MADISON, Wis. — This week is National Small Business Week, and Governor Tony Evers is recognizing the small business owners throughout the state who create local jobs and continue to drive our economy.
On Monday, Gov. Evers visited Windsor Breads Bakery & Coffee House in Windsor to celebrate National Small Business Week.
During Gov. Evers’ first term, more than 3,400 small businesses in all 72 counties have benefited from the Main Street Bounceback program — and funding is still available for more small businesses. Based on aid distribution, Gov. Evers has shown up “among the most pro-small business governors” in the country and “the state is in its strongest financial position in more than 50 years.
Gov. Evers is establishing Wisconsin as the small business powerhouse of the Midwest, and because of his common sense leadership, the state has achieved the lowest unemployment rate in state history and a labor force participation rate that is four points higher than the national average.
Main streets and small businesses across Wisconsin are powering our historic economic growth, but don’t just take it from us — here are a few examples:
In Crawford County:
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30 small businesses have received Main Street Bounceback grants in Crawford County. Carol Roth, executive director of Driftless Development, Crawford County’s economic development organization, said “downtown Prairie du Chien has been revitalized, in part, because of the grants and the new businesses that the funds have brought into the area.”
In Mercer:
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In Mercer, Gov. Evers recently visited Aurora Up North and Gunney SunShine’s PX, two small businesses that have filled a previously vacant storefront “famous for its rumors of being a bar once frequented by Al Capone.”
In Racine:
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Gov. Evers’ Main Street Bounceback has helped bring 30 new small businesses to downtown Racine. Kelly Kruse, executive director of Downtown Racine Corp., said that small business owners “can cover rent with that, merchandise, whatever to get their feet on the ground (with) how fragile the first year of a small business can be. And then in addition, it’s filling up our Downtown.”
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Kruse also said that Gov. Evers’ Main Street Bounceback program “will allow our downtown to become more dense and robust with businesses. It’s thrilling to have the dollar amount be significant enough to truly inspire small businesses to open that brick-and-mortar store they always dreamed of.”
In La Crosse:
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Terry Bauer, the executive director of La Crosse’s Downtown Mainstreet, said “the catalyst for this downtown explosion of new entrepreneurship is the Governor’s bounce back program.”
