Jeff Bollier

Jeff Bollier covers how real estate, business development and the regional economy meet on the ground, focusing on the projects, property owners and cost pressures that change what people pay and how their communities look. His reporting at the Green Bay Press-Gazette concentrates on new housing, major landholders, public works and corporate decisions, treated as practical stories about money, access and long-term impact rather than standalone business announcements.

Housing supply, property owners and affordability

Bollier’s most distinctive work follows housing projects and who controls key real estate, tying construction plans and ownership patterns to affordability and neighborhood change. He covers new housing developments among the ten largest property owners, using assessed values and rankings to show how large holdings shape the city’s tax base and development options.

In his coverage of a planned Metro Fire headquarters combined with 85 affordable apartments and community facilities, he treats the project as both public safety infrastructure and a major addition to the local housing stock, explaining timelines and what the site is expected to deliver. He has worked on in‑depth pieces about why it is difficult to buy an affordable home in northeast Wisconsin and how a lack of affordable housing crimps lives and the regional economy, drawing clear lines between household budgets, employer needs and policy responses. He also reports on guides and “cookbooks” meant to spur affordable housing development, highlighting how local organizations attempt to translate best practices into actual projects.

The luxury apartment building opening and early leasing milestone article fits this pattern: he treats high-end projects as part of the wider story of supply, demand and who is being served.

Infrastructure, utilities and public projects

Bollier frequently reports on infrastructure and utility decisions that carry direct financial consequences for residents and businesses. His coverage of a proposed 132% water rate increase in Pulaski centers on residents’ testimony about the dire impacts of higher bills, while explaining that the hike is meant to pay for a multi-million-dollar project to secure Lake Michigan water through regional systems.

In stories about new trail segments linking communities along the Fox River, he connects recreational and transport infrastructure to economic development, access and quality of life, not just amenities. The Metro Fire headquarters and housing site story is framed as a major re-use of an industrial property, showing how one project can deliver emergency services, homes and community facilities while reshaping a corridor.

Across these pieces he stresses funding structures, regulatory steps and the way large public or quasi-public investments ripple through property values, tax bills and local planning.

Business climate, employers and consumer trends

Beyond bricks and mortar, Bollier follows the business climate and how employers and consumers respond to broader economic forces.

He reports on Green Bay-area consumers being added to federal Consumer Price Index data collection, explaining what the survey means for understanding local inflation and how price changes are measured. His coverage of Schreiber Foods naming a new president ahead of a CEO’s retirement focuses on leadership succession at a major employer, situating the move within the company’s long tenure and role in the regional economy.

In a piece on six firms vying for a “Coolest Thing” crown, he uses a lighthearted competition to show the range of manufacturing and food businesses that help define the area’s identity and jobs base. Earlier in his career he launched the Streetwise business column and has long covered new store openings and corporate bankruptcies that affect whole communities, a through-line that continues in his current reporting on expansions, closures and growth stories. Taken together, these pieces show a reporter who treats company news, price data and business contests as windows into how people work, spend and invest locally.

Sports venues, culture and community impact

Bollier’s beat also extends into sports and culture when stadiums, teams and events function as economic engines and real estate drivers. He reports on stadium district actions that pave the way for a special event at Lambeau Field, explaining how governing bodies set the stage for large-scale events and what those decisions mean for hotels, vendors and nearby properties.

In coverage of a Wisconsin Badgers hockey doubleheader coming to Lambeau, he looks at how a marquee college event is folded into the stadium’s broader calendar and the implications for attendance and local business. His article on Packers Nike Rivalries uniforms treats branding and design changes as part of the team’s commercial strategy, noting their planned use in a high-profile game and the fan-facing side of the franchise’s business. Bollier has also coauthored work on Wisconsin LGBTQ+ history, showing how periods of growing acceptance can trigger backlash, and linking social climate to institutions and public life.

These stories underline his tendency to treat sports, cultural history and identity not as separate from his business and development beat, but as integral forces that shape where investment flows and how communities see themselves.

Across two decades on the business and development beat, including work at regional dailies and the long-running Streetwise column, Bollier has built a record of explaining complex projects and economic shifts in straightforward terms. His reporting is distinguished by the way he moves from individual projects - housing sites, trail segments, rate cases, leadership changes - to the broader patterns of ownership, affordability and economic opportunity that communications professionals and stakeholders need to understand.