Cold Storage
Sun Prairie is positioned at the crossroads of Wisconsin’s transportation network, with direct access to Interstates 90, 94, and 39, along with U.S. Highways 151 and 51. This connectivity allows companies to efficiently reach Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Chicago, and the Twin Cities. The 455-acre Sun Prairie Business Park offers land and incentives designed for logistics expansion, while the region’s steady growth in population and food production underscores the need for expanded warehousing and distribution capacity.
The community is especially well-positioned to fill a regional gap in cold storage facilities. Food processors, agricultural distributors, and logistics operators will find a ready-made market here, with unmet demand from both producers and retailers. Sun Prairie’s growing consumer base adds another layer of opportunity, supporting businesses that can efficiently manage the flow of goods from farm and factory to table.
For logistics and distribution companies, Sun Prairie offers a compelling mix of advantages: a strategic location with highway and airport connectivity, shovel-ready sites designed for industrial use, and a strong base of regional customers. Combined with city leadership committed to growth and business partnerships, Sun Prairie stands ready to serve as a central hub for warehousing and logistics in southern Wisconsin.
“All roads lead to Sun Prairie”
a local leader explained, emphasizing the city’s direct highway and airport connections.
Tourism & Hospitality
With its thriving sports culture, popular festivals, and revitalized downtown, Sun Prairie is experiencing hospitality demand that outpaces current supply. Tournaments, concerts, and community events regularly attract thousands of visitors. However, there is shortage of hotels and entertainment venues in the city to accommodate them. Restaurants and retail also have an opportunity to capture visitor spending and strengthen the city’s role as a regional destination.
The city has made significant investments that lay the foundation for continued hospitality growth. Downtown revitalization has created energy and year-round activity, while the community’s expansive park system, modernized library, sports facilities, and cultural venues attract repeat visitors. However, there is a growing need for a larger, flexible event facility that can host corporate meetings, nonprofit gatherings, and professional conferences such as the Wisconsin State Fire Chiefs Association or CIVMIC Annual Meetings. While weddings and private events remain important, market demand is shifting toward business and organizational functions that require adaptable space and full-service amenities.
For investors and developers, Sun Prairie represents a unique convergence of opportunities: a rapidly growing population, a steady inflow of visitors for sports and cultural events, and a downtown ready for complementary development. The city welcomes collaboration with hotel developers, event operators, and entertainment partners to meet growing demand and strengthen its visitor economy.
“The city’s done a nice job of ensuring that there are green spaces all around the city and that parks are accessible”
a community survey response stated, reinforcing Sun Prairie’s quality-of-place appeal.
Healthcare
Located near four major hospitals in Dane County, Sun Prairie is strategically positioned to serve the healthcare industry. Suppliers, specialized manufacturers, and service providers can benefit from proximity to both providers and patients, as well as from the region’s broader healthcare ecosystem. With regional and national growth in healthcare services, Sun Prairie offers a location that combines accessibility with an efficient, reliable workforce.
Sun Prairie offers a productive and committed workforce. These characteristics are especially valuable in precision-driven sectors such as medical device manufacturing, healthcare logistics, and pharmaceutical supply. Sun Prairie also provides the predictability of available industrial sites, competitive operating costs, and strong transportation access, all of which contribute to long-term stability for healthcare-related firms.
For businesses in the healthcare supply chain, Sun Prairie offers a distinctive value proposition: the ability to locate near major care providers, tap into a skilled workforce, and grow within a community committed to innovation and affordability. This combination ensures companies can meet today’s needs while preparing for the future of healthcare delivery and manufacturing.
"It is a desirable place to invest because you know you will have employees who stick with you."
Paul Esser, Former Mayor of Sun Prairie
Construction & Workforce Development
Sun Prairie is one of the fastest-growing communities in Wisconsin, experiencing an 11.43% population increase between 2020 and 2025, according to the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s Demographic Services Center. This steady population growth drives consistent demand for new housing, schools, healthcare facilities, services, and infrastructure. However, construction firms and workforce training services have not kept pace with this expansion.
The community is actively seeking partnerships with construction companies, trade schools, and workforce training providers who can help close the skilled labor gap and deliver projects at the pace of growth. Opportunities exist to expand high school and youth apprenticeship programs, develop technical training in trades such as carpentry, electrical, plumbing, HVAC, and industrial maintenance, and construction associations (such as, Madison Area Builders Association), community colleges, and regional training providers.
For companies and institutions in the construction trades and workforce training sector, Sun Prairie offers a unique mix of advantages. Sustained population growth ensures a constant pipeline of projects, while strong community and school district support creates fertile ground for expanding training programs. The city’s focus on youth apprenticeship provides an early pipeline of skilled talent that can be scaled to meet industry needs. In addition, Sun Prairie’s proximity to Madison and regional community colleges makes it possible to form partnerships, share resources, and strengthen the regional workforce ecosystem. Together, these strengths position Sun Prairie as a place where construction trades and workforce training services can thrive.
“One of our high schools has a state-of-the-art automotive lab and welding lab. And our second high school has other facilities that really promote home construction and computer science. So I think there’s just been a better understanding here that there are a variety of paths, and all of those can lead to really fulfilling and family-sustaining jobs as an adult.”
Nick Reichhoff, Tourism Commissioner & Assistant Superintendent of Operations for Sun Prairie Schools
Ag Tech & Vertical Farming
Sun Prairie blends its agricultural heritage with modern innovation, creating a natural home for ag-tech and vertical farming ventures. Proximity to UW–Madison, research centers, and agricultural innovators provides unparalleled opportunities for collaboration and knowledge transfer. The city also offers industrial parcels and adaptive reuse opportunities that can support innovative facilities, from climate-controlled indoor farms to advanced food production and packaging operations.
Sun Prairie is an ideal testbed for scaling ag-tech enterprises. Between the region’s strong embrace of sustainability and local food systems, and residents who are eager to support new agricultural technologies that reduce environmental impacts, enhance food security, and bring farm-to-market solutions closer to home, Sun Prairie provides an enthusiastic consumer base for research-driven opportunities.
For companies in agricultural technology and vertical farming, Sun Prairie represents both tradition and transformation. A place rooted in farming yet forward-looking in research and innovation, the community offers a supportive market, academic partnerships, and real estate flexibility. Companies locating here will find a receptive audience, a reliable workforce, and the chance to help shape the future of food production in Wisconsin.
“You have to embrace the concept you are going to invest today for a need that is going to be needed tomorrow or five years from now.”
Paul Esser, Former Mayor of Sun Prairie
Available Buildings & Sites
Explore site locations for a variety of housing development options, available sites for commercial development, and properties for sale for redevelopment.
Housing Development
The City of Sun Prairie is committed to Housing for All.
The City of Sun Prairie’s Housing Chapter of the 2019-39 Comprehensive Plan provides information about market findings and housing programs.