New MadREP CEO Jason Fields is ready to grow the region’s economy, pandemic or not

When Jason Fields became president and CEO of the Madison Region Economic Partnership this January, he took on the challenge of growing the region’s economy in a year like no other.

He’s only the second person to fill the role at the economic development agency, often referred to as MadREP, which serves Columbia, Dane, Dodge, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Rock, and Sauk counties.

Fields comes to the job from the state Legislature, where he served six terms in the Assembly representing Milwaukee. Outside of government, he’s spent his career in various forms of finance, managing more than $100 million in assets, founding a nonprofit that teaches financial and business literacy (The Financial Promise Foundation, Inc.) and a venture capital fund that invests in underrepresented business founders (Dark Knight Capital Ventures)...
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Ken Notes: Great Interview! We need to develop housing for our service and retail workers that they can afford (and I am not talking about government subsidized housing). We may need to remind every one in the region that if they want great restaurants, hotels, grocery and retail establishments they need to welcome the employees from these establishments into their neighborhoods and communities.

We want to talk about diversity and inclusion in Madison but God forbid we allow a 1,200 sq ft home or low cost apartments anywhere near our McMansion sub-developments, $2,500 apartments, and 400K condos.