Milwaukee Biz Blog: 13 Foxconn questions to focus on beyond the price tag

As we reach the end of 2017, the price tag on the public investment in Foxconn has received renewed attention from local and national media. It’s not unreasonable for the public to question how $4.5 billion is going to be spent on something that could remake the identity of southeastern Wisconsin....

...Local business headlines during the second half of 2017 has been dominated by Foxconn and the state and local incentives the company is being offered. Moving into 2018, there are plenty of open questions about the project that go beyond just the price tag. Here are 13 of them, one for every 1,000 jobs Foxconn says it will create:

1. Will the project actually move forward?

2. Just how big will the plant actually be?

3. If things go south, what will happen with Foxconn’s guarantees?

4. Will Foxconn be able to find enough workers and will other Wisconsin companies be able to as well?

5. Will the under and unemployed residents of Milwaukee, Racine and Kenosha be able to tap into the new opportunities created by Foxconn or will new arrivals from other states crowd them out?

6. How will Foxconn change the character of the I-94 corridor?

7. When will the speed of the Foxconn project catch up with it?

8. Which suppliers will follow Foxconn to Wisconsin and which local companies will find a way into the Foxconn supply chain?

9. Will Foxconn’s vision of the 8K+5G ecosystem come true?

10. What will Foxconn’s environmental impact be?

11. Just how much water will Foxconn divert from Lake Michigan?

12. Will WEDC be able to credibly verify Foxconn’s investment and job totals?

13. What role will politics play in Foxconn’s success and what role will Foxconn play in the success of political candidates?

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Ken Notes: A MUST READ, my friends at BizTimes ask and answer some very tough questions...