WRTP | BIG STEP makes progress on $1.5 million facility renovation

WRTP | BIG STEP looks to expand its programming through a $1.5 million renovation of its facility, which is expected to be complete in September.

The facility, located at 3841 W. Wisconsin Ave. in Milwaukee, has been under renovation since March. WRTP | BIG STEP, which provides pre-employment training, aims to improve the recruitment, development and retainment of diverse individuals working in construction, manufacturing and other sectors.

In January 2024, WRTP | BIG STEP received $1.5 million in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to support this renovation project. Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visited the facility for the funding announcement last year, according to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporting. The organization is also soliciting sponsorships for spaces in the facility.

About 25,000 to 35,000 square feet of space is being renovated as part of the project, said Lindsay Blumer, president and CEO of WRTP | BIG STEP.

The building was constructed in 1923 and was originally used as a tractor factory. The renovation project will modernize the facility and create more flexible space for learning and activities. The updated space will allow WRTP | BIG STEP “to think about flexibility of some of the training programs” in order to meet community needs, Blumer said.

“Over time, we’ve really doubled down on this mission of ensuring that everybody has equitable access to apprenticeship pathways,” Blumer said. “Our new space will help us energize that and activate on even more of that, and in new and different ways that we’ve never thought of with a brand new space. But at the heart and soul of it, the mission remains the same.”

The renovation will add meeting rooms, a kitchenette, a lactation room, classroom spaces, open-concept spaces, as well as update the main lobby, among other renovations. The renovated facility will also feature updated tool box and tool storage spaces sponsored by Milwaukee Tool. Other companies, including Mortenson and Duwe Metal Products, are also sponsors of spaces in the facility.

Inside the WRTP | BIG STEP facility is a house where individuals can practice various trade skills, such as plumbing or electrical work. The renovation project will allow greater access to this house, Blumer said.

“That house was there prior to construction, but entirely underutilized,” Blumer said. “Because it was not in a flexible space, it was a little harder to access. This way, we opened it up and we’re going to be able to use it much more. We’re going to be able to incorporate it into our curriculum and more points in that journey.”

As part of the facility renovation, WRTP | BIG STEP is looking to add interior and exterior murals to represent the diversity of tradespeople. The exterior mural will prominently face Wisconsin Avenue. It will not only depict the array of people who build “iconic structures in Milwaukee but also showcase that this is a place where you can be a part of that.”

The renovated facility will be completed in time for WRTP | BIG STEP’s gala at the site on Sept. 18. The event will celebrate BIG STEP’s 50th anniversary and will offer tours of the updated spaces.

“When we think about the number of projects that have happened in Milwaukee in the last 50 years, anywhere from Fiserv Forum, to Northwestern Mutual, to the new Baird Center — we’ve been part of all those projects,” Blumer said. “We are helping Milwaukee residents build these Milwaukee landmarks.”

WRTP | BIG STEP works to help individuals acquire family-sustaining jobs and build community, Blumer said.

“We’re integral because we’re the workforce intermediary and apprenticeship readiness provider,” Blumer said. “I think we’ve served tens of thousands of people over the last 50 years to get into the trades.”

In March, Madison-based nonprofit Ascendium announced a five-year, $10 million grant to WRTP | BIG STEP to lead the newly created Apprenticeship Pathway Coalition Initiative. The funds will support efforts to build collaborative coalitions and grow pathways to certified pre-apprenticeships and registered apprenticeships statewide, Ascendium announced in March.

With the help of the Ascendium grant, WRTP | BIG STEP will take its model — which focuses on partnership, expanding opportunities and creating impact — statewide.

“While those are the three pillars, it doesn’t mean that it looks the same in all parts of Wisconsin,” Blumer said. “What it looks like in Milwaukee isn’t necessarily what it looks like in Appleton or Superior or Stevens Point.”

WRTP | BIG STEP’s new staff in northwest Wisconsin are “assessing the situation, building partnerships and thinking about what that hyperlocal model of WRTP | BIG STEP might look like” in that region, Blumer said.