"Wisconsin is open for business:" Governor Walker delivers keynote address at Small Business Summit
RACINE (WITI) -- Governor Scott Walker on Wednesday, September 10th, addressed hundreds of small business owners, entrepreneurs, and innovators gathered in Racine for the fourth annual Governor’s Small Business Summit.
“We say it all the time because we mean it: Wisconsin is open for business,” Governor Walker said in his keynote address. “This Summit is our administration’s annual opportunity to prove that claim to the Main Street businesses that are the heart of our economy. They come from a wide variety of industries, from tourism to farming, from manufacturing to information technology, but they all share a common interest in seeing state government as their partner for job creation.”
Governor Walker inaugurated the Small Business Summit in his first year in office as a way for top agency leaders to hear directly from the businesspeople on the front lines of the economy. This fourth annual summit provided attendees the opportunity to quiz Cabinet Secretaries on policy issues, enjoy breakfast with senior agency executives, attend breakout sessions to pick up practical tips for running their companies, and visit with the Governor and Lt. Governor over lunch. Staff from state agencies was also present to educate attendees about programs to support their business and to answer questions about specific issues.
“We’re incredibly proud of our administration’s accomplishments for small business,” said Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch, who helped organize the summit. “But this summit isn’t about us telling the small business community what we’ve done for them. It’s a fantastic opportunity for them to tell the folks in Madison what can be done to make Wisconsin more economically competitive.”
The Governor, Lt. Governor, and the Cabinet reported on a number of policy initiatives that are helping small businesses grow and thrive, including the manufacturing and agriculture tax credit, the venture investment capital fund, and the Capital Catalyst and Seed Accelerator programs to spur investment. The Governor has also signed into law a number of statutory changes that benefit small businesses, including regulatory reform, tort reform, and unemployment insurance reform.