New Bremen Economic Team Aims to Bring in New Businesses, Improve Existing Ones
New Bremen has a team dedicated to bringing new businesses to village, and with it new opportunities for its residents.
The New Bremen Economic Development Team is headed by Brent Richter, who is the village’s Administrator and in charge of handling economic development. Richter worked at Crown as a mechanical engineer previously and was on the village council for five years.
Formally known as the New Bremen Community Improvement Corporation, the mission statement on their website makes clear their purpose: “The New Bremen Community Improvement Corporation, has as its sole purpose, advancing, encouraging and promoting the industrial, economic, commercial and civic development of the Village of New Bremen.”
“Our main focus is to help businesses grow in New Bremen by developing the industrial park,” said Richter. Helping the industrial park develop has been a successful undertaking.
The Bunker Hill Industrial Park on the west side of New Bremen is the result the economic team’s work. Richter noted that the park has been developing for a long time, but that when it started it was farm fields. When I spoke with Richter on the phone, he had provided me a picture of the sprawling industrial park which is now populated with numerous businesses. At the center there are still a few open areas where Richter would like to see new businesses take up residence. “It provides opportunity for employment, and improves the tax base here,” said Richter of the park. He noted that they try to attract business that will provide an economic benefit to the community. He explained that these businesses cause an effect via the people they employ. “There is an economic multiplier here in town. Every time an employee spends $1, that dollar circulates through the village economy numerous times.”
The Economic Development Team is actively working today as well.
“We’re working making sure the industrial park has been utilized, and we need to add more infrastructure so we can sell the remaining acreage,” said Richter. Richter said that they are wanting to installing more water and sanitary sewer lines, and streets to provide access to the undeveloped lots. He explained that some of that infrastructure, like roads, can’t always be done ahead of time.
“We don’t put all the infrastructure in, because companies call with different requirements for acreage. If we put the street in first, and someone says they want a large lot, that street might be in the way,” Richter explained. Richter also noted that there is a master plan for the industrial park, but that they only build as required.
Beyond employment opportunities, and the multiplier effect, Richter noted that the city has benefitted from tax revenue.
“Taxes help us pay for services here at the village to replace streets and infrastructure, and help us maintain the park, and to do snow removal. the taxes pay for all of that,” said Richter. He also noted that the village tries to do reconstruction on one street each year.
“That includes water, storm water, sanitary sewer, curbs and gutters, and asphalt. In 2022 we reconstructed Jefferson street from St. Route 274 to Klee Street,” said Richter of how those tax dollars at work in the community.
The New Bremen Community Improvement Corporation was established in 1979, and its decades of work can be seen today in the Bunker Hill Industrial Park. If you would like more information about their work, or their available spaces you can find them at newbremen.com/economic-development-team/.