From an article by Nick Halter in the Wausau Daily Herald:
Mike Ritzel’s vision of central Wisconsin is one that involves the Wausau area attracting a large manufacturer of solar power systems that creates jobs and sells its products all over the Midwest.
Ritzel’s passion for alternative energy propelled him to start a local chapter of the Pickens Plan, a national organization that was founded in July and aims to gain U.S. independence from foreign oil.
The Pickens Plan was founded by Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens and advocates for increased use of wind, natural gas and other forms of alternative energy.
Through the local chapter, Ritzel, a master electrician who also owns Bullshooters Saloon in Weston, hopes to get legislators to offer tax incentives for alternative energy companies to make central Wisconsin their home.