Development grants, tax credits

Communities and businesses in southeastern Wisconsin are sharing $3.9 million in Community Based Economic Development grants, brownfields grants and Community Development Zone tax credits to help with economic development and environmental remediation projects.
Gov. Scott McCallum made the awards April 9 at the Ameritech King Commerce Center, in Milwaukee. He said the projects would create up to 141 new jobs, and generate $68.9 million in new investment.
The following summarizes the successful proposals:
CERAC, Inc., Milwaukee, $130,000 in Community Development Zone Program tax credits (CDZ) – CERAC is a specialty inorganic-chemical manufacturing company. It is expanding its operations to meet customer demand and address growth in both the domestic and overseas markets.
The materials manufactured by CERAC are building blocks for diverse, high-tech applications. The project will retain 132 jobs and create 50 jobs. The project represents an investment of $1.6 million.
LPI Arnold, Inc., Milwaukee, $111,000 in CDZ – LPI Arnold provides high-quality finishing services for the graphics industry, including custom bindery services. Letterhead Press, Inc., purchased select assets from the Arnold Company and LPI Arnold began production in June 2001 with 37 former Arnold employees.
The project will create 57 jobs. The project represents an investment of $940,000.
Burleigh Street Community Development Corp., Milwaukee, $20,000 Community Based Economic Development (CBED) Grant – The Burleigh Street Community Development Corp. will use its grant to cover planning costs for the continued development of a retail project on Burleigh Street.
The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship, Milwaukee, $20,000 CBED – The Center for Teaching Entrepreneurship will use its grant to teach entrepreneurship and life skills to inner-city youth ages nine to 21. The project will focus on the “Urban Business Entrepreneurship Training Printing Partnership” and seeks to provide youth with training that will give them the opportunity to earn a living wage and to gain the skills necessary to run their own business.
North Avenue Community Development Corp., Milwaukee, $20,000 CBED – North Avenue Community Development Corp. will use its grant to help redevelop North Avenue on a block-by-block basis. It will use its grant to provide assistance to businesses that locate in newly rehabilitated storefronts.
Northeast Milwaukee Industrial Development Corp., Milwaukee, $10,000 CBED – Northeast Milwaukee Industrial Development Corp. will use its grant to perform a feasibility study for an incubator in the Capitol Drive area of Milwaukee.
Wisconsin African-American Women, Ltd., Milwaukee, $10,000 CBED – The Wisconsin African-American Women will use its grant to help plan for rehabilitating a recently purchased building for use as an incubator.
Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp., $110,100 CBED – The Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation will use its grant to continue its seven program initiatives including statewide business education and assistance; child-care business education and capital access; partnership work and education with business associations; and revolving loan fund/financing initiatives.
Alton Enterprises, LLC, Milwaukee, $243,400 Brownfields Grant – Alton Enterprises will remediate a site that had been used a foundry by the J. Greenbaum Tanning Company and Castings, Inc. The project will include the acquisition, clean-up and renovation of a 200,000-sq.-ft. facility for mixed office use. The project will leverage $2.6 million in additional investment.
City of Kenosha, $1,000,000 Brownfields Grant – The City of Kenosha is purchasing a 30-acre brownfield site located in a retail and residential area. The project includes demolition activities, infrastructure installation and environmental remediation to prepare the site for commercial, retail and residential development. The project will leverage $24 million in additional investment.
Menomonee Valley Partners, Milwaukee, $375,000 Brownfields Grant – Menomonee Valley Partners, a non-profit community-based organization, will purchase and perform remediation activities on brownfield properties within Milwaukee’s Menomonee Valley. The project will leverage $200,000 in additional investment.
Milwaukee Economic Development Corp., Milwaukee, $375,000 Brownfields Grant – The Milwaukee Economic Development Corp. will acquire brownfields within the Menomonee Valley and prepare the sites for end-users. Their activities will facilitate redevelopment by streamlining steps for potential buyers who ensure high-quality development that creates family-supporting jobs. The project will leverage $200,000 in additional investment.
Product Service and Manufacturing, West Milwaukee, $450,000 Brownfields Grant – Product Service and Manufacturing Corp. purchased the former Lawran Foundry site and will renovate the facility to accommodate their expanding production of control panels for Allen-Bradley and other companies. It will use the grant for remediation activities. The project will create 25 positions and leverage $670,000 in additional investment.
Small Animal Hospital, LLC, Milwaukee, $95,000 Brownfields Grant – Small Animal Hospital will purchase a one-acre site, demolish the existing one-story structure, and perform remediation activities before constructing a new veterinary clinic. The project will create nine new jobs and leverage $755,000 in additional investment.
USL Land, LLC, Milwaukee, $900,000 Brownfields Grant – USL Land purchased the former US Leather’s Pfister & Vogel Tannery facility, located along the Milwaukee River on North Water Street. It will use its grant for site remediation. The redevelopment project will result in the construction of 250 apartments, 50 condominiums, and 6,800 square feet of retail space. The project will leverage $38 million in additional investment.
The CBED Program is designed to promote local business development in economically distressed areas. The program awards grants to community-based organizations for development and business assistance projects and to municipalities for economic development planning. The program also helps community-based organizations plan, build, and create business and technology-based incubators, and can also capitalize an incubator tenant revolving-loan program. For further information on the CBED Program, contact James Frymark, Department of Commerce, at 608-266-2742.
The Department of Commerce administers the Brownfields Grant Program, which provides grants to municipalities, local development corporations, and the private sector to support assessment, remediation, and return of contaminated lands to productive use. For further information, contact Jason Scott at 608-261-7714.
The Community Development Zone (CDZ) Program has provided an effective economic stimulus to distressed areas of Wisconsin. COMMERCE administers the CDZ Program, which offers tax incentives to businesses expanding or locating in a designated area of economic distress. Businesses can also earn a tax credit for environmental remediation. For further information on the CDZ Program, contact Amy Cumblad, 608-266-2688.
Export grants
Three southeastern Wisconsin businesses have each received $5,000 Wisconsin Trade Project Program grants.
“International markets represent important growth opportunities for Wisconsin firms,” Gov. Scott McCallum said. “This grant program helps small companies attend international trade shows, where they can make valuable sales contacts and learn firsthand about prospective markets.”
The successful proposals are summarized as follows:
Fotodyne, Inc., Hartland — Fotodyne is a manufacturer and distributor of scientific instrumentation for molecular biology research and education. It will use its grant to attend the Analytica 2002 trade show in Munich, Germany in April.
Hinnovation, Wauwatosa — Hinnovation is a start-up company that is developing a high-tech system for access to scanned images from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) scans. It will use its grant to attend the Society of Computer Application in Radiology in Cleveland, Ohio in May.
Mixair Technologies, Kenosha — Mixair Technologies manufactures aerators and diffusers used in industrial, commercial and municipal wastewater treatment applications. It used its grant to attend the GLOBE 2002 show in Vancouver, British Columbia, in March.
The Wisconsin Trade Project Program provides individual grants up to $5,000 to reimburse small Wisconsin companies for expenses incurred while attending an international trade show, such as booth rental, product literature translations, or displays. The program does not pay for travel, lodging, or related costs. Wisconsin companies with annual sales under $25 million are eligible for the program. For more information, contact Lou Janowski, Department of Commerce, at 608-266-0393.
April 26, 2002 Small Business Times, Milwaukee