Written by Vicki Resech
As Marathon County and MCDEVCO enter into the 40th year of our partnership, economic development is more important than ever.
And as we confront the challenges in this ever-changing economy, we need to ensure that our local businesses and residents have the tools they need to succeed.
The Marathon County Board and a local foundation are looking to do just that in a very BIG way, allocating $2 million to expand MCDEVCO’s Marathon County Revolving Loan Fund (RLF).
The Fund is a gap-financing program, offering new and expanding businesses access to low-cost financing meant to supplement financing provided by a primary lending institution. Ultimately, the RLF allows businesses to move forward with development or expansion programs that might otherwise be delayed or simply not occur, resulting in increased economic development within Marathon County.
An influx of $2 million into the Fund means MCDEVCO will be able to “bridge the financing gap” on approximately $20 million of economic development projects within the County! This is welcome news to entrepreneurs and business owners in the area.
Other Programs & Services Offered by MCDEVCO
In addition to offering gap financing, MCDEVCO hosts a range of programming and workshops to educate, mentor, and train business owners and entrepreneurs throughout Marathon County. These services support our local business ecosystem and provide entrepreneurs with the skills required to start, build, and grow their businesses locally.
Here are just a few of MCDEVCO’s recent and upcoming events…
Career Planning Partnership with Women’s Community
In February 2018, MCDEVCO collaborated with The Women’s Community to bring the Meyers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator Testing (MBTI®) to women currently receiving services through The Women’s Community. The goal was to enable participants to better understand their personality types, appreciate how personality type can impact how we perceive and process information, and to ultimately assist the participants with career planning.
Business Mentorship
MCDEVCO recently trained 25 Marathon County business owners and community 
leaders interested in serving as volunteer mentors to develop their one-on-one mentoring skills. These volunteer mentors and speakers assist MCDEVCO in offering a wide variety of programs and workshops free of charge and are instrumental in mentoring entrepreneurs throughout the County. A huge thank-you goes out to each of them! If you or anyone you know is interested in becoming one of MCDEVCO’s mentors/speakers, please contact us.
General Entrepreneurs Programs — Teaching skills to succeed for the long term
- March 20, 2018: Our first quarterly Lunch and Learn program will feature Elina Van Natta from Creative Shock Marketing who will talk about the Key Elements of a Successful Brand. Bring your lunch and questions, and MCDEVCO will provide beverages and a snack. This event will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. at MCDEVCO. Next Lunch and Learns will be in June, September, and December. Watch for our emails and/or visit our Facebook page.
- April 25, 2018: We’ll host our second offering of Amy Plier’s workshop series – Lean Business – The 9 Building Blocks. This four-part series is April 25, May 2, May 9, and May 16 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at MCDEVCO.
Women Mentoring Women Entrepreneurs Programs — Supporting women
- March 19, April 16, May 21, and June 18, 2018: Ursa Swensen, of One Radiant Life, will present an Entrepreneurship Fundamentals series for women. Topics include: What is holding you back?, Am I good enough?, What about my biggest critic?, and Are my boundaries supporting me? 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at MCDEVCO.
- April 3, 2018: Work–Life Balance round table discussion by Kirsten Holmson, of Community Soul Yoga. 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at MCDEVCO.
- April 10, 2018: Stephanie Wooster, owner of Wooster’s Garage, will hold Women in Non-traditional Careers – Auto Clinic. This event will be held from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at her garage (located at 5406 Schofield Ave., Weston). Dress comfortably and come to learn!
- May 30, 2018: Tess Hanke, owner of Comet Creek Herbs & Botanicals, will talk about De-stressing for the Women Entrepreneur. This event will be held from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. We will update you on the location through our email list and Facebook listings.
Events still to come…
MCDEVCO’s programs aim to support Marathon County’s vision to be the most prosperous county in Wisconsin. To achieve that goal, MCDEVCO is changing its offerings to better meet the needs of our community.
Right now, we’re working on developing hands-on workshops on:
- Excel Basics
- How to Write Your Business Plan
- Learning How to Read a Lease
- What Is TIF?
- …and more.
Our workshops, seminars, individual mentoring, and training are available to all residents of Marathon County at no charge. We just ask that you pre-register so that we have adequate seating and materials available for all attending.
MCDEVCO is committed to ensuring the long-term viability of Marathon County’s economy by working closely with its entrepreneurs, businesses, financial service providers, and municipal partners to facilitate and maximize their investments in Marathon County.
To get up-to-date information on our programs or to register for an event or become a mentor, please find and Like us on Facebook, email us at info@mcdevco.org, or call us at 715-298-0084.
We hope to see you at one of our upcoming events!
Vicki Resech
Director of Operations | MCDEVCO, Inc.
Vicki has always been driven to help others succeed. As the Director of Operations, her goals for 2017–2018 are simple — ensure that new entrepreneurs and existing ones have the resources to start their business, to grow their business, and to have a place to go when questions arise. Blue jeans with holes in the knees and a pair of worn cowboy boots are her favorite attire, along with one of her beautiful horses beside her. Vicki loves gardening, taking long walks, photography, hiking, and camping. Email Vicki Resech.
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Image credits
Dollars with Business Chart image created by Jcomp @ Freepik.com.
Mentor image created by The Digital Artist via Pixabay | CCO.
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