NEW GLARUS — On Oct. 26, Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfeld toured Main Street businesses with Department of Tourism Secretary-designee Anne Sayers, New Glarus Village President Roger Truttmann, and Bekah Stauffacher from the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce as part of a visit to highlight state investments. Governor Tony Evers made a $7 million investment in Green County businesses as part of a $25 million for county-wide pandemic relief efforts, with New Glarus businesses receiving over $861,000 for small business support.
The Secretary-designees, New Glarus Village president, New Glarus Chamber of Commerce executive director and local stakeholders, met with business owners from Rusty Raven, Chalet Cheese Haus, and Earthship Treasures, each of which received a $10,000 Main Street Bounceback grant. The Department of Natural Resources manager for the Sugar River State Trail joined the local tour to highlight the importance of the trail in bringing visitors to New Glarus businesses.
“It’s a great day for a community when a new business opens its doors, and the Main Street Bounceback grants from Governor Evers have made it possible for thousands of business owners to turn their dreams into reality, including right here in New Glarus,” said DOA Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfeld. “Thanks to these critical business investments, we’re seeing vitality, ingenuity, and recovery as our communities continue to bounce back.”
“Spending time in our Main Street businesses is a reminder that tourism is both big fun and big business in Wisconsin,” Tourism Secretary-designee Anne Sayers. “The thoughtful investment of recovery funds by Governor Evers has helped many tourism businesses bounce back, while helping travelers make memories exploring our vibrant Main Streets.”
Governor Evers made more than $1 billion in investments statewide in support of small businesses. The Main Street Bounceback grant program was announced in the spring of 2021 with the first grants made in August 2021, to help small businesses and communities grow by populating vacant storefronts with new businesses and nonprofits. The Governor recently announced the state will provide an additional $25 million investment into the program, for a total investment of $100 million to help over 6,500 entrepreneurs across the state open new businesses or expand their existing operations.
“The Mainstreet Bounceback and We’re All In grants have been hugely important in keeping small town downtowns like ours healthy during the uncertainty of the last two years,” said Bekah Stauffacher, executive director for the New Glarus Chamber of Commerce. “Giving small business owners a boost makes it easier for them to achieve long-term sustainability — it’s not only good for the businesses, but good for the community.”
Visit BadgerBounceback.wi.gov to view pandemic-related assistance information as well as the latest data and success stories about how COVID-relief investments are making a difference across the state. For updates on other recovery-related grant opportunities, sign up for the Badger Bounceback update list at https://bit.ly/3DdlWAn.