CBEI Mission The UW-Stevens Point Center for Business and Economic Insight (CBEI) promotes regional economic and community development through the provision of business and economic knowledge to local business, governmental, and community leaders. The primary areas of focus are Portage, Marathon and Wood counties. 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. 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. I am excited to announce that Mashaal Stanekzai has joined the CBEI 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.
Table of Contents
Dissecting the 2025 K-Shaped Economy and What’s Up for 2026................................................1-12 Kevin Bahr Economic Indicators..........................................................13-18 Scott Wallace, Mashaal Stanekzai National Economic Statistics.........................................14 Table 2: Changes in Price Levels Table 3: National Employment Indicators County Economic Statistics......................................15-16 Table 8: Help Wanted Advertising Table 9: Unemployment Claims Table 10: County Sales Tax Distribution Housing and Construction.........................................16-19 Table 11: National Affordability Index Table 12: Median Home Prices and Home Sales Table 13: Months of Inventory and Average Days on Market Table 14: Residential Construction Table 15: Nonresidential Construction Special Report....................................................................19-23 Central Wisconsin’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem at Work by Melinda Osterberg, Andi Gretzinger, Karen Huang Column: Insight Spotlight..................................................24-25 AI Is Reshaping the Business Landscape — Are You Ready? by Adam Olson Column: CBEI Extra!..........................................................26-27 Case in Point by Elizabeth Martin, Sophia Bley, Dan Harris Business and Society Lecture Series.........Inside Back Cover Ken Favaro CBEI Staff Scott Wallace.................................Director and Editor, CBEI Kevin Bahr..............................................Chief Analyst, CBEI Mashaal Stanekzai........................Research Assistant, CBEI Eva Donohoo...............................Publication Designer, CPS
The Center for Business and Economic Insight is made possible thanks to support from the UW-Stevens Point Sentry School of Business and Economics.
The UW-Stevens Point Sentry School of Business and Economics creates career-ready graduates and leaders through applied learning. We serve the businesses, economy and people of the greater Central Wisconsin region. We specialize in preparing students for success by providing professional development experiences, access to employers, and in-demand skills.
Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog