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Carper: Starting and growing businesses
Cara Carper

Are you dreaming of sugar plums? Or perhaps you’re dreaming of the new business you’re going to start in the new year? 

Here at Green County Development Corporation (GCDC), we generally see a big uptick in requests for assistance for new entrepreneurs in December and the early months of a new year. December and January are also great months to take stock of your existing business and make plans for growth in the new year.


We Can Help!

Remember that GCDC provides FREE, confidential business consulting for businesses in Green County. Whether you’re starting something completely new, need a few tweaks to your existing business model, or are even looking for succession planning as you plan to retire, we have resources for you. Contact our local Small Business Development Center (SBDC) business counselors at swwisbdc@uwex.edu.


Funds Available

We also have some exciting news about our Growth Opportunity Fund! As you may recall, the Growth Opportunity Fund is a revolving loan tool used for development and expansion of businesses. In the past, we were only able to fund new businesses, but restrictions have been changed, so now we can fund businesses of any age!

This funding is directed at manufacturers in Green County. Funds can be used for businesses such as: advanced manufacturing, agriculture or food processing, information systems or software, medical devices, biosciences and energy. There is no job creation requirement. Interest rates average around 3 percent. Payments can be deferred for six months.

The Growth Opportunity Fund can provide up to $100,000 as a bridge between the amount the borrower can obtain in the private market and what is needed to start or sustain a business. As businesses pay back their loans with interest, the fund will rebuild itself, constantly turning over to provide additional loans to other businesses. 

More information and an application for the Green County Growth Opportunity Fund is available at https://greencountyedc.com/growth-opportunity-fund/ or contact the GCDC office at (608) 328-9452 or email gcdc@tds.net.

Let’s start and grow more Green County businesses!


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