Mission Statement
Governance
Funding
Operations
Economic Impact
Financial Information

The Wisconsin Center District (WCD) is a government body created under Wisconsin State Statute in 1994 to fund, build and operate the Midwest Express Center (now Frontier Airlines Center) in downtown Milwaukee, and continue operating the existing venues now called the U.S. Cellular Arena and Milwaukee Theatre. Not a unit of state, county or city government, WCD is instead a semi-autonomous municipality called a "district," meaning its leaders are appointed and it can issue bonds and collect taxes within strict limits.

Mission Statement
The mission of the Wisconsin Center District: to maintain, and continuously build, our professional reputation in the convention, entertainment and sporting events industry on all levels, both locally and nationally; to present first class facilities in the twenty-first century; to provide the most effective use of space for our clients by utilizing the collective talents of all Wisconsin Center District employees; and to create and sustain jobs, income, and prosperity in the Greater Milwaukee community.

Governance
WCD is governed by an unpaid, fifteen-member Board of Directors statutorially appointed by the Governor, the Milwaukee County Executive and the Mayor of Milwaukee. The co-chairs of the State Legislature's Joint Finance Committee serve on the board, and two members represent the hotel and restaurant industries, which derive the most benefit from a convention center.

The current Wisconsin Center District Board of Directors consists of:

Franklyn M. Gimbel, Gimbel, Reilly, Guerin & Brown, Chairperson
James C. Kaminski, Kaminski Consultants, Vice Chairperson
Alderman Willie L. Hines, Jr., Milwaukee Common Council President, Secretary
W. Martin Morics, City of Milwaukee Comptroller, Treasurer

Joel Brennan, Discovery World
John J. Burke, Jr., Burke Properties
Mayor Jill Didier, City of Wauwatosa
Alderman Ashanti Hamilton, City of Milwaukee
Stephen H. Marcus, The Marcus Corporation
Michael Morgan, Wisconsin Secretary of Administration
Representative Jon Richards, Wisconsin State Assembly
Senator Jim Sullivan, Wisconsin State Senate
James Villa, Commercial Association of Realtors
Alderman Terry Witkowski, City of Milwaukee
One seat is vacant

Richard A. Geyer, Wisconsin Center District President & CEO

Funding
WCD receives no property tax money or Federal, State or local subsidy. Its operations are funded by operating revenues. Special sales taxes on hotel rooms, on prepared food and drinks sold in restaurants and taverns, and on car rentals repay a $185 million bond issue that funded the Midwest Express Center project, and provide funding to Visit Milwaukee. None of these tax revenues are used to fund WCD operations.

Within the boundaries of Milwaukee County, WCD collects 2% on rooms, 3% on car rentals, and 0.5% on food and beverage sales. It also receives a 7% hotel room tax formerly collected by the City of Milwaukee. Effective January, 2011, the county-wide hotel room tax increases to 2.5%, as requested by affected hoteliers to provide additional funding for Visit Milwaukee.

This financial plan is supported by political and business leaders - in particular, Wisconsin's hotel and restaurant associations - as an investment in economic growth. Among U.S. cities, Milwaukee is rare in that its visitor taxes are used only for visitor-oriented marketing, facilities and services.

Operations
WCD's diverse, skilled staff of about 285 full- and part-time employees markets and maintains the facilities, books and services events, and helps promote and produce them. Visit Milwaukee solicits major convention and tradeshow bookings, and WCD books smaller meetings as well as sports, entertainment and consumer shows. Levy Restaurants, WCD's exclusive food service provider, books banquet, luncheons and receptions.

Most WCD employees are members of such bargaining units as the International Association of Theater & Stage Employees, the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the International Union of Operating Engineers, the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, the International Brotherhood of Painters & Allied Workers, and the Service Employees International Union.

A wide variety of private businesses and entrepreneurs ranging from event planners and decorators to florists and specialty food providers do business in WCD facilities, or deliver products and services to WCD clients.

Economic Impact
WCD exists to support Milwaukee's economy by attracting visitors and wealth to the community. In addition to the economic impact of visitor spending for rooms, meals, transportation and entertainment, WCD and its caterer, Levy Restaurants, help cultivate small and disadvantaged business development through "third-party vendor" contracts for specialty foods and other contracts for everything from construction services to printing. WCD's success in fueling local and regional prosperity is measurable in many ways, including the opening of 1,065 new downtown hotel rooms since 1996. WCD has also helped stimulate community pride and economic development on the downtown, neighborhood and metropolitan levels.

 Financial Information

1999-2000 Annual Report (1.75MB)

2000-01 Annual Report (1.4 MB)

2001-02 Annual Report (1.18 MB)

2002-03 Annual Report (627 KB)

2003-04 Annual Report (768 KB)

2004 Annual Report (1.94 MB)

2005 Annual Report (2.9 MB)

2006 Annual Report (1.8 MB)

2007 Annual Report (2.06 MB)

2008 Annual Report (1.17 MB)

2009 Annual Report (1.5 MB)