Doyle seeks local help to `Grow Wisconsin'

By Guadelupe Rendon

Monday, February 2, 2004 12:59 AM CST

RACINE - Jos� Arroyo was one of several small business owners from Racine who braved the January sub-zero weather to attend the Governor's Grow Wisconsin Forum held this week at the Kenosha Public Museum, 5500 First Ave.

Arroyo, 34, who owns I'deal Concrete Co., was glad to hear that the governor said he wanted to include everyone in his efforts.

"I heard some things that would help me as a small minority-owned business," he said. "I did not realize that as a small business owner that I could benefit from major state projects such as the Marquette Interchange."

Gov. Jim Doyle told the standing-room-only crowd on Thursday that one of his goals through this initiative is the creation of opportunities for small business owners, especially minorities. He said he would also like to create high-level paying jobs for Wisconsin residents.

"We want to create a `pool' of applicants, contractors and bidders to draw from," he said. "If Wisconsin is going to grow we have to have everybody helping us grow this state. We have to take this whole economy and move it up one step."

Nathaniel Jermaal Conver III, 25, has his own construction company. He felt that while he did get some information that would help his business, most of what he heard was political.

"What he, Doyle, said sounded good, but I heard him say one thing and when we went to the state representatives I was told something different," Conver said.

Eddie Malacara, the owner of More Homes Realty, had some of the same reservations about what he was hearing from the governor and his administrators. "I've heard other programs such as this before and they have not produced what they promote," Malacara said. "We'll have to see."

However unlike Malacara and Conver, Roberto Garza, a member of Racine's Hispanic Business and Professionals Association, and Craig Oliver, social adjunct for St. Paul Baptist Church in Racine, felt the governor's initiative was a good thing.

"An initiative like this will level the playing field when it comes to minority businesses having access to government contracts," said Oliver. "This is something that we did not have in the past, the government has to remain accessable to us."

Garza, 47, who also works at the Workforce Development Center in Racine, felt that this was a good first step. He felt that the government was trying to streamline the process for the small business owner to compete for government jobs.

"It is up to us to take the information and take advantage of the programs made available through this initiative."

Cory Nettles, secretary for the state Department of Commerce, said that the governor wanted to raise Wisconsin jobs to a higher level.

"We want to do a much better job of making state resources available," he said. "We are going to do everything that we can to make this part of the state become stronger again."

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