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Sawyer County EDC pursues housing projects, business incubator expansion and QuickTrip redevelopment
Summary
Sawyer County LCO Economic Development Corporation director Adam O’Mory reported on incubator funding and services, ongoing housing talks with a local contractor, outreach on the vacant QuikTrip property listed at $1.2 million and HUBZone status covering the county.
Adam O’Mory, executive director of the Sawyer County LCO Economic Development Corporation, updated the board on economic development activities including housing, a business incubator, commercial property outreach and workforce recruitment efforts.
O’Mory said he contacted QuikTrip’s real estate team about the vacant QuikTrip site at the intersection of Highway 63 and County 27, which is listed for $1,200,000. He told supervisors QuikTrip indicated the property was on its priority list to sell before the company’s fiscal year in September and that corporate restrictions limit some uses; he offered county assistance to recruit prospective buyers or franchises.
On housing, O’Mory said he is working with a contractor (Custom 1) on a tract in Hayward for single‑family homes; the hold-up is the form of a development agreement to present to city and county officials. He said the EDC is using examples from Pittsville, Wisconsin, to frame potential contractual approaches.
O’Mory also reported on the county’s business incubator. Last year the incubator operated on a $25,000 budget and provided technical assistance to more than 30 entrepreneurs. For the coming year he said the EDC adjusted the budget and planned allocations to: $12,000 for technical assistance, $10,000 to pay for grant‑writing assistance, $2,000 for marketing and $1,000 for accounting services. The plan includes establishing a fixed location where entrepreneurs can come for help.
He said the EDC has produced promotional videos for local businesses and a county recruitment video intended to help attract workers, and is planning a cybersecurity seminar for small businesses and residents, in coordination with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and WIDA for potential speakers.
O’Mory told the board that the county-wide HUBZone designation is in effect for Sawyer County, allowing eligible local businesses to apply for certain federal contracting opportunities.
Board members thanked O’Mory for his outreach on the QuikTrip parcel and for incubator and marketing efforts; no formal board action was taken on the items discussed.
