WAUKESHA - A few months ago, Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas was contacted by an out-of-state business leader with an interest in relocating his operations to Waukesha County.

 As the two men talked, it became apparent that a website was needed soon where industry, job seekers, financial and educational resources are listed in a one-stop shop for Waukesha County economic development, Vrakas has said.

County Board Chairman Paul Decker on Monday unveiled a website prototype that aims to eliminate the informational void. Although it’s weeks away from launching, the site will be called GrowingWaukeshaCounty.org.

Decker explained to the County Board Executive Committee that GrowingWaukesha will be an aggregate of business-related data. GrowingWaukesha originated from a business and education summit held in October 2012, in which attendants agreed that Waukesha County business information was scattered and jumbled across the web, he said.   

 GrowingWaukesha will present relevant business information on a single platform, rather than conduct fruitless and lengthy Internet searches of multiple websites that may or may not provide needed information, Decker said.

“We’re living in a global economy and industries search the web for opportunities,” Decker said.

The county has hurdles it must clear to attract business here, and “access to information should not be one of them,” Decker said.

Vrakas was not available for immediate comment, but his chief of staff Shawn Lundie said: “If the county can provide useful data or other resources to businesses to help them be successful, he thinks we should do it.”

A key contributor to the site will be the Workforce Development Center of Waukesha, Ozaukee and Washington Counties.

Francisco Sanchez, president of Workforce, said his job placement agency will submit job opportunities to GrowingWaukesha.

“There’s no one website where an employer can go and find what they need,” Sanchez said. “This site will do that.”

Decker said the Waukesha County Economic Development Corporation contributed $15,000 and Waukesha County contributed another $15,000 toward site development and maintenance.

“Businesses look for sites with information on local financing, business expansion, grants, population, education, workforce (availability) and workforce training,” Decker said. “They want all of that information on a single platform.

“When they inquire about moving here, they (business executives) call me or they call Dan (Vrakas),” Decker said. “Now, it’s done piecemeal. This puts it all together and will make us much more approachable than other regions.”