Press Release: Gov. Evers, Evers Administration Cabinet Take ‘Cabinet on the Road’ to Western Wisconsin

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 05/06/2022 04:06 PM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 6, 2022 
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers, Evers Administration Cabinet Take 'Cabinet on the Road' to Western Wisconsin
 
EAU CLAIRE — Gov. Tony Evers, together with members of his cabinet, hosted ‘Cabinet on the Road’ events in Osseo, Altoona, Menomonie, and Eau Claire to meet with local business owners, farmers, and elected officials to discuss economic development and community development projects benefitting the region and to highlight how the state’s federal funds have assisted these businesses and communities in their economic recovery. 

“Cabinet on the Road is all about the opportunity to work across state agencies and with local partners to tackle challenges head-on—I call it ‘connecting the dots,’ which is really just my way of saying that we have to address these challenges by recognizing that every issue facing our state affects all the others,” said Gov. Evers. “Connecting the dots is as important as ever as we’ve worked to make strategic investments with federal funds to ensure families, farmers, small businesses, and communities had the resources and support to fuel their local recovery, and it was great to see that work firsthand during our visits today.” 

A recent analysis of state allocations showed that as a share of the federal aid Wisconsin received, the state ranks second in the country for aid directed to economic development and first in the country in aid to businesses. 

In Altoona, Gov. Evers, Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Secretary-designee Cheryll Olson-Collins, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes, and Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) Secretary Craig Thompson met with local leaders at Altoona City Hall in Altoona to discuss the city’s redevelopment project which received a more than $1.3 million grant through the Neighborhood Investment Fund Grant Program. This project will redevelop two downtown properties into an office, restaurant, and retail incubator hub to bolster Altoona’s downtown and create a unique regional attraction for residents and visitors. The group then visited Rump’s Butcher Shoppe, where they met with owner, Bob Adrian, to discuss how the project will have a positive impact on other local businesses. The group then visited The Coffee Grounds in Eau Claire, which received a $5,000 Wisconsin Tomorrow Small Business Recovery Grant. 

In Osseo, Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Secretary Randy Romanski, Wisconsin Department of Tourism Secretary-designee Anne Sayers, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Secretary Preston Cole, and Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) Secretary-designee Kathy Blumenfeld visited Brad Goplin at Goplin Homestead Farm in Osseo, a recipient of the Wisconsin Farm Support Program, for a farm tour highlighting the importance of agritourism and watershed and flooding challenges for farmers. Following their farm visit, the group had lunch at The French Press in Eau Claire, which received We’re All In and Wisconsin Tomorrow Small Business Recovery grants. 

In Menomonie, Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek, Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Emilie Amundson, Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Secretary-designee Karen Timberlake, Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) Secretary Peter Barca, and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) Executive Director and CEO Elmer Moore Jr. visited Menomonie City Hall to meet with the city of Menomonie to discuss how the city is utilizing a more than $1.4 million grant through the governor’s Neighborhood Investment Fund Grant Program to build a 20-bed shelter facility to help address homelessness and housing insecurity in the community. Following the visit to city hall, the group visited 6th Avenue Cidery in Menomonie, a recipient of the governor’s Main Street Bounceback Grant Program, where they met with the owners to discuss how the grant program helped their business. While at 6th Avenue Cidery, they were joined by representatives from the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts, which received a $119,537 grant through the governor’s Event Venue Assistance Grant Program. 

The groups then convened at The Brewing Projekt in Eau Claire for a tour of the facility from owner, Will Glass, and to discuss the day’s visits. The Brewing Projekt was a recipient of a Business Development Tax Credit from WEDC. Finally, Gov. Evers and his cabinet held a regularly scheduled cabinet meeting at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire to conclude their day on the road. 
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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