On October 17, Philip B. Flynn, president and CEO, Associated Bank, was joined by members of Associated’s leadership team and several community partners for a ribbon cutting of the Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation (WWBIC) new business center. The center is located in the Appleton Associated Bank branch on Casaloma drive.

 

WWBIC is a statewide organization that provides lending and other business resources to women, people of color and low-income individuals. This includes providing quality business education programing and access to capital.

 

The new Appleton location will help increase visibility, support and service throughout Northeast Wisconsin. WWBIC also has offices in Milwaukee, Madison, Racine and Kenosha.

 

Having provided assistance for more than 30 years, WWBIC was one of the first funded Women’s Business Centers in the country. Associated Bank supports their mission through financial resources and volunteerism.

 

Earlier this year, Associated Bank provided a $1 million investment in the WWBIC loan fund. This investment will help to provide micro loans to women and minority owned small business. The company also provided $25 thousand in charitable donations through our corporate and community development pools this year.

 

In addition, Associated Bank colleagues will help lead 18 financial education sessions in the greater Milwaukee area for WWBIC borrowers in 2018. The sessions provide insight on topics such as turning a hobby into a business, identity theft protection, and budgeting and understanding debt. The sessions further provide loan recipients with the tools and insights to successfully manage their small businesses.

 

Flynn recognized WWBIC’s Chief Visionary Officer Wendy Baumann for her work in the community and for serving on Associated Bank’s Wisconsin Community Advisory Council. Through her partnership, and the partnership of other council members, Associated Bank is able to extend our reach into underserved markets and work to address some of the most important economic development issues in the markets we serve.