Ludeman said mature firms in particular learn to do more with less during a recession - and those are the types of companies that dominate Wisconsin.
"Our economic development polices have not brought the new gazelles, the new technology firms into Wisconsin," he said. "We've more relied on our older firms, and they're not going to give us the same bounce-back."
Walker is talking about changing that. Along with adding 250,000 new jobs, he has said he will develop strategies for creating 10,000 new businesses by 2015.
That, however, could be even harder than increasing the jobs.
According to Census Bureau surveys, from 2002 through 2007 - five years of an expanding economy - Wisconsin added about 3,100 business establishments with employees. That amounted to growth of 2.3%.
The growth for the United States as a whole during that period: 25.9%.
This is from a JS article on Walker's promise to deliver 250,000 new jobs, but this portion is really more about Jim Doyle's tenure than the outlook for Walker's.
Ludeman is a retired labor economist for the state.
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