The Buzz from WCEDA - upcoming networking events you won't want to miss and much more... |
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WCEDA is your source for all things business - workforce, expansions, location resources, financial connections, legislative advocacy, career awareness with youth, networking events, and initiatives to address county-wide issues like housing. |
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In this email... Upcoming Events l Membership News Workforce News l County Developments Economic Indicators l Other News
Valuable Resources |
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A few words from WCEDA's Executive Director, Derek D'Auria ... |
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| WCEDA's Annual Golf Outing Fundraiser for Kareers4Kids
Thursday, September 11, 2025 Lake Lawn Resort, Majestic Oaks Golf Course |
Tee up for a great cause at our Annual Corporate Golf Outing, supporting the Kareers4Kids program! This fun-filled day of golf helps fund the facilitation of career-based learning opportunities for local students—giving them hands-on experiences that connect the classroom to the workplace and build essential skills for future success. + Plus...This may also be your last chance to play 18 holes at the iconic Majestic Oaks Golf Course before part of it is redeveloped—don’t miss it! Register your foursome today and become a sponsor to show your support for youth career exploration in our county! |
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| Local Resources & Strategies for Business Success
Tuesday, September 16, 2025 • 8-9:30am Whitewater Community Engagement Center
1260 W Main St
Whitewater, WI 53190 |
Join us for a fast-paced morning of insights, resources, and real conversations to help your business grow. We’ve packed this 90-minute event with value: Quick-hit panels & real advice from professionals A spotlight on tapping into youth to grow your talent pipeline Small group roundtables to connect and share what’s working Lightning Resource Panel
Get to know key organizations offering free and low-cost support to local businesses. Panelists will share their top tools and insights.
Workforce Development Spotlight
Hear a quick highlight from a local school leader on how businesses are tapping into youth talent — and why it’s a smart strategy for future hiring.
Consultant Power Panel: What Business Owners Need to Know
A panel of experts will share fast, practical advice based on what they see every day.
Small Group Roundtable
Choose your table and dive deeper. Each table will be hosted by a speaker or resource expert
Whether you’re a business owner, lender, advisor, or just someone who cares about building a strong local business ecosystem — this one’s for you. |
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Here's your chance to win $5,000! Pitch Perfect, Empowering Regional Startups
November 12, 2025 Have a Good Idea for a Business? It might be worth $5,000! Perfect Pitch is a business idea competition that will be held on November 12 in Kenosha. In addition to cash prizes, it's a good opportunity to connect with potential investors. Anyone who wants to put together a pitch for their idea is welcome to tryout.
**The guidelines for this year have not yet been published; however, they will be similar to the last event, held in 2022. Click here for those details. Key Deadlines -
Applications Due: DEADLINE EXTENDED! September 17, 2025 by 11:59 pm
- Finalists Notified: October 1, 2025
- Finalist Workshop: October 13-17, 2025, at Kenosha Innovation Center (KIC)
- Pitch Practice Session: November 12, 2025, from 1 PM to 3 PM
- Pitch Perfect Event: November 12, 2025, at 4 PM
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| Attention businesses!
Get out your schedules because it's time to get some Career-Based Learning Experiences on the calendar! All summer long, WCEDA will be looking to meet with member businesses to come up with some dates for the 2025-2026 school year. We've met with the schools, and we all agree that by getting events on the calendar in the summer, schools will easily be able to sign up when they are back in session in September. Here are some ideas for experiences you might want to consider offering.
Look for an email or call from Leslie Gostomski or Lisa Pavett, or schedule a meeting at your convenience here.
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| MIWC After Hours scheduled for Tuesday, August 26!
Gordy's Cobalt Lounge 4-5:30pm
Are you a WCEDA Made In Walworth County Manufacturing Group member? If so, join us on Tuesday, August 26 at Gordy's Cobalt Lounge for our next After Hours networking event! You should have received an email and a calendar invite. If you did not, reach out to lisa@walworthbusiness.com. See you soon!
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| Whitewater High School needs your help! Thursday, August 21 Whitewater High School 4-6:45pm
Review. Advise. Transform Our Tech Ed Spaces. You're invited to join us for three informative sessions where we’ll explore initial renovation and expansion blueprints, as well as construction plans. Each session will highlight a different area of our Technology Education program.
During this event, we’ll be gathering input on proposed Technology Education renovation and expansion plans. Click on the flyer to enlarge. |
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Successful Custom Course! |
| Successful Custom Course! |
| In-Progress (Module III) Custom Course! |
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Spanish for Business
Managing a team with Spanish-speaking employees can be challenging when communication is limited. Misunderstandings can lead to safety risks, lost productivity, and decreased morale on both sides. Our Spanish for Business training helps your team develop practical workplace Spanish to give instructions clearly, improve teamwork, and ensure a smooth, efficient work environment.
Classes are tailored to individuals who interact with Spanish-speaking customers, clients and coworkers. This program was created based on a growing Spanish speaking population in our communities and the need of many local businesses struggling with language barriers that impact customer service, workplace efficiency and overall communication. |
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Option 1: New/Entry-level speakers, phased learning General Spanish knowledge – meant for beginners This option is delivered through three modules for a total of 45 hours of training. While some industry/company content will be implemented into sessions, the phased learning option is not considered fully custom. |
| Option 2: Condensed, custom course for advanced beginners and intermediate level speakers This is a fully custom course consisting of 12, 90-minute sessions (18 hours of training) that is oriented to advanced beginner/intermediate Spanish speakers. |
| Option 3: Comprehensive Spanish Training: Beginner ---> Advanced Over the course of 90 instructional hours, this program equips your workforce with essential communication skills through progressive training in listening, speaking, reading, and writing delivered online and leveraging online learning resources. |
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Entry- to Mid-Level Leadership Training | |
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Don't miss out on WCEDA's Fall Leadership Course! 48 Hours of Training! |
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Fundamentals of Leadership
FKA Fundamentals of Supervision
Our Fundamentals of Leadership course is designed as a comprehensive four-part series (48 total hours) that builds essential leadership skills through progressive learning. Wednesdays • 8-11 am
August 13 - December 10 Gateway Technical College, Elkhorn Campus
This comprehensive program is designed to equip current and aspiring supervisors with the essential skills and knowledge needed to lead effectively in today’s dynamic work environment. |
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Leadership Training for Executive-Level Leaders
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Top Level Leadership
This advanced leadership series isn’t a one-off course. We’re presenting an opportunity to join others and work with an expert in organizational psychology, organizational development and change leadership on building the human side of your business. We know that our local business community is the most technically capable out there. We also know that what prevents us from realizing our greatness has a human face. Contact Leslie Gostomski for information how your management team can join in the next session. |
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About WCEDA's Workforce Housing Program
Over the course of the past three years, housing has become an increasing priority for us (WCEDA) to address. Many counties in the region are facing similar challenges and are in various stages of addressing this issue — an issue that may be the number one barrier for workforce at the moment... Go to WCEDA's Housing Page to learn more.
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Current Housing Market Moves According to the latest Wisconsin Realtors Association’s housing report, the sales of previously owned homes rose across the state in June 2025 compared to sales in June of 2024.
Professor Kurt Paulsen of University of Wisconsin-Madison, shared that this sales jump is a “mixed signal.” June did pick up, but when the first six months of 2024 are compared to the first six months of 2025 there really isn’t significant movement.
The major point to consider is that the median house price hit a record high of $340,000, making homes unaffordable for many of our first-time home buyers and our workforce population.
It is the first time home buyer, the starting teacher, nurse, first responder, firefighter, policeman, industry employee cannot afford to live near the community they work in. This may lead to them renting longer, which is not a positive move when they need to build equity and have housing stability.
The other alternative then for the first-time home buyer is having to drive long distances to work. Driving from out of the area to their job is a negative impact on the economic development of the community, if the employee is living and spending their money in another county, or across the state line.
Ultimately, if we are not able to build housing opportunities for the people working in our communities, they will go somewhere else. This makes it hard for employers to recruit or retain their workforce. Schools will deal with the same employee issues as well as lower enrollment, all resulting in a negative impact to the overall economic growth.
It is time to take the steps, to work together to eliminate the workforce, and first time buyer housing shortage.
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| NEW! WCEDA News Notes Monthly Housing Newsletter
Would you like to stay up to date on the progress of WCEDA's Housing Initiative to address workforce housing in our county? Let us know and we'll add you to the News Notes email list! Email pam@walworthbusiness.com. |
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Now Hiring! Automotive & RV Director of Marketing
Looking for a strong marketing professional in the Auto & RV world that can focus on Kunes's marketing initiative, and bridge the age-old divide between sales & marketing, driving collaborative & productive initiatives toward Sales Effectiveness & true marketing ROI.
[More info] |
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| G10 to utilize robotics for picking G10 recently signed a contract with Zebra Technologies to bring in robotic assisted picking in our warehouses this fall. These robots are designed to support our warehouse staff by picking items and delivering them to packers, even navigating under shelves to improve speed and efficiency. |
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| Open House Celebration ALMC Emergency Department Expansion
Thursday, September 4, 2025 1:30 pm to 4:00 pm Aurora Lakeland Medical Center W3985 County Road NN, Elkhorn, WI 53121 Come help us celebrate this enhancement! Refreshments will be served following a department tour. Parking available on the west side of the building. *Click on the flyer to enlarge. |
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| IT Service Desk Technician Apprenticeship
Are you looking to grow your IT team with skilled, work-ready talent? Gateway Technical College is now offering the IT Service Desk Technician Apprenticeship—a hands-on training solution designed to help businesses like yours develop and retain top IT support talent.
This apprenticeship program combines on-the-job learning with related classroom instruction, giving apprentices the foundational skills needed to thrive in a fast-paced tech environment. Employers benefit from a structured training pathway while shaping employees to meet their specific organizational needs.
Ready to learn more? Please contact: James Folsom
Email: james.folsom@cloudprostech.com
Phone: 888-588-8957 ext. 108 |
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Promote your Business at the Walworth County Fair! August 28-September 2 North Hall
[More Info]
In efforts to promote businesses and tourism in Walworth County East Troy, Elkhorn, Delavan, Geneva Lakes West, Lake Geneva, Sharon, Whitewater, WCEDA & GOWALCO will be hosting a booth at the Walworth County Fair. We are hoping that each community could take a day and staff the booth for that day.
We will divide the day into four hour shifts and the booth is located in North Hall and booth hours at 10am - 10pm Wednesday Aug. 28th - Sunday Sept. 1st. and Monday Sept. 2nd 10am - 8 pm.
The Elkhorn Chamber will provide the backdrop, two 6 ft tables and chairs. |
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| 2025 Walworth County Community Health Assessment Do you live, work, learn, play, or worship in Walworth County? Then we need YOU to take our 2025 Community Health Survey! The answers are completely ANONYMOUS, and the survey should only take about 15 minutes to complete. Thank you for your participation!
Please share this link far and wide! [Take the Survey]
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Attention Construction Businesses and Construction Employees The CDC has reported that construction has the highest suicide rate among all industries and is about 4X the national average. Notably, the number of construction worker suicides exceeds other fatalities in the industry. NAHB recognizes September as National Suicide Prevention Month. |
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| Part One: Survey Invitation to Participate in a Survey on Suicide Prevention in the Construction Industry
The purpose of this survey is to better understand the current state of suicide prevention efforts within the construction industry. The insights gathered will help inform future prevention strategies and provide valuable resources and recommendations.
If you choose to participate, you will be asked to complete a brief, 5-minute survey consisting of 11 questions related to your experiences and knowledge of suicide prevention and mental health in the construction field.
Participation is completely voluntary. No personally identifying information will be collected, and there are no negative consequences for choosing not to participate. Your responses are confidential—your employer will not have access to your answers or know whether you took the survey.
A collaborative effort between a researcher from the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater and the Walworth County Department of Health and Human Services. Workers Focus:
https://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_a3K49EHOdTaUq3k Business/Owner Focus: https://uwwhitewater.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_57pO9LbnMMzfMDc
Participants can see the English-Spanish option button on the upper right when they first access the survey. |
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Register by 9/4/25 This is a free event. Registration helps plan the amount of food that will be ordered. |
| Part Two: Pizza, Pints & QPR: A Life-Saving Conversation
Wed, Sept 10 5:30-7:30 pm Duesterbeck's Brewing Company N5543 County Rd O, Elkhorn, WI 53121 Join Lakeland Builders Association for a meaningful, social evening focused on something not talked about enough: mental health and suicide prevention in the construction and trades industry.
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) teaches you how to recognize the warning signs of suicide and help save a life—just like CPR does for medical emergencies. This free training is led by experts from Walworth County Health & Human Services. Enjoy a cash bar, pizza from Pepperoni Pub, and Duesterbeck’s pretzel bites while gaining tools that could save a life. [Register] |
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Building your safety net: Actionable steps to enhance and protect the value of your small business Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025
• Virtual Noon – 1:30 p.m. CT
[Register]
Business owners and leaders are constantly balancing the demands of running their organization now with proactively preparing for future regulatory, economic and technological developments. In today’s dynamic environment, it is nearly impossible to stay ahead of the curve — and the cost of inaction can be too high to ignore.
Join Baker Tilly Advantage for a panel discussion webinar designed to provide small businesses and organizations with practical strategies to enhance their back-office operations and protect their value in today’s changing marketplace.
Who should attend
Owners, presidents, CEOs, executive directors, CFOs, controllers, vice presidents or directors of finance, CHROs, HR directors and other HR or payroll leaders, and other leaders of small businesses, startups or not-for-profit organizations. |
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Foundry Ridge Energy Center
The Foundry Ridge Energy Center is a proposed 300+ megawatt natural gas peaker project located in Walworth County, Wisconsin that will generate American-made energy to meet the nation's growing demand for cleaner, more affordable, reliable electricity, while creating jobs and investing in local communities. [Learn more] |
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Division of Energy, Housing, and Community Resources (DEHCR/Division) proposes substantial amendment
The Division of Energy, Housing, and Community Resources (DEHCR/Division) posted a draft Substantial Amendment #3 to Program Year 2021 Annual Action Plan to the State’s 2020-2024 Consolidated Plan to its website. The Public Comment Period is now open through August 22, 2025. The Substantial Amendment enables the State to accept additional federal HOME-ARP funding and makes budget adjustments to its HUD-approved Allocation Plan. HOME-ARP funds were appropriated to the State under the American Rescue Plan Act, 2021. [Learn more]
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Travel Wisconsin to Unveil 2026 Co-op Program Webinar Details
Date: Wednesday, September 3, 2025
Time: 10:00 a.m.
Join the upcoming webinar to unveil Travel Wisconsin’s 2026 Co-op Program. The Co-op is designed to help you extend your reach, experiment with confidence and maximize your promotional budget.
Through high-impact, cost-efficient marketing, PR and group travel programs, the Co-op makes it easy to collaborate, share expertise and access promotional opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. Whether you're a returning partner or new to the program, this webinar will give you all the details to make the most of these shared opportunities. [Register]
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| Slice into the Future with A.I. and Pie!
Wednesday August 20, 2025 • 6:30-7:30pm Matheson Memorial Library Community Room, Elkhorn
Led by Professor Choton Basu, University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
Come hungry for knowledge and dessert! Join us for Al & Pie, a FREE, beginner-friendly presentation where we'll explore how artificial intelligence is shaping our world-and how it might make your life a easier! Plus network with other community members and enjoy free pie! *Click on the flyer to enlarge |
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Invenergy continues investment in Walworth County
Invenergy, a U.S.-owned and Midwest-based company, is continuing to invest in Walworth County and looking to connect with local organizations and businesses for an upcoming energy generation project that will create up to 150 local jobs during construction and 8 to 12 full-time jobs?once operational. Invenergy has been a proud member of the Walworth County community for years, supporting dozens of local organizations such as the Delavan-Delavan Lake Area Chamber and Darien Cornfest. Email jshelton@invenergy.com or visit www.foundryridge.com to learn more.
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Broadband Assessment
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is beginning a regional broadband assessment in an effort to bring broadband to more Wisconsinites. The first step in the process is to conduct speed testing across the region. To take the test, residents and businesses simply need to visit, from their home or work location. It will only take a few moments and personal information is always protected and never shared. [Take the Test]
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To read more about each indicator, visit the newsletter section of our website here. |
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According to the BLS current population survey (CPS), the unemployment rate for Wisconsin rose 0.1 percentage points in November 2023 to 3.3%. The state unemployment rate was 0.4 percentage points lower than the... |
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10-2 Year Treasury Yield Spread is at 0.51%, compared to 0.53% the previous market day and -0.04% last year. This is lower than the long term average of 0.85%. The 10-2 Treasury Yield Spread is the difference between the 10... |
| Durable goods orders in the US declined 9.3% month-over-month to $311.84 billion in June 2025, reversing an upwardly revised 16.5% jump in May, and compared to forecasts of a bigger 10.8% slide. The biggest decline was seen in orders... |
| Average Crude Oil Spot Price is at a current level of 69.19, up from 69.15 last month and down from 83.26 one year ago. This is a change of 0.06% from last month and -16.90% from one year ago. The Average Crude Oil Spot Price... |
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| DNR Launches The Environmental Responsibility Navigator New Tool Helps Small Businesses With Environmental Compliance
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR), in honor of National Small Business Week, launched the new Environmental Responsibility Navigator (Enviro-Nav) to help small businesses with environmental compliance.
This tool, which was funded through the 2023-2025 state budget, provides a one-stop shop for businesses to easily understand the environmental requirements that apply to them, including those related to air pollution, water use/discharge and waste generation.
All types of businesses can benefit from the information offered in Enviro-Nav, and... [Learn More] |
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| SBA Lender Match
Get $500 to $5.5 million to help you grow your business! SBA-backed loans range from small to large and can be used for most business purposes, including long-term fixed assets and operating capital. Connect with an SBA-approved lender: https://www.sba.gov/lendermatch
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| WWBIC New Resources & Partners
WWBIC is offering more diverse trainings and events now than ever before! Fill out their updated Client/Business Information form by clicking the link below to make sure that you will be notified once any grants, networking events and more are available! [Form]
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| Property Values and Taxes DataTool
This DataTool explores key trends in statewide property values and tax levies, which are important indicators of the state's economic health, the cost borne by taxpayers, and the finances of its local governments. In this streamlined interactive format, users can view separate analyses of southeast Wisconsin and Dane County data, or explore the statewide data themselves, filtering by municipality or county to easily create custom reports.
Check out the tool |
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Small Business Development Grant (SBDG)
The Small Business Development Grant (SBDG) Program will offer financial incentives for communities and organizations to develop innovative programs that directly support small businesses and small business creation. [Learn More] |
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Wisconsin Green Innovation Fund
When more Wisconsinites can participate in our state’s clean energy transition, we’ll reach our environmental and energy independence goals faster. That’s where the Green Innovation Fund comes in. The Green Innovation Fund leverages public and private funds to invest in strategic energy efficiency and renewable energy projects that benefit traditionally underserved businesses, residents, and communities across Wisconsin. By facilitating the widespread adoption of clean energy technologies, the Fund will ultimately improve overall quality of life in our state. [Learn More]
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| RelyLocal
The national economy depends heavily on the health of local economies, and the local economy depends on the health of the local businesses. Local businesses not only contribute to the local economy, but are the foundation of a healthy community overall. Our goal? To develop strategies to support local businesses (across the country) by Developing new solutions to support local businesses, creating local campaigns to revitalize local communities, and putting America back to work. [Learn More]
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| Commercial Property Assessed Clean Energy (C-PACE)
C-PACE is a property tax-assessment financing mechanism for energy & water
efficiency and renewable energy improvements to commercial properties. Benefits include: finance up to 100% of hard + soft costs, fixed rate, long-term: 20 – 30 years, tenants share cost & savings, transfers to new owner upon sale, potential off-balance sheet treatment, reduce waste & improve experience. [Learn More - PDF, Webpage]
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| WCEDA Loan Program
Are you having trouble getting a loan? Are your revenues under $1 million? WCEDA may be able to HELP. We have a loan program through the USDA for small businesses called the Hometown Entrepreneur Loan Program (HELP) that aims to help small business access capital. Many times we can work with banks or other programs like SBA or WHEDA to make a loan work for companies.
[APPLICATION]
[ADDITIONAL FUNDING SOURCES] [CONTACT WCEDA]
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