UW Madison Community Economic Development (CED)Update

Welcome to the Community Economic Development Program Weekly Update; your guide to the latest events, resources, and funding. The CED Weekly update is meant to keep you connected and informed about what’s happening in community economic development and provide information to help better serve Wisconsin communities.

BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Money Smart Small Business Series | February-April, 1-2 pm (Virtual) – Join the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin District Offices for the FDIC Money Smart for Small Businesses. Make a plan for growing your business smarts as well as for your business. Sign up for this weekly webinar series developed by the FDIC and SBA to boost your business planning and management know-how. Register now for Feb 7 and you’ll get updates on the rest of the series: Planning for a Healthy Business – Feb 7; Banking Services – Feb 14; Organizational Types – Feb 21; Time Management – Feb 28; Financial Management – March 6; Record Keeping – March 13; Strong Business Credit – March 20; Risk Management – March 27; Insurance – April 3; Tax Planning and Reporting – April 10; Selling your Business and Succession Planning – April 17.

VCEDC Ask the Experts: Business Taxes, Insurance, Grants & Loans | February 15, 12-1 pm (Virtual) – Get your questions answered about Business Taxes, Insurance, Grants, and Loans by our panel of experts. Panelists include Tammie Clendenning, Lead Economic Development Specialist at the U.S. Small Business Administration; Jon Chamberlain, CPA, co-owner of Chamberlain | Otte, CPAs, LLP; and Mike Weiland, Agent at Klinner Insurance. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain valuable insights.

Boots to Business Reboot | February 27, 9:00 am – 3:00 pm (Madison, WI) – Boots to Business Reboot provides an overview of entrepreneurship and applicable business ownership fundamentals. During Reboot, participants are introduced to the skills, knowledge, and resources they need to launch a business, including steps for developing business concepts, how to develop a business plan, and information on SBA resources available to help.

Grow Your Sales Through Trade | February 27, 12:00-1:00 pm (Virtual) – Are you a small business looking to expand? Did you know that the best way to boost your bottom line is to look outside of our US borders. Selling internationally can help protect your bottom line from the ebbs and flows of one domestic market, while granting you access to more buyers. Learn about access to markets, access to grants, and access to capital to help your business enter the global marketplace!

Small Business Clinic | March 4, 9 am-4 pm (Fennimore, WI) – Join us at the Small Business Clinic for a small business consulting event. Featuring group presentations and one-on-one consulting, learn about General Business Law from UW Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic, followed by a Tax Seminar for New Businesses by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue. Expert consultants in financial, business law, e-commerce, and more will be available to assist you.

Wisconsin Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference | May 30-31 (Platteville, WI) – Come to Platteville this spring and explore how local entrepreneurship drives the Driftless Region’s development. The CEC Conference is coming to Wisconsin for the first time in 2024. Business leaders, economic development professionals, local leaders, and community champions will gather in Platteville for two days of programming about strategies for supporting entrepreneurship in Wisconsin’s small towns.

COMMUNITY & PLACEMAKING

2024 Annual Rural Summit | May 14-15 (Ashland, WI) – We’re delighted to announce that the 2024 Wisconsin Rural Partners (WPR) Summit will be hosted in Ashland at the AmericInn by Wyndham. Participation in Wisconsin Rural Partners Annual Rural Summit is now more important than ever. Our rural communities have so many issues in common. Our goal is to network together and work on possible solutions to gain future success.

The National Adaptation Forum | May 14-16, 2024 (St. Paul, MN) – The National Adaptation Forum gathers the climate adaptation community to foster knowledge exchange, innovation, and mutual support for a better tomorrow. The Forum includes opportunities for professional development through formal training sessions, facilitated presentations, and informal knowledge sharing and networking opportunities. You can learn more by exploring the yellow menu above.

DOWNTOWN

Main Street Now Conference | May 6-8 (Birmingham, AL) – Save the date to join fellow commercial district revitalization leaders from across the country for three days of education sessions, special events, mobile workshops, and opportunities to explore the host city. Whether you come from an urban business district, small rural downtown, or somewhere in between, the Main Street Now Conference time-tested solutions to common problems and innovative approaches to emerging issues to help your community thrive.

2024 Downtown Summit | May 20-21 (Wausau, WI) – Wisconsin Downtown Action Council (WDAC) invites all those interested in the success of Wisconsin’s downtowns to attend the Downtown Summit on May 20th and 21st in Wausau’s beautiful River District. The Summit will begin on Monday at 10:30 a.m. with the evening reception hosted at the Leigh Yawkey Woodson Art Museum following the mobile workshops. Tuesday’s sessions will be at the historic Jefferson Street Inn. All event venues are located in Downtown Wausau and close to parking and amenities like amazing pubs, restaurants and shops. The summit is a “hands-on” approach to conferencing including out and about tours, panels, Keynote, general and breakout sessions. Of course, plenty of time for networking is included as well.

ECONOMY

Rural Pharmacies an Overlooked Piece of the Rural Health Care System | February 20, 12-1 pm (Virtual) – Explore the pivotal role of rural pharmacies in providing vital healthcare services, especially in areas affected by hospital closures. Learn why the decline of independently owned rural pharmacies is a pressing concern, affecting medication access and downtown vitality. Join us to discuss strategies and policy changes needed to address the rural pharmacy crisis and secure healthcare access for rural communities.

Conversations with the Fed: Are Higher Interest Rates Here to Stay? | February 21,10:00-10:45 am (Virtual) – Join Andrea Raffo, senior vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, as he discusses prospects for the longer-run neutral interest rate and their implications for borrowing interest rates for governments, consumers, and firms going forward.

2024 Education Series: Automation Solutions & Funding Mechanisms | February 28, 12:30-2 pm (Virtual) – The Wisconsin Rural Partners understands the importance of staying ahead of the curve, especially when it comes to meeting the needs of communities and organizations. We’re thrilled to announce the first in a series of programming that we hope assist you in accessing the latest solutions designed to meet businesses where they’re at. Whether you’re a small startup or a large corporation, cutting-edge technology and a personalized approach will help you achieve your goals and take your business to the next level. Join us on Wednesday, February 7 for a complimentary virtual program, RSVP today.

Monroe County Economic Development & Tourism Spring Conference | March 21-22 (Tomah, WI) – Discover the latest trends, strategies, and opportunities in economic development and tourism as industry experts share their insights through engaging presentations and interactive workshops. Network with like-minded professionals, exchange ideas, and forge valuable connections that can propel your business or organization to new heights.

ENERGY

Wisconsin Tomorrow: Protecting Wisconsin’s Energy Future | February 21, 8 am – 12 pm (Virtual) – For more than a hundred years, most Americans used and relied on energy generated locally at utility generating plants burning fossil fuels that had been shipped by rail, highways and waterways to the utility and other providers from the mines and refineries across the country. Alternative energy sources that nature controls such as solar, wind, and hydro generate energy in situ (i.e., in place, where they are located) that must be harvested at those sites and transmitted to consumers.

Navigating Solar Energy Deployment in the Urban/Rural Divide | March 12, 6:30-8:00 pm (Virtual or Stevens Point, WI) – Communities that are being asked to host the clean energy future are facing land use dilemmas, concerns agricultural economic base, and transformation of the rural landscape. Great Plains Institute’s Brian Ross, vice president of renewable energy, will address environmental justice considerations and ways communities are navigating fairness in clean energy policy and planning, consensus building, decarbonization, and local government implementation.

GENERAL INFORMATION

Extension Northwoods Forum | May 7 (Lac du Flambeau, WI) – Celebrating 175 Years of Partnering with Wisconsin Communities. Join us for an engaging day focused on topics important to communities in the Northwoods! Presentations and discussion topics will include economic, workforce and community development, health, forestry, and natural resources. Connect with researchers and educators who provide UW–Madison resources to northern Wisconsin.

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