Wisconsin
| Program | # of Grants | EDA Funds |
|---|---|---|
| Economic Adjustment Assistance | 1 | $81,700 |
| Public Works | 1 | $800,000 |
| Planning | 6 | $793,792 |
| Technical Assistance |
2 | $394,000 |
| Total | 10 | $2,069,492 |
Southwest Wisconsin’s economy is heavily reliant on manufacturing and agriculture. While the jobs in both sectors are prevalent, they are often low-paying, seasonal jobs with limited benefits for growth or advancement. A key priority for the region is to continue to diversify the manufacturing base and provide economic resiliency to the existing manufacturing base. In 2010, EDA funded the construction of storm water management facilities to serve 31 acres of a city-owned industrial park. Since that time, 20 acres have been developed by a Swiss-based cheese company that has invested over $44 million in the region.
With little acreage left for development in the existing industrial park, the City of Platteville acquired an adjacent parcel that would open up an additional 39 acres for development. In 2014, EDA invested $800,000 in the City through a Public Works grant to extend road, water, and sewer services to serve the industrial park expansion. The project will support job creation for two companies and the expansion of the region’s agriculture processing cluster, using sustainable environmentally and energy efficient methods and create jobs paying above-average wages for the region. This project is expected to create 75 new jobs and has the potential to attract over $50 million in private investment.