Wisconsin small businesses are the heart of our communities and the state’s economy. When small businesses grow, everyone in Wisconsin benefits.
When Wisconsin businesses were hit by the pandemic, Gov. Evers knew we had to do the right thing and support their recovery. Our entrepreneurs are innovative and resilient, and with the right support from the state, they could overcome these challenges to not only survive, but thrive.
Today, the success of our small business programs can be seen across Wisconsin, like Keri’s business in Plymouth:
Small Business makes the economy move and the Governor gets it. Look with all the ugliness in politics today, it's good to see someone like Tony Evers who's doing the right thing.— KeriSmall Business Owner
Here are some of the ways Gov. Evers has been delivering for small businesses across the state.
Starting in the summer of 2020, our “We’re All In” grant program invested in Wisconsin small businesses to help them get back on their feet by rehiring or retaining workers, keeping the lights on, or stocking their shelves. Wisconsin also took steps to help the restaurant and lodging industry recover stronger than before. These investments alone directed over 125,000 grants to Wisconsin small businesses.
But for our communities to grow, we also need to revitalize Main Street and help entrepreneurs open up new storefronts. That’s exactly what Gov. Evers’ Main Street Bounceback grant program has done all across Wisconsin. This program has delivered grants to over 4,200 small businesses who have opened or expanded new brick and mortar locations in downtown areas across the state—not only creating new jobs, but revitalizing downtown areas and priming economic growth for surrounding small businesses.
Wisconsin has prioritized small business recovery. In fact, as a share of the federal aid our state has received, Wisconsin ranked second in the country for aid directed to economic development, and we ranked first in the country in aid we’ve allocated to businesses.
