Two Green Bay area groups get $1.3 million to support women, minority and veteran entrepreneurs
Jeff Bollier
GREEN BAY - Regina Rudoi wants more women and diverse business owners to have the same opportunity NEWCAP provided her commercial cleaning business, Pro Touch Commercial.
Rudoi, a native of Moldova, said she didn't have the social capital to promote and market Pro Touch, her home-based business. Michelle Madl, at NEWCAP, helped Rudoi secure a grant to establish a website, create an online presence, and print brochures and business cards. The support helped Pro Touch land contracts and expand its staff, business she never would have secured without one-on-one support.
"Thank you for this opportunity for creating access for businesses like mine to be able to be heard, to have a voice and to establish a fair start for competition in the local community," Rudoi said Wednesday.
Women, minority and veteran entrepreneurs will see more of this sort of one-on-one engagement after the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. presented On Broadway Inc. and NEWCAP with more than $1.3 million in Diverse Business Assistance Grants. WEDC Secretary Missy Hughes announced the awards — $985,000 for On Broadway and $331,000 for NEWCAP — on Wednesday in the Broadway District.
Both organizations plan to use the money to more actively engage minority, women and veteran business owners who often encounter additional barriers when it comes to financing, training, support and getting started.
The region's minority population is growing
The grants also come at a time when Black, Asian, Hispanic and Indigenous populations are growing in Green Bay and northeast Wisconsin. The 2020 U.S. census reported the minority population in Brown, Outagamie and Winnebago counties increased 60% since 2010, while the white population grew just 3%. People of color now make up 36% of Green Bay residents.
The grants will complement additional resources and staff the city and Greater Green Bay Chamber of Commerce have invested in diverse business development, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich said.
"We want to really lift up underprivileged and disadvantaged entrepreneurs and business owners to create that ladder of opportunity for people interested in building a better lives for themselves, their families and their communities," Genrich said.
The $1.3 million in funds coming to NEWCAP and On Broadway is part of a second, $15.7 million round of Diverse Business Assistance Grant awards this year. WEDC has now awarded more than $100 million to diverse businesses and business organizations that support minority, women and veteran entrepreneurs.
"This investment will open doors for startups and small businesses," Hughes said. "It's just really exciting to see another opportunity to invest in Green Bay's future. These investments will help so many different opportunities come to life."
On Broadway will use its grant to hire two people to engage, mentor and support entrepreneurs of color, women and veterans as they start businesses, Executive Director Brian Johnson said.
Grants help businesses take next step
The grant will also enable On Broadway to offer microgrants to help growing businesses make the jump from food truck to restaurant or home business to downtown retailer. The grants should help ensure equitable access to spaces in new developments coming like the Green Bay Public Market and the Shipyard Redevelopment Area.
It's the sort of support and encouragement Cole Ductan, of Bay Area Burger Co., said helped him make the leap from a food truck business to leasing space on Broadway. Bay Area Burger is still working on renovations, but expects to open at 126 S. Broadway, this year.
"I couldn't do that without the grants I received, the guidance from the Broadway District," Ductan said, adding that he tapped city facade improvement grants, too. "All the businesses popping up, the new business owners, the family-owned businesses that the city has taken on is incredible."
NEWCAP will use its grant to hire two people who will help teach individual business owners whatever skills they need to run their business, whether it's how to create a business plan or navigating permits or bookkeeping. The grant will also help NEWCAP offer business support services to seven Native American communities in NEWCAP's service area.
"Knowing who can help and where to reach out is key (for business owners)," Madl said. "There are so many more opportunities that will come through because of these dollars."
Contact Jeff Bollier at (920) 431-8387 or jbollier@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JeffBollier.