Rib Lake Economic Development Foundation to host Downtown Commercial Open House

The Rib Lake Economic Development Foundation met on March 15 at the Village Hall. Treasurer Amy Ketterhagen discussed the Boots on the Ground program that the Foundation will be hosting in partnership with the Medford Chamber of Commerce.

On May 11 the Foundation will host this event for local business leaders, entrepreneurs, and others who may be interested in commercial space in downtown Rib Lake. The Economic Development Foundation will be providing a guided tour that evening starting with some current local businesses and then walking through various vacant commercial buildings throughout downtown with the hopes of uniting business-minded individuals with new spaces to create and provide services to the greater Rib Lake community. More information regarding this event will be forthcoming, and if you have any questions regarding this event feel free to reach out to RiblakeEDF@hotmail.com.

Director Ben Greiner brought a proposal for a micro grant initiative. The Foundation discussed various options of providing small loans, grants, or mixed loans and grants. Overall, the foundation moved to provide 2-3 $1,000 grants via application. A motion was also made for a sub-committee to work on the creation of an application and a timeline to bring back to the group at the next meeting.

The Rib Lake Economic Foundation will be exploring working with the Village to create a webpage within the Village of Rib Lake’s website. Along with this, discussion took place around joining the WEDC Connecting Communities organization and around the vacant lot across from Rib Lake High School. The next Rib Lake Economic Development Committee will be April 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Rib Lake Village Hall and will include time for input from community members.