi Gras.

By the way, in hunting for websites for Scott's and Clasen's, I found that top-rated bakery by Madison Magazine is Lane's Bakery. Obviously, I'm still new to the area. The good news is that it looks like we've found the destination for our field trip for this weekend!

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