Scale Up names inaugural SPARC class

Scale Up Milwaukee has announced the 21 companies that will be participating in its inaugural SPARC class.

The business growth training program, created in cooperation with the African American Chamber of Commerce and the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corp. with funding from JPMorgan Chase, is targeted to central city businesses with less than $1 million in revenue.

The selected businesses are:

• Athena Communications
• Anointed Cleaners
• Clean Green LLC
• Compost Crusader LLC
• Confluence Graphics Inc.
• Cross Management Services inc.
• Gibraltar Industries Inc.
• Great Impressions
• House of Fashion
• M2R Electric Services
• McCray Accounting Services
• Milwaukee Blacksmith
• One Day Real Estate Services
• PC Lan Services
• PeachyClean Commercial & Construction Cleaning
• Philly’s Premium Beverages
• Prenasis Hair Gallery
• Rep. Wisconsin Apparel and Gifts
• Spearity
• The Gouda Girls
• Executive Commercial Cleaning

Scale Up planned to accept as many as 30 businesses in the pilot program, which complements its Scalerator business growth program for companies with $1 million or more in revenue. Expert Milwaukee entrepreneurs, including Scalerator alumni, will teach the SPARC program, demonstrating how to increase revenue, hiring, capital expenditures and wealth creation. Participants also will have access to new resources such as financing, marketing, legal services and workforce training.

The SPARC instructors, who will teach the program in four sessions, are: Carl Brown, president of RBK Healthcare Marketing; Edward Bryant, assistant vice president, portfolio manager at Byline Bank; Jessica Ginster, partner and general manager at Fyxation Bicycle Co.; Tracy Meeks, vice president of small business banking at Park Bank; and Eric Waters, assistant professor of communication studies at Marquette University.

Scale Up will host a launch party celebrating the class tonight at Central Standard Craft Distillery.