Second Stage Firm Growth Survey Report

Through the assistance of a Department of Defense-Office of Economic Adjustment  (DoD-OEA) grant, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh (UW Oshkosh) has developed a program to assist second stage companies: the Growth Management Academy (GMA).  A survey was conducted in August 2017 to second-stage companies within a five-county area (Brown, Calumet, Fond du Lac, Outagamie, and Winnebago County) to obtain feedback on growth expectations and identify common challenges. The respondents placed a high priority on leadership and governance and the data indicated modest levels of employment and significant recent revenue growth for the region. Understanding the needs of these firms is essential both to the success of the Growth Management Academy and other entrepreneurship initiatives throughout the region.