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Grant helps GCDC expand reach to Green County businesses
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Maybe you're looking for more customers. Maybe you need help finding a suitable building spot so your small business can expand. Or maybe you have a great idea for a business start-up but need some help exploring financing options.

Whatever business worries keep you awake at night, Green County Development Corporation can help with free, confidential assistance for new and existing businesses in Green County.

You may have recently read GCDC received a $40,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation for entrepreneurial development.

In addition to that grant, GCDC will be receiving $20,000 for the grant's required cash match from the William S. Knight Foundation. The William S. Knight Foundation was created by Knight Manufacturing founder Bill Knight as a resource for programs that support self-reliance, free market enterprise and entrepreneurship.

Partner organizations and businesses will provide the remaining $20,000 of in-kind value for the grant.

So what does this mean for Green County?

It means that this year we will be pumping an additional $80,000 into helping Green County businesses!

How can we help your business?

GCDC is working with the Small Business Development Center to boost business growth. SBDC, which offers confidential, no-cost consulting and business education, serves Green County with senior business consultant Brock Waterman and will add a part-time consultant as a result of the funding. SBDC helps small businesses with planning, financing, sales/marketing, new products, new services, new markets, financial management and operations. SBDC experts facilitate improvement and growth for small and emerging mid-size companies and help launch successful new enterprises.

In 2017, Waterman's work with 27 clients in the county led to two new businesses and helped obtain $281,500 in capital investment. Help us double (even triple!) those numbers.

Through this additional focus on business development, GCDC plans to help local businesses create 15 to 20 jobs and assist firms in securing investments of more than $1 million. In addition to the SBDC consulting, GCDC will be developing a county-wide mentorship program and using new space called the Enterprise Center at the Blackhawk Technical College Monroe Campus.

The goal of these programs is to give new businesses a good start, to grow existing businesses and work to ensure all businesses in Green County have a strong, sustainable future.

So what do we ask from you?

If you own a business or know someone who owns a business who may benefit from confidential, one-on-one business assistance, let us know. We want to help businesses put together the pieces they need for faster, better growth. We can help companies evolve with consulting, education, referrals, sophisticated tools and resources. We can also help identify market opportunities so business leaders make informed decisions.

Green County has a vibrant economy, and we know there are many businesses that could be assisted with the additional staffing this partnership will provide. If your business needs assistance, give us a call at GCDC. We would also love to speak to all of the service and business groups in the county to let everyone know more about what we can provide.

Give us a call at 608-328-9452 or email gcdc@tds.net.



- Cara Carper is executive director at Green County Development Corporation. She can be reached at cara.gcdc@tds.net.