I am excited to announce that Mashaal Stanekzai has joined the Center for Business and Economic Insight team as a research assistant this fall. Mashaal holds a double major in accounting and business administration and has a minor in economics. Mashaal is also a budding entrepreneur as an owner of Al Madinah Cuisine and Asian Bazaar. Welcome, Mashaal!
In Dissecting the 2025 K-Shaped Economy and What’s Up for 2026, Chief Analyst Kevin Bahr analyzes the current economy while setting the table for 2026 in describing the increasing economic uncertainty resulting from tariffs and changes in monetary policy. In doing so, Kevin depicts the diverging economic fortunes of upper- and lower-income households.
Our Economic Indicators section of the report normally has a variety of timely national, state, and local statistics covering labor markets, housing, prices, construction, and more. Unfortunately, the recent federal government shutdown has dramatically reduced the amount of available data, so our report is considerably shorter than normal. We do, however, have a new table in our Housing and Construction section, Table 13: Months of Inventory and Average Days on Market for Portage, Marathon, and Wood counties along with the state of Wisconsin. These indicators help capture the supply side of the housing market.
In this issue’s special report, Central Wisconsin’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem at Work: How local resources support small Business development from conception to operation, Melinda Osterberg, Andi Gretzinger and Karen Huang describe how regionally based organizations promote and facilitate the entrepreneurial processes that are pivotal for small business success. Melinda Osterberg is the Regional Economic Development Director for the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) for the North Central Wisconsin; Andi Gretzinger is a business consultant with the Wisconsin Small Business Development Center at UWSP and founder of North Wood Blooms; and Karen Huang is a Harvard-trained scientist and owner of the upcoming Eesa Bakery and Café in Wausau.
This issue’s Insight Spotlight column, AI is Reshaping the Business Landscape – Are You Ready? by Adam Olson, MBA, graduate program director describes the dramatic effects artificial intelligence is having on the business world, higher education, the economy, and workers.
In a CBEI Extra!, Professor Elizabeth Martin shows how students are helping local non-profits and economic development as they compete in the “Case in Point” competition.
– Scott Wallace, CBEI Director