New Leaders: Paulette Enders Gets Down to Business

A few flattened cardboard boxes remain propped against a wall, suggesting a recent move, although it has been nine months since Paulette Enders took up residence in the city's planning department as the chief of economic development.

The office is settled with all the necessities and little else. A large U-shaped desk dominates, and a small round four-top conference table is tucked into a corner. A bulletin board above her desk is neatly pegged with strategic planning maps of targeted sections of the city. The corkboard is free of any hodgepodge of sticky notes or tacked up to-do lists.

An artsy clock and three family photos are the only personal touches. The rest is all business, clean and simple, a decor Enders prefers and that reflects her work style.

A self described minimalist, Enders is keenly focused, a no-frills director who recently told the Common Council, "I never see myself as a bureaucrat. I see myself as an advocate for business ... (while) doing what is best for the city."

Her priority since joining the city last June, under a two-year contract that pays $105,000 a year, has been to set up the city's first economic development department, which to date has a staff of one – Enders. The department, however, is far from a solo operation. Enders views herself as a shepherd of sorts, guiding the private sector through the public process to spur and speed economic development.

It is a bit of juggling act, Enders says, to manage a mix of priorities all in play at the same time, to ensure small business interests are not neglected in favor of major development, to balance residents' concerns with those of businesses that are new to the city or that seek to expand.

"It's about relationships," Enders said, "and that's my passion. I like working with people."

Enders' collaborative approach has allowed city staff and community members to embrace her leadership for the city's vision to take a proactive team approach to economic development, according to James Archambo, city administrator.

"It is critically important that all the different departments that touch on a different project are involved and marching to the same drummer," Archambo said. With Enders at the helm, he said, the city is moving to "more of a holistic, tighter team approach" to economic development.

The city began tracking to take a more proactive approach to economic development nearly three years ago, when Ryan Horton/URS Corp. was hired to study the city's existing economic development structure, its vision for economic development, and an action plan to realize that vision. The study revealed a need for the city to move from "maintenance mode" to proactively pursuing economic development.

The city's proactive approach to economic development prompted Enders, former economic development director with Sheboygan, to apply for the job. Enders she was not looking for a job when the position opened in Wauwatosa, but after several people urged her to consider it, Enders did her homework, reviewed the city’s master plan and the economic development study, and tossed her hat into the ring.

"I liked the direction Wauwatosa was headed and the concerted effort by the council, citizens and business to have a focused effort on proactive economic development," Enders said.

She saw an opportunity to take the one-stop shop approach she developed in Sheboygan – where, as economic development director for eight years, she brought together engineering, planning and zoning and, for a while, even tourism -- and apply it to Wauwatosa.

As the nation recovers from recession, she said, "it appears as if there is a light at the end of the tunnel ... and Wauwatosa is smart in positioning itself to be ready" to seize opportunities for business development and job growth within the city.

"Unemployment appears to be decreasing, and people seem to be hopeful, but we have a long way to go," Enders said.

Working in Wauwatosa's favor, Enders says, is an engaged community with residents and business leaders who are passionate about their city and volunteer extensively through neighborhood associations and on city committees.

"I've never seen anything like it,” she said. “It is rare and unusual, and it is not for any personal gain. It is strictly for the betterment of the community. "

Her goal, Enders said, is to balance the various voices and concerns while streamlining processes to make it simple to do business in the city. Accomplishing that goal requires both tenacity and patience, traits Enders says she brings to the table.

Enders' energy and enthusiasm to take economic development to the next level is contained within a low-key demeanor that might seem to run counter to her role as the city’s chief cheerleader, said Ald. Craig Wilson, who was among those who interviewed Enders and who serves on the city’s Economic Development Advisory Commission.

“She is not a bubbly, lip-service person, but she can get the information we have (about doing business in the city) to the right people,” Wilson said.

“It is fair to say (Enders) is a little understated, but that went a long way with the interview committee and the council," Wilson said. "She had a different approach than the others, and we all got comfortable with that and we are not disappointed.”

Indeed, her colleagues at City Hall find Enders is the right fit to ensure Wauwatosa is able to compete for new business that is in the best interest of the city.

“She understands how deals come together and ... is very complementary to existing staff,” said Robert Simi, EDAC chair. “She is – and I don’t use this word too often – unflappable. She is even-keeled, and that is what you need.”

“The expectation clearly is that, as we see more thoughtful development, to one degree or another, than can be attributed to Paulette,“ Simi said. “That is the expectation that is laid out.

"We didn’t create this position for more of the same. We were good. We are taking it to the next level ... and certainly the expectation is that she plays a role in that.”

Although Wauwatosa is a land-locked inner ring suburb, Enders said the city has plenty of room for infill development, like that proposed by the Chicago-based HSA Commercial Real Estate for the , at Highway 45 and West Burleigh Street.

“Infill is the smartest development, rehabbing something that is blighted and abandoned,” Enders said, citing , a high-end 152-apartment housing project now underway at 1234 N. 62nd St., as another example.

Although the Enclave and HSA’s proposed retail complex were in the works prior to Enders joining the city, having Enders in place to shepherd ongoing and future projects will ensure the city is able pursue and facilitate future new economic development needed to generate jobs and boost the city‘s tax base, according to Archambo.

"She needs to be successful and the city needs to be successful,” Archambo said. “And for those two things to occur, our business community needs to be successful."