Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan and Partners Launch $40M Capital Loan Program; Inspired by ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ Short’s Brewing buys motel for seasonal workers to live in; Wisconsin SBA, WEDC Collaboration: Starting May 3: Boost Your Business with Ten Power-packed Webinars at the Small Business Academy During NSBW; The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Community Map; Ignite Young Professionals and UWSP to host "Get On Track With PoCo Professionals," a professional growth conference; Reminder: Join Wisconsin Department of Revenue for our MyDORGov Webinars on May 11 and 12 – Register Now; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories: The no cost, no risk BEST Chamber Publishing Partner in the USA!

Good morning #ChamberWorld! It's going to be a great day! 

Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan and Partners Launch $40M Capital Loan Program

The Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan in Detroit has formed a collaboration with DRI Fund, ProFinCo, and Crowdz to launch the Capital and Cash Flow Program, a $40 million initiative targeted at strengthening Black businesses with low-cost access to capital, $10 million of which is immediately available to city of Detroit contractors.




The Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan in Detroit has formed a collaboration with DRI Fund, ProFinCo, and Crowdz to launch the Capital and Cash Flow Program, a $40 million initiative targeted at strengthening Black businesses with low-cost access to capital, $10 million of which is immediately available to city of Detroit contractors.

Black businesses have historically been locked out of accessing low-cost capital, but this partnership seeks to address what has traditionally been the biggest inhibitor to growing sustainable Black businesses in public works and infrastructure projects.

“There have been hundreds of announcements regarding access to capital for Black businesses since the murder of George Floyd,” says Sen. Marshall Bullock (D-Detroit), chair of the Michigan Legislative Black Caucus and president of the Black Caucus Foundation of Michigan.

“Yet the needle has not moved on the number of Black contractors in infrastructure or capital availability to create their access. There is no better place to change that than in Detroit, and there is no better opportunity for success than in Michigan.” Read more: D Business 

Inspired by ‘Schitt’s Creek,’ Short’s Brewing buys motel for seasonal workers to live in

One of Michigan’s most popular breweries is channeling the hit comedy series “Schitt’s Creek” to solve a problem this summer.

Short’s Brewing announced Friday that it has purchased the 26-room Bellaire Inn, 728 E. Cayuga St., and is in the process of converting and updating the units for short-term housing for staff the brewery plans to hire for Northern Michigan’s busy, summer tourism season.

“When the opportunity came for us to create our own version of the Rosebud Motel (from Schitt’s Creek) we couldn’t pass it up. If Johnny Rose can do it, we can too.” Scott Newman-Bale, CEO for the brewery, joked.

Brewery staff is hopeful the move will help Short’s combat staffing shortages, a problem made worse by the lack of affordable, short-term lodging in Antrim County, according to the brewery.

The Bellaire Pub is looking to hire up to 20 additional staff for their kitchen and front-of-house operations this season. Short’s also has several open positions at its Elk Rapids location.

“We’ve missed out on (non-local) candidates because they can’t find a place to live, and we’ve had employees move out of state because of the lack of affordable, workforce housing.” Read more: M LIVE

Wisconsin SBA, WEDC Collaboration: Starting May 3: Boost Your Business with Ten Power-packed Webinars at the Small Business Academy During NSBW

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Elevate your business with ten power-packed sessions with, SBA, WEDC and a host of statewide experts at the  Small Business Academy hosted by WEDC during National Small Business Week. Check out the agenda and register below for this free, virtual conference--with the option to join in-person in six communities on Friday, May 6. 

May 3

9 am: Welcome and Opening Remarks

10 am: Show Me the Money! Locating Alternative Sources of Funding

11 am: Six Ways to Work with a Mentor

May 4

9 am: E-Marketing: How to Get Started with Digital Marketing

10 am: Cybersecurity for Small Businesses

11 am: Federal, State, and Local Small Business Certifications

May 5

9 am: Developing Financial Projections

10 am: Financing Your Business: Getting to Yes - A Panel Discussion

11 am: Structuring Your Business: Things You Should Know

May 6

9 am: Resilient and Persistent: Wisconsin SBA ‘s 2022 National Small Business Week Winners (virtual moderated panel discussion).

Join an in-person Watch Party and Networking Session hosted by SBA and WEDC partners in Milwaukee, Madison, La Crosse, Appleton/Oshkosh, Crandon, or Eau Claire on Friday.

 Register for All

The Eau Claire Area Chamber of Commerce Community Map

The Eau Claire Area Chamber Community Map is now available at the Chamber today! Thanks to David Minor, Chrystal Mills and the chamber team for their help and direction putting this together!

VIEW the Eau Claire Area Chamber Community Map

Town Square Publications  (www.townsquarepublications.com) can help you accomplish your chamber's gloss map, directory, community guide or publication needs at no expense to the chamber. Please email John Dussman at jdussman@tspubs.com or call (847)-427-4633. 

Ignite Young Professionals and UWSP to host "Get On Track With PoCo Professionals," a professional growth conference


To help promote professional development in central Wisconsin, Ignite Young Professionals and UWSP are proud to host Get On Track With PoCo Professionals at the UWSP campus on April 27 from 4 to 7 pm at the Dreyfus University Center. This event will be great for professionals looking to advance their careers, people in the job market, or those who are interested in starting their own business.

Jeff Ebel of Midwest Wealth Ventures will key up the event as the Keynote speaker discussing the many facets of business ownership. After, the event will break off into two distinct tracts:

· Tract one, "Starting The Race," will include three local Entrepreneurs from Siren Shrub and Curbwise who will discuss the trials and tribulations of being a young and motivated entrepreneur in the 21st century.

· Tract two, "Passing The Baton," will feature two successful local executives from Skyward and Greenheck. They'll discuss necessary skills for the next generation of business leaders. They'll focus on succession planning, the importance of communication, and the process of receiving the reins of a thriving business that'll need excellent leadership to grow and maintain what has already been built.

The event is $10 for community members, and free to Ignite members and all UWSP students due to the generosity of the UW-Stevens Point School of Business and Economics. Appetizers and non-alcoholic beverages will be served along with gift bags full of trinkets! Stick around after the event and network with attendees, students, business owners, and our guest speakers.

To learn more about Ignite, signup for this event, or register any of the other events held during Young Professionals Week, visit the Ignite Young Professionals facebook page 

Reminder: Join Wisconsin Department of Revenue for our MyDORGov Webinars on May 11 and 12 – Register Now

To:  SLF Customers

 

This is a reminder from the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) to register for the upcoming MyDORGov webinars. The May 11 session is geared toward new users; the May 12 session will focus on recent enhancement/system updates.

Available Webinars

1. New Users Webinar

·      When – May 11, 2022, 10-11 a.m.

·      Who should attend – users new to MyDORGov

·      Register now – space is limited! Click link to begin registration.

Topics

·      Getting started/accessing the system

·      Updating your contact information

·      Managing your own access (requesting an office/access)

·      Managing others to file on your behalf (approving, denying, removing access)

·      Using the system – filing a form, viewing historical filings and notifications

·      Resetting your account – multiple email addresses

·      Q&A

2. Enhancements/System Changes Webinar

·      When – May 12, 2022, 2-3 p.m.

·      Who should attend – users who previously filed forms in MyDORGov

·      Register now – space is limited! Click link to begin registration.

Topics – What's New?

·      Home page dashboard

·      Historical filing page

·      Notifications page

·      Intuitive search and sorting features

·      Retractable navigation menu

·      Updated online help

·      Q&A

General Webinar Details

·      After registering, you'll receive an email on how to access the webinar

·      You'll need speakers to hear the presenter but will not need a microphone

·      We'll answer your questions live during the webinar

We hope you can attend, but if you can't…visit our website to watch a recorded version.

Questions?

Contact us at slf@wisconsin.gov.

 Thank you,

State and Local Finance Division

Wisconsin Department of Revenue

Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories: The no cost, no risk BEST Chamber Publishing Partner in the USA!

Town Square Publications, a division of the Daily Herald Media Group, is a national chamber custom publishing group that specializes in developing partnerships by producing high-quality print and digitally integrated publications along with other added value programs dedicated to creating relevancy for local chambers of commerce and other membership focused organizations interested in raising non-dues revenues.

Town Square Publications parent company, Paddock Publications, has over 100 years’ experience of print product development and dedicated customer service in communities throughout the Midwest. Our experience allows Town Square Publications to offer you attractive royalty and non-dues revenue share streams, provide direct distribution of your custom designed printed publications, including digital and mobile integration, and all with the quickest turn-around times available in the industry. Town Square also offers multi-media maps in both print and online formats, both with our No-Cost guarantee. More information: Town Square Publications

Chambers of Commerce and member focused organizations serve as a valuable resource in the local marketplace. The networking opportunities and representation with a wide variety of diverse businesses in your community is the catalyst of a successful organization. For further information about Town Square's publishing partnership with chambers of commerce and our No-Cost guarantee and Earned Revenue Share Program, To request your chamber publication or map proposal, contact Town Square Chamber Proposal or email John Dussman with the subject line: Chamber Publication Proposal Requested. Thank you!