Skyward Announces Big Expansion Plans After Legislative Victory

The Skyward Company of Stevens Point has announced big expansion plans, following the school software company’s victory in the state legislature.

More than 500 people attended the celebration for Skyward, which almost left the state because of a law that would have kept it from doing business. Skyward CEO Cliff King broke into tears. “I’ve been with this company since 1981. I’ve seen a lot of things happen throughout those years. This is one of the greatest days of my life.”

King announced plans for a new global headquarters. In ten years, he says, the company plans to grow from about 400 workers to more than 1,000. More than 800 of them will work in Stevens Point. “[This is] what we’ve been waiting for. I guess for myself, it finally hit me today what has actually happened.”

The crowd gave a standing ovation to a bipartisan group of lawmakers who got Wisconsin’s single-vendor system repealed and replaced with a multi-vendor system that allowed Skyward to stay in business. Republican Reps. Scot Krug and John Spiros were joined by Democrats Katrina Shankland, Amy Sue Vruwink and Julie Lassa. Lassa called the old single-vendor plan a “state-run monopoly.” “You were able to make government do something that it almost never does, and that was admit that it made a mistake.”

Governor Scott Walker attended the celebration. He could have used his line item veto to keep the single vendor system in place, but chose not to. “It puts them in a position to be making a multi-million dollar investment here in central Wisconsin,” Walker said, “and those are good paying family supporting jobs that will help not only Skyward employees but others here in the state of Wisconsin.”

Skyward plans to break ground in the spring.