New KABA President Nicole Ryf discusses future developments

New Kenosha Area Business Alliance President Nicole Ryf is excited for Kenosha’s future.

She recently sat down with the Kenosha News to talk of her background, returning to Wisconsin and plans for the organization going forward.

Ryf grew up in in the Greater Milwaukee area, attending college at UW-Madison and UW-Milwaukee. She would work in Wisconsin for several years with UW-Extension in Ozaukee County and in Evansville as a community development director.

Later, she moved with her husband to Austin, Texas, making her way up through the governor’s office over six years, ultimately running economic development. After Texas came Norfolk, Virginia, where she was recruited by a regional development group just as the pandemic started.

“It was an interesting time,” Ryf said.

Through her various positions, she’s traveled around the globe and worked with some of the largest companies in the world. She would ultimately return to Wisconsin to work in an economic development group in Waukesha, where she had planned to stay until she received the call from KABA.

The position was her “dream job,” she said. Even in Texas, Ryf said KABA had been on her radar.

“It’s an organization that has been very strategic in how its grown and how its engaged in economic development,” Ryf said. “We have over $52 million here in assets between a real estate portfolio and then loan programs that we’re able to deploy for businesses.”

She highlighted the organization’s relationship with the county and its high impact fund, what she described as a “deal-closing fund,” a tool that Ryf said helps attract businesses and prove the county’s commitment.

Ryf said KABA works with mid- to large-scale companies, helping attract new businesses and expand existing ones. She noted Uline, which she said KABA helped bring to Kenosha County in the early 2000s, has since expanded its footprint drastically.

There was plenty of work for KABA in Kenosha, Ryf said.

“The level of growth here is unprecedented,” Ryf said. “That’s not slowing down too much at this point. We have 5 million square feet under construction right now across the county and another 16 million planned, all industrial development.”

KABA also works to foster the Kenosha area workforce, partnering with employers and schools to provide resources to train existing employees and create a pipeline of new talent.

There area also KABA’s loan and finance programs, providing financial support to businesses for projects, and its member engagement programs, hosting events for leadership development.

Previous KABA President Todd Battle had held the position since 2004. Ryf said she hopes to build off his success in industrial development while also looking into other development areas Kenosha needs, such as housing and childcare.

She plans to initiate a strategic planning process. She said the analysis, last held in 2009, will help KABA determine what initiatives it should advance in the future.

“We’re not going to be the organization that deals with every single challenge,” Ryf said. “We’re focused on what’s going to help our business community, what’s going to help people here have better access to jobs and attract people to want to work with our employers.”

She expected the process to begin in the next few months.

For now, Ryf said her focus has been working to understand Kenosha before she begins making any major changes.

“I’m really just trying to understand the community,” Ryf said. “I’m spending a lot of these first couple months meeting with board members, with business leaders, nonprofits, and municipal leaders.”

Earlier this year, Mayor John Antaramian unveiled an extensive development plan for Downtown Kenosha, including new business spaces, a hotel and residential areas.

Ryf said KABA was in support of such developments

“It’s important to our business community and to people living in Kenosha County that Downtown continues to thrive and grow,” Ryf said. “We’ll do everything we can to support it, and I think our business community is interested in that too.”

As Kenosha continues to grow, Ryf said KABA is working in the community as well as in economic development, such as with the upcoming Lakeview Technical Academy in the Kenosha Innovation Neighborhood and the Uptown Lofts on 22nd Avenue.

“That’s really exciting,” Ryf said. “Getting more into some of the community development side of things, I see a lot of opportunity for that.”