MONROE - A grant to help bolster entrepreneurial growth in the region and invest in area businesses was awarded to the Green County Development Corporation on Tuesday in an announcement made by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation at Blackhawk Technical College.
WEDC designated 11 grants throughout the state to be used to help startups and provide services to entrepreneurs. GCDC Executive Director Cara Carper applied for the grant, securing $40,000 for the county out of the $500,000 pool to be distributed throughout the state. She described the plan as "an exciting opportunity."
"Our goal is to really give businesses a good start, to grow existing businesses and to work to ensure all businesses in Green County have a strong, sustainable future," Carper said. "We've got a lot of great business leaders in this county, and this is an opportunity to bring them together to help new businesses or newer businesses."
During an event Tuesday to announce the grant, the partnership of GCDC and Blackhawk Technical College in Monroe was also highlighted. An agreement signed between GCDC and Blackhawk on Thursday renamed a northern wing of the campus the Enterprise Center for use by the development corporation in a number of ways, from hosting multi-room seminars to a small-scale event, providing face-to-face business counseling services and establishing a mentor program to provide localized advice to small businesses.
Carper noted the partnership will help provide services to train students to cater to workforce needs.
Richard Thoman, who serves on both the Green County Board of Supervisors and Monroe Common Council, frequently talks to area business owners. As one himself, Thoman said a variety of industries are in search of good workers, adding that he is encouraged by an investment in the area's entrepreneurial efforts. Thoman owns Monroe's AmericInn.
"It sounds promising to me, I think it's great," Thoman said. "It's obviously good because we want to grow Green County. If Green County grows, it helps all the businesspeople here."
Aaron Hagar, vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation for WEDC, said the grant program was organized after it was determined the criteria in place before were not helping entrepreneurs because descriptions of businesses to receive funds were "narrowly defined."
"We realized a couple of years ago that there were opportunities across the state that didn't fit into those narrow buckets," Hagar said. "We came up with an idea; what if we just threw our doors open and said, 'show us your best ideas'?"
GCDC will contribute $40,000 to the project with $20,000 in cash and the other half via in-kind funds. The department anticipates working with roughly 30 entrepreneurs and other companies this year to create up to 20 jobs in the area. There is also an estimated investment of more than $1 million to client companies within the county.
A recently completed Green County Entrepreneurship Development Plan was implemented to identify the feasibility of a Green County Innovation Center over about eight months in 2017. The study sought input of business leaders, owners and partners. Carper said findings indicated virtually all business owners within the county were unaware of business development services available to them.
"Most people, I would say 99 percent of people, do not know there are business resources here in Green County they can access," Carper said. "People can come to us and we can help them."
Carper credited Brock Waterman, the Green County-based consultant for the Small Business Development Center. SBDC's Neil Lerner, associate director of strategic operations, said the group plans to place an employee within the county to provide services like counseling and mentorship programs. He said growth has always been a goal since the organization began nearly 40 years ago.
"We've already helped businesses get started in Green County, and we want to help more businesses get started in Green County and contribute to your local economy," Lerner said. "First, you need to have a good program but then you need to get the word out, and with a champion like Cara I know we will be able to do that. Next, you need to have the services."
Thoman echoed Carper's assessment that people likely do not know of the free programs available to help. He said when he started, he only became aware of similar options because he was informed, not because he thought to seek them out.
"I grew up on a farm, I didn't know all of these resources were out there," Thoman said. "Somebody approached us, we didn't know to go approach them."
Carper noted that GCDC will have assistance from a number of groups, including Southwest Community Action Program, Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, UW-Whitewater, Prosperity Southwest, the Madison Region Economic Partnership and a variety of local business contributors.
WEDC designated 11 grants throughout the state to be used to help startups and provide services to entrepreneurs. GCDC Executive Director Cara Carper applied for the grant, securing $40,000 for the county out of the $500,000 pool to be distributed throughout the state. She described the plan as "an exciting opportunity."
"Our goal is to really give businesses a good start, to grow existing businesses and to work to ensure all businesses in Green County have a strong, sustainable future," Carper said. "We've got a lot of great business leaders in this county, and this is an opportunity to bring them together to help new businesses or newer businesses."
During an event Tuesday to announce the grant, the partnership of GCDC and Blackhawk Technical College in Monroe was also highlighted. An agreement signed between GCDC and Blackhawk on Thursday renamed a northern wing of the campus the Enterprise Center for use by the development corporation in a number of ways, from hosting multi-room seminars to a small-scale event, providing face-to-face business counseling services and establishing a mentor program to provide localized advice to small businesses.
Carper noted the partnership will help provide services to train students to cater to workforce needs.
Richard Thoman, who serves on both the Green County Board of Supervisors and Monroe Common Council, frequently talks to area business owners. As one himself, Thoman said a variety of industries are in search of good workers, adding that he is encouraged by an investment in the area's entrepreneurial efforts. Thoman owns Monroe's AmericInn.
"It sounds promising to me, I think it's great," Thoman said. "It's obviously good because we want to grow Green County. If Green County grows, it helps all the businesspeople here."
Aaron Hagar, vice president of entrepreneurship and innovation for WEDC, said the grant program was organized after it was determined the criteria in place before were not helping entrepreneurs because descriptions of businesses to receive funds were "narrowly defined."
"We realized a couple of years ago that there were opportunities across the state that didn't fit into those narrow buckets," Hagar said. "We came up with an idea; what if we just threw our doors open and said, 'show us your best ideas'?"
GCDC will contribute $40,000 to the project with $20,000 in cash and the other half via in-kind funds. The department anticipates working with roughly 30 entrepreneurs and other companies this year to create up to 20 jobs in the area. There is also an estimated investment of more than $1 million to client companies within the county.
A recently completed Green County Entrepreneurship Development Plan was implemented to identify the feasibility of a Green County Innovation Center over about eight months in 2017. The study sought input of business leaders, owners and partners. Carper said findings indicated virtually all business owners within the county were unaware of business development services available to them.
"Most people, I would say 99 percent of people, do not know there are business resources here in Green County they can access," Carper said. "People can come to us and we can help them."
Carper credited Brock Waterman, the Green County-based consultant for the Small Business Development Center. SBDC's Neil Lerner, associate director of strategic operations, said the group plans to place an employee within the county to provide services like counseling and mentorship programs. He said growth has always been a goal since the organization began nearly 40 years ago.
"We've already helped businesses get started in Green County, and we want to help more businesses get started in Green County and contribute to your local economy," Lerner said. "First, you need to have a good program but then you need to get the word out, and with a champion like Cara I know we will be able to do that. Next, you need to have the services."
Thoman echoed Carper's assessment that people likely do not know of the free programs available to help. He said when he started, he only became aware of similar options because he was informed, not because he thought to seek them out.
"I grew up on a farm, I didn't know all of these resources were out there," Thoman said. "Somebody approached us, we didn't know to go approach them."
Carper noted that GCDC will have assistance from a number of groups, including Southwest Community Action Program, Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative, the University of Wisconsin-Platteville, UW-Whitewater, Prosperity Southwest, the Madison Region Economic Partnership and a variety of local business contributors.