‘A launchpad for sustained growth’

Andy Sayers of Seadog Creative; Shakkiah Curtis, DBA, of the Pink Hustle Firm; Cristina Villanueva of Ambas Financial Services LLC; and WEDC Vice President of Business and Community Development Mike Ward at MARKETPLACE 2025

MARKETPLACE conference celebrates 44^th year of support for small business development

Throughout 44 years of MARKETPLACE: The Governor’s Conference on Diverse Business Development, Wisconsin has seen many changes—economic, political, demographic, technological—but “one thing has remained steady,” WEDC Senior Director of Diverse Business Development Eugene Manzanet, Ph.D., told attendees at the 2025 MARKETPLACE conference: “the determination of Wisconsin’s communities to continue to adapt, to rebuild, and to keep moving forward with strength, pride, and resilience.”

A full schedule of meetings connected buyers with potential suppliers.

The conference—which has education and networking components as well as an expo hall and a schedule of meetings that connect buyers with suppliers—drew 648 attendees to the in-person Milwaukee conference Dec. 10-11. The Contracting Academy, a virtual offering held Dec. 9 in conjunction with the conference, had 342 attendees.

Although the conference is organized and hosted by WEDC, Alex Ysquierdo, director of the Wisconsin Supplier Diversity Program, noted that it’s Wisconsin business owners who feed the conference’s momentum and spirit. “This room is full of people who don’t wait for progress—they help create it,” he said.

Speaking for conference sponsor WE Energies, Danielle Bly of the organization’s board of directors echoed Ysquierdo’s remarks. “Small business is the heartbeat of Wisconsin,” she said. “You are the innovators, the problem-solvers, the job creators.”

Rest as a revenue strategy

Lia Knox, Ph.D.

Equally important as the business growth objectives shared is the imperative for self-care—this was the message from Lia Knox, Ph.D., who delivered a breakfast keynote on the topic of mental health for business owners. “Businesses don’t burn out. People do,” she said. “When your mind is scattered, your decisions are scattered.”

Knox guided the audience through breathwork and affirmations, leaving them with three key takeaways: Clarity is currency, community is advantage, and rest is a revenue strategy.

Diverse paths to entrepreneurship

A business panel moderated by WEDC Vice President of Business and Community Development Mike Ward featured five business owners

who reflected on how the path to entrepreneurship can be a winding road that looks different for everyone.

Whatever that road looks like, your path is no less legitimate than anyone else’s, said Andy Sayers of Seadog Creative: “Wherever you are in your entrepreneurial journey…doesn’t make you any less of an entrepreneur. You are an entrepreneur. You are doing the work.”

Community connection and support was a recurring theme in factors the business owners pointed to for their success. “We can attribute a lot of our growth to the connections we created through collaborating,” said Amy Woods or FAVORYT BRAND. “It’s really important…to express to those in our community how much we value them,” said Jennifer Gollnick of Data Informed Financial Services. “If you get people to buy into what you believe in, they will build the business for you,” said Shakkiah Curtis, DBA, of the Pink Hustle Firm.

Cristina Villanueva of Ambas Financial Services LLC noted the importance of being strategic with those connections. “So much of the time we’re rushing and we forget to pause and ask, ‘Who do I need to connect?’ ” she said.

Recognition and inspiration

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson

Continuing with the theme of recognizing and inspiring small business owners, Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Kathy Blumenfeld addressed attendees during lunch. “I know that every business starts with a leap of faith, and I want to salute all the entrepreneurs out there for taking that leap,” Blumenfeld said.

Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and Alderman Jose Perez pointed to some of the recent economic development successes in the city of Milwaukee.

“Together, we’re building an economy that is resilient,” said Johnson. “We’re building an economy that is inclusive.”

“When companies think about talent development, I want them to think about Milwaukee,” said Perez. “I want them to think about our region, our state. Together, we can put our state on the map as a destination for innovation-driven development.”

WEDC Board of Directors Chair Pamela Boivin

Pamela Boivin, chair of WEDC’s Board of Directors, spoke about her experience with community development financial institutions (CDFIs) over the course of her career. As the lender providing funding to get small businesses off the ground, “We were educators. We were mentors. We were also problem-solvers. Sometimes we were the emotional support for someone’s entire dream,” said Boivin, who is now program manager for the Native CDFI Network.

Through this work, she saw that “when people have even a small amount of access, their resilience does the rest,” she said.

And she noted the role of MARKETPLACE in accelerating that access: “Opportunities that normally take months and years to align can begin right here today.”

Looking ahead

The conference closed with an invitation to next year’s event, which has already been scheduled for Dec. 8-10, 2026, in Milwaukee.

“MARKETPLACE is more than an event,” said WEDC Senior Director of Diverse Business Development Eugene Manzanet, Ph.D. “It’s a launchpad for sustained growth.”

Manzanet noted that over the last five years, WEDC had invested $6.4 million to fund key strategic partners and an additional $2.2 million in technical assistance to support diverse businesses across Wisconsin—investments whose impact was underscored in the remarks of WEDC Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer Sam Rikkers.

“When we invest in communities, our businesses grow faster,” said Rikkers. “Our businesses are more resilient.”