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Dunn County economic development staff outline business retention, revolving loan and "Venture Home" plans after denied WEDC grant
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Summary
Adam, the county economic development lead, told the Community Resources and Tourism Committee that a $250,000 grant application to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation was not funded and outlined county-led business retention and financing plans.
Adam, the county economic development lead participating online, told the Community Resources and Tourism Committee that a $250,000 grant application to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) was not funded and described multiple local initiatives aimed at supporting existing businesses.
"I applied back in October for a $250,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation. Unfortunately, we did not receive that grant," Adam said, then detailed next steps including a countywide Business Retention Expansion (BRE) program and a framework for a business walk in the industrial park to gather business feedback.
Adam said the BRE program would be administered by a committee of five partners: Dunn Economic Development, the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Menomonie, Xcel Energy and Dunn Energy Cooperative. He described a simultaneous build-out of a centralized database so BRE visit data from all partners can be pooled for reporting and trend analysis.
The Greater Menomonie Development Corporation is also working on a revolving loan fund intended to be available countywide; Adam said the fund would prioritize projects that include childcare or housing components so loans could be recycled to support additional projects over time. He said that work was spurred by a recent development proposal from Jeremiah Jardine.
Adam reported response to at least one regional request for information (RFI) from a large manufacturer and said Menomonie-area properties previously unavailable to inquiries were now being engaged as potential sites. He encouraged partners to support a county land sale scheduled for action at the full County Board the next day.
On entrepreneurship, Adam said he will launch Venture Home Menomonie next week at Office On Main, a partnership with Wyses Technologies (UW System IP servicer), UW–Stout and a local co‑working space. "That'll be happening next Tuesday ... Starts at 5PM," he said, describing the program as a local hub that connects entrepreneurs to statewide resources.
Supervisor Barrier asked about a "Musky Tank" event mentioned in social media; Adam explained it is a local, public-facing version of an angel-investor networking initiative and a play on the television show "Shark Tank." He said organizers are connected to the Chippewa Valley Angel Investors Network.
Committee discussion touched on coordination with regional entities such as West Central Wisconsin Regional Planning and the Regional Business Fund; Adam said he and partners are exploring options to ensure the new revolving loan fund would complement, not duplicate, existing regional financing programs.
No formal committee votes were taken on these items during the update; Adam asked the committee to promote community participation in the Dunn County comprehensive plan survey and to support upcoming initiatives.
