Doyle promotes Grow Wisconsin plan Gov. James Doyle holds a news conference during a stop at Lambeau Field Thursday (photo by H. Marc Larson). By Sarah Riley News-Chronicle Gov. Jim Doyle came to the Lambeau Field Atrium Thursday to garner support among local business and political leaders for his new Grow Wisconsin plan. Doyle spoke at Creative Transformation: Strengthening the Economy of Northeast Wisconsin, a networking and brainstorming conference. Economic growth in tough times is something Doyle is tackling through his program, and he said the strength of Northeast Wisconsin is necessary to keep the state economically healthy. "Obviously Green Bay and the Fox Valley is vital to the economic vitality of the state," he said. The area's universities and technical colleges are an important link in the transition to a more skilled workforce, he said. Focusing on high-paying jobs locally will help bring up the economy, he added. Doyle said Wisconsin is experiencing a lot of the same the whole country is experiencing, including high unemployment rates. Northeast Wisconsin has lost hundreds of manufacturing jobs in the last year. Instead of blaming the federal government on the slump, Wisconsin needs to make its own plans to expand business and keep the jobs here. "We can't just sit and say its all their fault," he said. The Grow Wisconsin plan sets aside $50 million, much of it federal money, to train workers and improve skill levels. Doyle said strategic choices will be made where to spend the money and it could be used to entice new businesses here. Addressing the state's tax structure and streamlining regulatory processes without lowering environmental standards is another important step to making Wisconsin friendly to businesses.