Economic Development Tools

There are a number of different economic tools available to rural businesses, but often these financing mechanisms remain underutilized. This workshop will focus on three different economic development tools, crowdfunding, rural TIF districts, and the Industrial Revenue Bond program, that could be used by rural towns or villages to help establish or expand processing facilities for ag products such as meat, dairy, or other products.

We are pleased to announce the following panelists:

Deb Fabritz and Joe Friesen are with the Wisconsin Division of Securities, which is part of the larger Department of Financial Institutions. Deb is the Director of the Professional Registration & Compliance Bureau and Joe is a Securities Examiner with a focus on filings made by entities who are raising capital. Deb and Joe were both involved in the Division’s launch of an online crowdfunding filing system after the Wisconsin legislature passed Act 52 in 2013. Joe has reviewed every crowdfunding filing submitted to the Division since the law became effective in June 2014. Deb and Joe will talk about how intrastate crowdfunding can be used to raise business capital in Wisconsin and what filings are required to be made with the Division.

Jon Cameron is a Senior Municipal Advisor with Ehlers Public Finance Advisors, a firm that provides economic development services to public sector clients in Wisconsin and several other states.  Jon will discuss Tax Incremental Financing (TIF) and how it can be used by rural municipalities to support development and expansion of processing facilities for agricultural products.

Lynda Templen is a partner at Husch Blackwell LLP and has focused her legal practice on public finance. Known as “The Bond Queen of Wisconsin” among her peers, she is considered the expert in the area of tax-exempt and municipal debt because of her 30-year legal career in handling bond issuances for public and private clients. She handles almost all of the Industrial Revenue Bond projects in the state. and

Steven Sabatke is a Financial Underwriting Manager with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation(WEDC).  Steven has been with WEDC since its formation in 2011.  Prior to that he worked for WEDC’s predecessor, the Wisconsin Department of Commerce primarily underwriting economic development financial assistance applications.  Steven has overseen the State of Wisconsin’s Industrial Revenue Bond Program since 1998

This event is co-sponsored by Compeer Financial, UW Center for Cooperatives, and Wisconsin Farmers Union.