back October 6, 2006 Ryan Announces SBA Grant for Women’s Business Center Serving Racine-Kenosha Areas MILWAUKEE – Wisconsin’s First District Congressman Paul Ryan joined the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Steven Preston at an event in Milwaukee this week to announce that the SBA has awarded a grant that will enable the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) to open a new Women’s Business Center in Racine.  WWBIC will use the grant funding to establish this center that will provide resources to emerging entrepreneurs in the Racine and Kenosha-area communities. The Women’s Business Center project is for a five-year term and the award is issued annually. The award amount for this first project year (Sept. 2006 – Sept. 2007) is $150,000. The match amount that the Women’s Business Center must raise is $75,000.  The WWBIC promotes economic development through business education, technical assistance and access to capital for entrepreneurs – focusing on assisting women, low-income individuals, and minorities. A specific site in Racine for the Women’s Business Center has not yet been determined.  “We’re working to make sure that neighborhood businesses and potential small-business owners have the resources they need to bring their ideas to life and add good jobs to our area,” Ryan said. “This grant will advance this goal by allowing the WWBIC to set up a Women’s Business Center that will serve people in the Racine and Kenosha area and act as an incubator for new businesses and jobs.” Ryan sent a letter to the WWBIC in May expressing his support for their efforts to open a new Women’s Business Center serving the Racine and Kenosha areas. They included this letter with their application for SBA funding to support the establishment of the new center.  Print Contact: Kate Matus (202) 226-7326