CARW members met at the Briohn Building in Brookfield on August 6th to hear how Janesville has rebuilt its economy since GM left town. Shar Hermanson, CEO of Forward Janesville, and Jimsi Kuborn, the city’s Economic Development Director, walked the room through what’s changed.
The short version: Janesville has replaced the 4.8 million square feet of industrial space GM left behind. The city did it largely by acting as its own land developer, using TIF financing and, in some cases, selling land for $1 to employers like GEA and United Alloy. The growth targets now are advanced manufacturing, food processing, logistics, and biotech, with Shine Technologies as a prime example.
Innovation Park, with a remaining 74 acre site with a new 30 MW substation, is the city’s next big bet. And the Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center — a public-private deal that turned a failing mall anchor into a regional sports draw — has already pulled new retail and restaurants into the 39/90corridor.
Hermanson covered Forward Janesville’s unusual setup: part chamber of commerce, part private economic development office, focused on business retention, advocacy, and workforce. A recent business survey found companies feeling optimistic overall, but seeing a need for more housing, workforce retention, and greater speed to move projects forward. On the ground, that’s shown up as downtown investment, entrepreneurship programs like EntreCon and the Janesville Innovation Center, and small touches like DORA districts and public art.
The fireside chat got into how the city and chamber rebuilt trust with each other, how developers actually work through TIF and site selection with the city, and how Janesville’s close proximity to Madison (35 miles southwest) creates opportunity for residents and companies seeking options. The biggest question mark is the former GM/JATCO site, 250 acres of prime redevelopment land. A referendum this November could force a citywide vote on any single project there worth more than $450 million. A new group, Grow Janesville Responsibly, has formed to make sure voters understand what’s at stake.
Key takeaways:
- GM’s lost square footage has been replaced, and the city is now diversifying into food processing and biotech.
- The city itself is a major dealmaker — TIF and aggressive business attraction efforts help Janesville land employers.
- Woodman’s Sports & Convention Center is proof a smart P3 can revive a dead retail site.
- Housing is the real bottleneck — over 1,000 units are needed downtown alone, and the city is courting developers through RFQs.
- The city and chamber work unusually well together, which makes Janesville easy to do business with.
- The GM/JATCO site could be transformative, but the November referendum will determine how much of that potential gets unlocked.