Press Release

Grants Help Steer Business Development Downtown

Grants to new and expanding businesses help strengthen and expand the commercial base in downtown Oshkosh, WI.

(Boonton, NJ, December 15, 2009) — Downtowns can be expensive and challenging places to open up shop, so incentives are helpful in tipping the scales in downtown's favor.

Through the Downtown Oshkosh (WI) Business Improvement District's Recruitment Fund, the BID will provide grants to new businesses or to existing businesses planning substantial expansions in the BID.

Since the program was developed in 2003, the BID has awarded 33 downtown Recruitment Fund Grants. "We've distributed over $145,000 dollars, and we've leveraged over $3 million dollars in private investment. And this has created or retained over 276 jobs," says Maureen Lasky, downtown BID manager.

In the article which appeared in the December 15th issue of Downtown Idea Exchange, Lasky further notes that the incentive program is her number-one sales pitch for the community. "This is a great way for someone to say, 'Well this would give me a head start to get my business up and running.'"

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About Downtown Idea Exchange

Downtown Idea Exchange newsletter is published by the Downtown Research & Development Center. For more than 50 years, the Downtown Research & Development Center has provided a forum for exchanging news, information and ideas on how to rebuild the hearts of our cities.

Website: http://www.DowntownDevelopment.com