Milwaukee County small business grant initiative celebrated

MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley and others came together Thursday to celebrate the county's "Building Bridges" grant initiative.

What is Building Bridges?

The backstory:

Building Bridges is a small business development effort that "activates commercial corridors, grows the local economy, and adds value to the community," according to the county. The goal is to increase available resources to establish or expand brick-and-mortar businesses in Milwaukee County.

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"All across Milwaukee County and across this state, small businesses are the backbone of our economy. They help to build – bring more value to our tax base, and they bring personality to communities," Crowley said.

"Small businesses are absolutely the backbone of what grows the city and the county," said Ald. Sharlen Moore. "If we didn't have our small businesses, listen, a lot of the things that you all see, we just simply would not have."

Lisa Sullivan, with the county's economic development team, said the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation grants supported 20 different businesses with $10,000 each.

"We need to continue to build on these types of programs, expand these types of programs, because the more businesses we see coming online, the less expensive it becomes for taxpayers," said Crowley. "The more we see economic development growing and seeing people descend when they spend money in our local communities, that's something for us to be proud of."

Small business recognized

Local perspective:

The Amani Place, located at 35th and St. Paul on Milwaukee's near west side, is a Black-owned and woman-owned event venue. It was awarded $10,000 through the initiative, which the owners said went toward facility improvements that included ADA and code compliance upgrades, exterior enhancements, landscaping, signage and more.

"The grant was able to allow me to … create the ADA accessibility, create the green space outdoors for, you know, added space," said owner Briana Redmond. "The vision here is very clear. I appreciate all of your support."