The St. Croix Valley area in western Wisconsin has become a burgeoning hub for startups and entrepreneurs in recent years, yet the area has also seen its fair share of new business challenges. A new collaboration between local officials is hoping to ease the path for entrepreneurs in the region with the St. Croix Valley Business Incubator.

The incubator, a collaboration between the City of River Falls, the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, Chippewa Valley Technical College (CVTC) and the River Falls Economic Development Corporation, received a $1.4 million grant to being operations and construct a new facility. The project also received a $250,000 grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation.

The new multi-use facility will house 24 small or startup businesses, and will provide workforce training and businesses mentoring services in order to meet the group’s goal of accelerating growth among new and existing businesses in the region. The facility will also feature 13,000 square feet of general manufacturing and 18,000 square feet of office space and common areas.

UW-River Falls will supply a director for the incubator, along with access to additional resources, such as faculty, students and office space. CVTC will also provide business mentoring through faculty and other expertise.

The incubator will be a flagship tenant in the newly developed Sterling Ponds Corporate Park in River Falls. Find more information about the project and application details.