Evers and cabinet secretaries tour western Wisconsin touting economic recovery efforts

Gov. Tony Evers and a number of his cabinet secretaries spent Friday traveling across western Wisconsin to highlight the administration’s economic recovery efforts. 

Evers and Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, along with the secretaries of the Departments of Financial Institutions; Transportation; Tourism; Natural Resources; Administration; Revenue; Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection; Children and Families; Workforce Development and the leaders of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and Housing and Economic Development Authority made stops in Menomonie, Altoona, Osseo and Eau Claire on Friday. 

In Menomonie, a portion of the group visited city hall to meet with recipients of the Neighborhood Investment Fund grant program, which helps local and tribal governments invest in neighborhood recovery. In Menomonie, the funds are helping increase housing access. The group also visited the 6th Avenue Cidery, which received a Main Street Bounceback Grant — a program using federal relief dollars to help local downtown businesses cover costs.

In Altoona, the group also visited city hall to talk about how the Neighborhood Investment Fund is being used to fund a redevelopment project before going to a local butcher to discuss how the redevelopment will help local businesses. 

At the same time as the Altoona visit, another group headed to Osseo to visit the Goplin Homestead Farm, which received direct aid payments through the Wisconsin Farm Support Program. 

In the afternoon, Evers and the cabinet members gathered together at The Brewing Projekt, a craft brewery in Eau Claire which received aid through the WEDC’s Business Development Tax Credit Program.