Advantages

Room to grow

Kenosha County is home to several highly flexible and rapidly growing business communities, as well as commercial space in the Downtown Kenosha area and beyond.

Many regional and national real estate groups are developing or looking to develop within Kenosha County. Visit our ‘Sites + Properties’ page for a comprehensive listing or contact KABA to help you locate the site that’s right for you.

Few natural disasters

Although no community is immune to tragedy, Kenosha’s location in the heart of the Midwest makes it less likely to experience many of the natural disasters that threaten other parts of the country.

Earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts, forest fires and flash floods are all rare in the Great Lakes region.

Clean & abundant water

Located along the western coast of Lake Michigan, Kenosha County is home to businesses in several water-intensive industries, including food processors and manufacturers, breweries, bottled-water producers and water-equipment manufacturers. The abundance of water in the county keeps utility costs lower than 90 percent of Wisconsin municipalities and highly competitive with the rest of the nation.

Untapped potential

The City of Kenosha alone pumps an average of 12 million gallons of water a day and up to 25 million gallons/day during the peak season. Both averages are well below the city’s daily capacity of 42 million gallons/day and represent a huge opportunity for water-based businesses.

High-speed broadband & award-winning, high power electricity

Despite its more rural, small-town vibe, the county itself is especially well-connected.  In 2013, Kenosha County invested almost $1 million to install the dark fiber infrastructure needed for private Internet providers to offer high speed, broadband services in areas of the county where it was previously not available. Broadband internet of 25+ mbps reaches 98.4% of Kenosha County, while speeds greater than 100 mbps are beginning to be offered to businesses throughout the area.

We Energies is one of the most reliable and well-run electric utilities in the nation and a real asset to businesses in Kenosha County.  It was named the most reliable provider in the nation in 2016 (ReliabilityOne) and nine out of the previous eleven years.  They have strengthened their network in recent years by rebuilding hundreds of miles of lines and upgrading infrastructure within the county, including a new substation scheduled for completion in 2017.

Proximity to all types of air travel

Having international commercial air service available in Chicago and Milwaukee is a real asset to doing business in Kenosha.  Major international airports are just a short drive away:

• General Mitchell International Airport (MKE) – 0:29 mins.
• O’Hare International Airport (ORD) – 0:55 mins.
• Midway International Airport (MDW) –  1:23 mins.

The Kenosha Regional Airport, operated by the City of Kenosha, is a 900+ acre facility that is a designated reliever airport for corporate, freight, and general aviation activity for the Milwaukee/Chicago corridor. The airport traffic is controlled and regulated by Air Traffic Control Tower Staff and is currently home to more than 270 based aircraft, more than any other airport in Wisconsin.  The airfield is configured with 3 runways, the longest of which measures 5,499 feet long by 100 feet wide.

Well connected & updated interstate system

Interstate 94 – one of the busiest interstates in the country – runs directly through Kenosha County. A recent study by the Southeastern Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission (SEWRPC) in 2003 put traffic counts at 85,000 vehicles per day (VPD); projections for traffic counts in 2035 were 127,000 VPD.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation is currently reconstructing the 35-mail stretch of the I-94 that runs from the state line to Milwaukee County – including the entire portion through Kenosha County.  The project, expected to be fully complete in 2033, will improve safety while reducing congestion and modernizing the important transportation artery, including constructing an additional lane in each direction, for a total of eight lanes.

Accessible rail service

Kenosha County offers vacant sites that are dual-served by the Union Pacific Railroad and Canadian Pacific Railway. Transloading services are offered on-site with abundant parking for trailers and cars.

The City of Kenosha has a Metra Commuter Rail station within walking distance of it’s downtown. It is the last stop on the Union- Pacific line, running from Kenosha to downtown Chicago.