Rise and Shine in Adams County!
CREATE Adams County comes from a very simple idea: Let's make a space where entrepreneurs, small businesses, thinkers, and community members can come together, collaborate, and CREATE new ideas and businesses. In partnership with CREATE Portage County, our local CREATE center offers people a low cost option for office space, meeting space, internet service, and more. Located at 159 E. Ann Street in the City of Adams, CREATE has more that 2500 square feet of multi-purpose space that can be utilized by various groups and members. For more information on our low-cost membership structure or any other questions, please contact us at 608-339-6945 or aced@maqs.net.
Check out our newest video below, along with other information. It's time that we showed Wisconsin what we can do! It's time for a positive change and an upbeat attitude about our community! We need to start looking at Adams County from a different perspective...
Based on conversations with residents and former residents, CREATE has put together this “Rise & Shine” strategy for community and economic development in Adams County and for marketing CREATE Adams County.
Rise.
Rise investments focus on verticality and building up.
Shine.
Shine investments focus on polish and pride.
Rise & Shine.
Rise & Shine investments focus on work ethic and opportunity.
RISE.
We see vertical opportunity all over Adams County. First and foremost, the county has untapped climbing infrastructure that could make it a destination. especially for young professionals seeking adventure in the counties that typically draw people out of Adams County (Columbia, Dane, Portage). Second, we heard frequently that new housing or mixed use development within the urban core is an essential investment for retaining young professionals.
SHINE.
There is a pride problem in Adams County. We heard about that more than anything else. If Adams County is going to thrive it has to change the way its own residents feel about living there. Pride-shifting strategies could include a shop-local campaign or entrepreneur supports for community-bolstering businesses like breweries and restaurants. Empty storefront competitions or facade grant programs would reactivate downtowns, and more thoughtful consideration of the language used in schools can redefine success to include investing in Adams County.
Rise & Shine​
Focus on work force needs. Adams County has a strong work ethic and could build youth experience programs that bring people to the area to experience agriculture and manufacturing work. Reverse pitches could connect workforce challenges to tech innovations that spark local start-ups. And strengthening programs like the automatic enrollment and Mid-State Technical College will help people see pathways to good jobs within the County.
OPPORTUNITY MAP
- Build higher density housing in downtown Adams-Friendship that is attractive to young professionals.
- Consider mixed-use development that also supports entertainment or service businesses.
- Work with lake associations to find out who visits and to invite right-fit people to think about lives here.
- Host pop-up events and markets that change the feel of spaces to introduce bigger placemaking.
- Develop a farm-experience program that invites people from out-of-community to experience farm work in Adams County.
- Set up reverse pitch competitions based on workforce and other business challenges that seek out tech solutions.
- Run an empty storefronts competition that gives winning businesses a year of rent free if they move into a downtown location.
- Invest in infrastructure and brand Adams County as the Upper Midwest’s premier bouldering location.
- Launch a brewery that makes use of rock outcroppings in its branding (e.g. Ship Rock Brewing).
- Work with school leaders to address issues of pride specific to staying in or returning to the community.
- Activate green spaces with more community building activities and infrastructure.
- Renovate the historic hotel as an Airbnb or retreat space.
- Run a shop local campaign that fosters pride in supporting local businesses.
- Paint murals in the downtown or add sculptures or other public art to community green spaces.
- Tell more stories about local producers, innovators, makers, and artists.
Interested in moving Adams County forward? See an idea here that could be your future business or project? Adams County now has a co-working and innovation center to support these and other creative and entrepreneurial projects.