After months of speculation, the MillerCoors operations decided to move HQ to Chicago. The decision was made long ago to not have headquarters in either Golden or Milwaukee, so this was not a surprise. But still, it's yet another company moving its headquarters out of Wisconsin. As usual, Wisconsin gets the consolation prize of more worker bee jobs, which seems to be enough for Wisconsin. Every time a company leaves Wisconsin (and it happens way too often), we hear about all the jobs being left, and everyone seems happy about that. But, the fact is, you need headquarters. You need to have decision makers in business in your state. Wisconsin, and really no state, should settle for solely worker bee jobs. Yet, Wisconsin seems to do this. I have never understood this. Blue-collar jobs are not going to get younger, educated people back into Wisconsin. They're good jobs to be sure, but they do nothing to solve brain drain. Minnesota seems to get this.
But, Chicago is an understandable choice. There is a lot of good marketing talent there, while Milwaukee and Denver really don't have strong marketing companies (for example, what used to be Wisconsin's largest ad agency, Cramer-Krasselt, moved to Chicago a few years ago). Marketing is key here, as there is not a lot of difference between major domestic brews.
It's already been an interesting week in the American beer industry.
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1 comment:
the opposite is happening here in Orange County.
we get HQ's.
and no jobs.
so, basically this county is turning into a place where the only two kinds of people live here:
those with means, and those who mow the lawns of those who have means.
some good old fashion blue collar jobs would really brighten up the place.
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