GMC: Transitioning Scale Up Milwaukee initiative to The Business Council

MILWAUKEE (Oct. 17, 2023) – The Greater Milwaukee Committee (GMC) announced that Scale Up Milwaukee, a decade-long initiative within the GMC, will transition to The Business Council beginning in January 2024. The Business Council provides resources, education and tools to assist ethnically diverse businesses and corporations throughout Southeast Wisconsin. Launched as a pilot business accelerator program in 2013, Scale Up Milwaukee has evolved into a catalyst for minority and women-owned businesses in disadvantaged communities to build foundations for success.

“The Business Council is excited to carry on the foundation of growth for entrepreneurs with the most challenging barriers,” said Marjorie Rucker, executive director, The Business Council. “This work must continue in our community to offer access and create equitable opportunities for entrepreneurs and Milwaukee as a whole to experience sustainable growth.”

Scale Up Milwaukee curriculum and programs focus on sales, marketing, finance and hiring for businesses within each cohort. Nearly 300 companies have graduated from Growth Accelerator or SPARC, increasing collective revenue by $200 million. Graduates have hired more than 1,500 employees, mostly in the Milwaukee area, and many of the companies have gone on to buy and rehabilitate buildings, open multiple locations, hire additional employees, and increase wages.

Scale Up Milwaukee has provided access to resources for many entrepreneurs in the Milwaukee region, with a specific focus on reducing barriers and creating equity for BIPOC and female entrepreneurs. This new partnership with The Business Council will ensure the work continues and expands by leveraging Business Council resources dedicated to BIPOC and female entrepreneurs and businesses in the region.

Over its 75-year history, the GMC has incubated programs that flourish and develop into separate operating entities, including the Water Council, United Performing Arts Fund, BizStarts, and Milwaukee Succeeds.

“The GMC has a rich history of working with our community to identify solutions to systemic challenges. Through Scale Up Milwaukee, we have been able to build a foundation of success for business to grow, but also for an entire community to understand how to create an equitable ecosystem that can reduce barriers to entrepreneurial sustainability,” said Joel Brennan, president, Greater Milwaukee Committee.