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Entrepreneurship & Small Business
Financial Resources
Working Capital & Business Resources That Create Opportunities
Whether you’re seeking working capital financing or complex technical assistance, the Rock County Development Alliance is your one-stop business resource. The Alliance has excellent working relations with various local, state and federal agencies. This tenure and team approach enables the Alliance to deliver a proven track record of working to facilitate development projects, minimize costs, streamline local / state regulations, and package value-added assistance.
Generally, the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is the most direct source for business development programs, offering various financing and technical assistance programs to working communities and businesses alike. WEDC’s assistance is usually based upon the ability of a project to demonstrate feasibility through employment creation / retention and investment documentation. Since these programs support rather than compete with offerings from other working capital and support providers, multiple funds are often “packaged”.
These working business resources are enhanced by Wisconsin’s retooled business climate, including such items as: a 100% fully funded public pension system; historically lower electric, unemployment insurance, and worker’s compensation rates; the exclusion of long-term capital gains for investments attributed to qualified working Wisconsin businesses; and the effective reduction of Wisconsin income tax obligations due on qualified manufacturing and agricultural production activities. This change falls within the Manufacturing & Agriculture Credit administered by the WI Dept of Revenue. It provides a credit that will total 7.5%.
The Janesville-Beloit MSA is also home to five Federal Opportunity Zones, which were created through the federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Investors can also access state-level capital gains benefits in these designated Zones, too. The federal government, mainly through the Bipartisan Infrastructure and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, has also expanded the portfolio of business, community and workforce/talent development programs.
For additional information, please feel free to visit this curated and online economic / workforce development handbook or resource guide. Otherwise, feel free to review the listings below and then contact the Alliance.
- Start in Wisconsin
- Rock County Entrepreneurial Business Development Program
- One Stop Business Portal (WI Department of Revenue)
- Dairy Business Innovation Alliance
- gBeta Beloit
- Irontek
- Janesville Innovation Center
- National Main Street’s Backing Small Business Grant Program
- Rock County Jumpstart
- Rock County Small Business Development Center
- SizeUp Wisconsin
- Qualified New Business Venture (QNVB) Program
- UW-Whitewater Wisconsin Innovation Service Center
- Wisconsin SCORE Chapters
- Capital Midwest Fund
- Community Reinvestment Act Network of Wisconsin
- Stateline Angels
- Wisconsin Angel Network
- Wisconsin Business Development Finance Corporation
- Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
- Wisconsin Housing & Economic Development Authority
- Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation
- Industrial Revenue Bonds
- Public Finance Authority
- Community Revolving Loan Funds (City of Beloit, City of Edgerton, City of Evansville, City of Janesville)
- State of Wisconsin Energy Innovation Programs
- State of Wisconsin Investment Board
- State of Wisconsin Trust Fund Loan Program
- US Small Business Administration
- USDA Rural Business Programs