Evers: 'Economic development will grind to a halt' if Wisconsin doesn't embrace diversity

Cultivating a diverse workforce is key to taking Wisconsin to a new level of economic prosperity, Gov. Tony Evers told a group of community leaders, education professionals, business leaders, entrepreneurs and others on Friday.

“I can tell you that if this state doesn’t actively and proactively and with great vigor embrace diversity and inclusivity, economic development will grind to a halt,” the Democrat said at the sixth annual Madison Region Economic Development & Diversity Summit at Monona Terrace, a gathering sponsored by the Madison Region Economic Partnership and the Urban League of Greater Madison.

Introduced as “the first governor to attend this event, but not the first we’ve asked to attend,” Evers told about 600 attendees about the importance of cultivating a diverse workforce.

He also pitched his budget, which centers on accepting federal dollars to expand Medicaid, a provision that Republican majorities in the Senate and Assembly have stripped from the spending plan.

Read more: https://madison.com/ct/news/local/govt-and-politics/evers-economic-development-will-grind-to-a-halt-if-wisconsin/article_1f554487-4119-54ec-986a-0146df91fd45.html