07/20/2009 Lt. Governor Lawton attends the 13th annual Statewide Affordable Housing Conference
July 21, 2009 Lt. Governor Lawton keynotes Teacher of the Year Gala
Lt. Governor Lawton keynoted the “Teacher of the Year” dinner Tuesday night at the 64th Annual Correctional Education Association Conference, an international gathering of teachers, administrators and librarians working in the correctional education field.
Left) Lt. Governor Lawton speaks at the 64th Annual Correctional Education Association’s Teacher of the Year Gala.
The dinner, themed “Dancing with the Stars of Education,” highlighted the work of nine teachers from across the country who demonstrated an exemplary commitment to rehabilitating and educating the incarcerated. Lt. Governor Lawton applauded the work of these teachers and all 400 attendees. She shared stories of cutting-edge models coming from Wisconsin and noted the importance of correctional education as a cost-effective strategy to prevent recidivism and facilitate successful re-entry to society.
July 22, 2009 Statewide Affordable Housing Conference
Lt. Governor Lawton spoke of the critical work of the Wisconsin Collaborative for Affordable Housing in the midst of this economic crisis where unprecedented numbers of people are losing their homes to foreclosure, losing jobs and becoming increasingly vulnerable to homelessness. She outlined state government’s role in providing affordable housing at the 13th annual Statewide Affordable Housing Conference, titled “A Home for Everyone 2009: Building a Foundation for the Future.”
Lt. Governor Lawton speaks at the 13th annual Affordable Housing Conference
She also discussed President Obama’s FY2010 budget proposal for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and highlighted new affordable housing programs in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
The Wisconsin Collaborative for Affordable Housing is a coalition of government agencies, community-based organizations, private developers and social justice advocates committed to promoting the development and preservation of affordable housing in Wisconsin. Some of its constituent organizations include the Wisconsin Community Action Program Association, the Wisconsin Council for Affordable and Rural Housing, the Wisconsin Council of Churches, the Wisconsin Department of Commerce – Division of Housing and Community Development, and the Wisconsin Division of Public Health.
July 23, 2009 Lt. Governor Lawton travels to Manitowoc and Beaver Dam to announce new tools to ease the credit crunch
Lt. Governor Lawton stopped in Manitowoc and Beaver Dam Thursday to announce the availability of new Small Business Administration (SBA) tools to help small businesses access capital.
“The collapse of financial markets makes it increasingly difficult for small businesses to receive payroll loans, expand inventories, or grow in ways that create new jobs,” Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton said. “These expanded SBA programs reinvest in small business prosperity by helping them access capital immediately and at cheaper rates. I am here today to urge struggling local businesses to talk to their lending institutions about these new options.”
Above) Lt. Governor Lawton explains new opportunities for small businesses at the MX Megastore in Manitowoc.
Lawton described small businesses as vital to the state’s economic wellbeing, noting that small businesses have created about 70 percent of net new jobs each year for the last ten years. She said the new SBA loan offerings will help small businesses prosper and allow them to expand even amidst difficult economic conditions.
Left) Lt. Governor Lawton, Jeff Jagodinsky of Bank First National, Dave Klein of MX Megastore, Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nichols and Eric Ness of the SBA
“Small businesses anchor their communities, circulating money locally and providing high-quality jobs for residents. We want them positioned to drive economic recovery and create new jobs,” Lt. Governor Lawton said.
Lt. Governor Lawton also visited MX Megastore in Manitowoc, where owner Dave Klein received a $229,500 loan with $6,885 in fees waived. Klein said he will use the loan money to purchase a new building for the company.
In Beaver Dam, Lt. Governor Lawton visited Northwoods Paper Converting, a company that provides paper mills, printers and merchants paper converting services. Owner Chad Abel received a $987,000 SBA 504 loan, with $20,780 in fees waived, to expand his building operations.
“The SBA loan was a great option for us,” Abel said. “It was very attractive to the company because it saved us money with the elimination of fees and helped our cash flow by getting a 20 year fixed-rate term. We are hoping to add 10-15 new employees.”
Small businesses interested in learning more about these programs should visit
http://sba.gov.
