Forward Janesville - TheReport - Fourth Quarter 2023

I am fired up about 2024. January 22nd was a big day. The Janesville City Council awarded the construction contract to JP Cullen to build the Woodman Sports and Convention Center at Uptown Janesville. Two years ago, I would have given the project a fifty-fifty chance. But with determination, creativity and a team approach, the City, the Friends of the Indoor Sports Complex, and many others delivered the biggest public- private partnership in our City’s history. Janesville fought for its future with some great help from partners like Governor Evers and Senator Baldwin. It will be a legacy project. The biggest winners? Our kids. Mary (my wife) and I moved to Janesville more than twenty years ago. We love living in Janesville and we stay because of the people. Janesville is a great place to raise our family. We have two boys at Craig High School and one at UW-Whitewater. Last fall, I attended a prep rally during Homecoming week. The gymnasium was packed with energetic, hopeful, and diverse students. Our future. I’m fired up. I love coaching youth football. I always tell the kids that we can win every single game this year because I want the players to believe that they have that potential. I have never seen a cellphone or video game on an athletic field. The stats don’t lie. Kids that are involved in extracurricular activities in school are going to graduate. Janesville is fighting for our kids. Everywhere you look, the message is “we know you’re the future.” The Boys & Girls Club. The Children Museum of Rock County. Long Term Facility Planning for the Janesville School District. Our own Government Relations Council’s focus on child care. This year is big. That’s why I love the focus of our feature articles. These family- owned multigenerational companies know a thing or two about fighting for their future. Each of these companies painstakingly passed down a culture to the next generation, one that teaches them how to build for the future. They know that values matter but they also nurture the ability to do things differently. To not get stuck. They know how to teach respect for the past with an eye towards creating a bright future. It's those same things that I try to teach to our players; the same things we try to teach our children. I don’t know if you can say a place has a culture, but I think our community does. You see it at Forward Janesville events. You see it at our not-for-profit fundraisers. You see it at our churches and schools. You see it at our Farmer’s Market. This community says “Roll up your sleeves. Let’s get to work and have some fun.” We know what’s important. We have some big goals at Forward Janesville this year. And it starts with growing our membership. To get more people like you on our team, cheering for and pulling for Janesville and our area. Don’t stay on the sidelines. There are so many ways that you can make a difference. Great companies and great communities go hand in hand. Let’s Go, Janesville! Don’t Stay On The Sidelines 4 | FORWARD JANESVILLE Derek Greene Chair, Forward Janesville Board . Special thanks to Rock County Historical Society for use of the Carriage House for cover shot by Nicodemas Nimmo.