Non-Real Estate Projects

This page holds all MDC Non-Real Estate Projects. You can also view information on Active Projects here or Completed Projects here.

2004
Milwaukee 7 -onging planning/implementation

City of Milwaukee, MMAC and GMC: Toured Ohio and looked at best practices for what would become the Milwaukee 7 Partnership for Economic Development.  Project management facilitation of business expansion and attraction and regional marketing became the basis of M7.  Planning efforts with Deloitte, Vanderwalle, RW Ventures, Brookings and EDA formed the basis for cluster development, entrepreneurship, exports, talent, disadvantaged communities plans and execution. Also included a regional plan for growth; comprehensive economic development strategy; manufacturing communities (IMCP), disadvantaged communities, electronics industry supply chain planning and implementation grants.  MDC helps staff the M7 Regional Economic Development Partnership. Since inception in 2005, M7 has garnered 129 wins representing 27,785 jobs worth over $1.6B in payroll and $5.5B in capital expenditures.  Wages for these new jobs are well over the regional average wage of $50,349. 

2016
Investment: $100,000 / Impact: $2,000,000
M7 Venture Capital Fund

Established a fund by leveraging its dollars with the state ($500K) and MEDC ($500K).  The focus was second stage start-ups and pre-seed companies in advanced manufacturing and technology. 7 companies awarded a mix of loans and grants (Securus Data Center, TheMiniClassy, Cata LLC/HaloVino, Okanjo Partners, LaPavia Beverage, Vivid Microscopy, MRH Products)

2016-2026
Investment: $1,500,000
Wisconsin Women's Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC)

$1.5M to WWBIC loan fund to support its expansion from $6m in capital.   $750K was repaid in 2022.  Funds are loaned to entrepreneurs statewide. Over the past two years, over $14M in loans for the M7 Region.  70% Female-owned, 65% Minority-owned, 4% Disabled-owned, 6% Veteran-owned.  53% qualified as Low Income.  M7 region comprised 64% of the State’s loan distributions.

2016-2024
Investment: $150,000
KIVA

128 micro-loans funded totalling $231,950.  42% AfrAmer, 33% Caucasian, 16% Hispanic, 62% female, 35 service businesses funded, 30 Retail, 23 food.  

2020-2021
Rebuild and Revitalize

MDC administered grant dollars provided by MMAC members to immediately replace store fronts and lost inventory damaged during the civil unrest. 35 companies received funds totalling $154K.  Sherman Phoenix tenants received rental assistance in the amount of $63,240.  5 BID projects funded $15k each.  $292,403 total funds disbursed for the program.

2021-2022
Investment: $38,260,000
Mainstreet Bounceback

With Federal Funds funneled through WEDC, MDC partnered  with MEDC to process 3,826 $10,000 grants distributed to entrepreneurs in Southeast Wisconsin for opening or expanding into commercial facilities as part of the MainStreet Bounceback program.  Demographics: 2446 Minority Owned, 2331 Women Owned, 145 Veteran Owned, 111 Disabled Owned, 252   LGBTQ Owned.  Counties: 99 Kenosha, 2396 Milwaukee, 167 Ozaukee, 386 Racine, 115 Walworth, 162  Washington, 501 Waukesha.

2023
Emerging Developer & Community Building Fund

Partner with the Wisconsin Preservation Fund (WPF) and collaborate with banks, foundations and financing entities like ours to build a platform with more effective pathways and processes among funders, emerging developers and other community resources like Marquette’s ACRE real estate program. Twin goals are to increase real estate reinvestment in disadvantaged neighborhoods while supporting largely minority developers who would not otherwise have the financial means to launch. Diversifying the real estate development profession will help create generational wealth in a vested local community. Beyond improving collaboration and pathways, our financial goal is to further leverage our dollars by adding $2m in commitments to the fund over the next year and receive another $2m in commitments for participations in larger projects.