Photo By Melissa Dubois | Command Sgt. Maj. James Riddle, senior enlisted leader for U.S. Army Garrison-Fort...... read more read more
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The 2026 Monroe County Economic Development and Tourism Conference was held March 30-31 at the Havenwood Center in Sparta, Wis., and included several members of Fort McCoy participating in the event.
Col. Sheyla Baez Ramirez, commander of U.S. Army Garrison-Fort McCoy, and Command Sgt. Maj. James Riddle, the garrison’s senior enlisted leader, attended on March 31 and spoke about Fort McCoy’s economic impact plus visited with a wide variety of community and business leaders not only for Monroe County but also Western Wisconsin.
Fort McCoy Directorate of Family and Morale, Welfare and Recreation (DFMWR) Director Scott Abell also attended May 30 to meet with outdoor recreation leaders of Wisconsin. Fort McCoy, of course, is also known for year-round outdoor recreation opportunities for the public at Pine View Campground and Whitetail Ridge Ski Area.
For years on end, Fort McCoy has had a significant economic impact with the local economies around the installation, particularly in Monroe County, Wis.
One big contribution to that impact is new construction at the post. Construction dollars counted by the Fort McCoy Plans, Analysis, and Integration Office show to be a key factor and contributor to the installation’s annual economic impact each fiscal year.
Fort McCoy’s total economic impact for fiscal year (FY) 2024 was an estimated $1.6 billion, Fort McCoy Garrison officials stated in April 2025, which was up from FY 2023’s total impact of $1.38 billion. That impact is expected to be around the same or higher for FY 2025.
As a matter of fact, since fiscal year (FY) 2019, more than $310 million has been calculated in new construction of buildings and ranges alone, reports show. Over that same time, more than $1.47 billion has also been applied to operating costs that included utilities, physical plant maintenance, repair and improvements, other new construction projects, purchases of supplies and services, and salaries for civilian contract personnel working at Fort McCoy.
Projects at Fort McCoy like the current $27.3 million East Barracks Project, the recently completed $28.08 million South Barracks Project, and the $55.75 million Collective Training Officers Quarters Project, are among those projects adding to the economic impact going into FY 2026. These are among the subjects that Fort McCoy Garrison leaders addressed during the conference.
In an email to attendees of the conference after the event, Adrian Lockington, executive assistant with the Monroe County Administration, expressed thanks for another year’s successful event.
“Thank you for joining us at this year’s annual Economic Development and Tourism Conference and for helping us shine a light on the important opportunities and progress within our county,” Lockington wrote. “Your engagement and participation played a key role in making this event meaningful and productive. We also want to extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to planning, organizing, and executing the conference. Your teamwork and dedication allowed the event to come together smoothly and successfully.
“In addition, we appreciate the many partners, businesses, and representatives who were unable to attend but still offered their support and encouragement,” Lockington wrote. “Their involvement — whether in person or from afar — reinforces that this work is valued across our county, throughout our region, and at the state level. This conference is more than a county event. It reflects a shared commitment from our local and neighboring businesses, community partners, and state representatives who continue to champion economic development and tourism in meaningful ways.”
Fort McCoy’s motto beginning in 2026 is “Training the Total Force and Shaping the Future since 1909.”
The installation’s mission: “Fort McCoy strengthens Total Force Readiness by serving as a training center, Mobilization Force Generation Installation, and Strategic Support Area enabling warfighter lethality to deploy, fight, and win our nation’s wars.”
And Fort McCoy’s vision is, “To be the premier training center supporting the most capable, combat-ready, and lethal armed forces.”
Located in the heart of the upper Midwest, Fort McCoy is the only U.S. Army installation in Wisconsin. The installation has provided support and facilities for the field and classroom training of more than 100,000 military personnel from all services nearly every year since 1984.
Learn more about Fort McCoy online at https://home.army.mil/mccoy, on Facebook by searching “ftmccoy,” on Flickr at https://www.flickr.com/photos/fortmccoywi, and on X (formerly Twitter) by searching “usagmccoy.” Also try downloading the My Army Post app to your smartphone and set “Fort McCoy” or another installation as your preferred base. Fort McCoy is also part of Army’s Installation Management Command where “We Are The Army’s Home.”
| Date Taken: | 03.31.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 04.02.2026 15:54 |
| Story ID: | 561873 |
| Location: | FORT MCCOY, WISCONSIN, US |
| Web Views: | 11 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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