Senergy asked the Marathon County Economic Development Committee on Oct. 2, 2025, to forward a request asking each county partner to contribute $5,000 toward a $125,000–$130,000 industry-targeting and site-readiness evaluation by Site Selector Group, a national site-selection firm.

The study will analyze which industries best fit Central Wisconsin and will include boots-on-the-ground assessments for five to six properties across the region that the consultants will grade and provide steps to make “passable” development sites, Angel Laidlaw, CEO of Senergy, told the committee. “We’ll choose 5 to 6 properties within the region that will actually have boots on the ground site selectors, giving them a real pass or fail grade,” Laidlaw said.

The nut graf: committee members said it would help local business-attraction efforts by producing an outside, expert assessment of properties and target industries and by generating materials—such as a certified-site inventory and a developer tour—that communities and developers can use in recruitment.

Committee discussion focused on what kinds of properties would be eligible, who had already committed funding, and where county funding could come from. Laidlaw said properties could range from greenfield to brownfield and that typical target sizes would be 20, 50 or 100 acres depending on the project. She said Senergy hopes to make the final study publicly available and to host an annual developer tour that showcases certified properties.

Committee members asked whether local industrial parks and specific large parcels would be considered. Laidlaw pointed to an existing 60-acre certified site on the west side of the Wausau business campus and a larger 172-acre parcel near the Kronenwetter/Polsky interchange as examples of properties that would be eligible for review.

Funding and commitments: Laidlaw said Senergy and private partners are contributing and that Adams County EDC has indicated it would front funding if the county could not. Senergy also submitted a $50,000 capacity-building grant application with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to offset costs. Laidlaw said the total study cost is roughly $125,000 (about $130,000 with travel).

County staff signaled potential local funding sources. Committee member Lance said he would review his special-projects and 2025 economic-development budgets and that he believed $5,000 could be found this year; he also noted the 2026 budget process as an alternative funding path.

Formal action: the committee voted to forward the request to the full county board for consideration. The motion to forward was seconded by Supervisor Hagen and passed unanimously at the committee meeting. The committee also asked that funding-source recommendations be reviewed by HR Finance.

This item was discussion plus a formal referral: committee members asked staff to identify funding options and instructed staff to bring a recommendation to HR Finance; the committee did not authorize county expenditure beyond forwarding the request to the board.

Ending: The committee moved on to other agenda items; any final funding decisions will be taken by the full board if it receives the referral.