Director proposes plan to aid business start-ups

Paul Ehrfurth didn’t need to look far to find a way to help small business start-ups succeed; he just looked up. Ehrfurth, director of Oconto County Economic Development Corporation, has obtained bids to renovate the second floor of the OCEDC building, 1113 Main St., Oconto. OCEDC owns the historic building in Oconto’s downtown, and Ehrfurth said the unused space would be a prime site for a small business incubator. “The challenge is going to be to come up with a half million dollars to develop it,” he said. It’s a goal he’ll work toward in 2014 and 2015, seeking funding from state and federal economic development agencies, along with other sources. Ehrfurth said 30 to 50 percent of all new businesses fail within the first year, but by extending resources to these start-ups through a business incubator, 80 percent survive their first year. The space at OCEDC would be appropriate for service-based businesses; a light manufacturing incubator would be something to consider in the future, Ehrfurth said. Renovations at the building would include the addition of an elevator. Before being named OCEDC director, Ehrfurth spent 30 years in the fields of business consulting and economic development. He previously managed an incubator on Potts Avenue in Green Bay and established an incubator at Northeast Wisconsin Technical College.