The University of Wisconsin Division of Extension announces the third Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities Conference for the State of Wisconsin, a conference about rural and small town entrepreneurship. After two successful conferences in Platteville and Wisconsin Rapids with 200+ attendees from 40+ counties each year, the 2026 CEC Conference will be held in Green Lake on May 13-15. Registration for the 2026 Conference is now open at https://economicdevelopment.extension.wisc.edu/cec26/.
The CEC Conference is a small town showcase, featuring the local leaders, local businesses, and local culture of a small Wisconsin town. The CEC in Green Lake will host sessions in local businesses and community institutions, feature food from its local restaurants, and hold networking activities at local attractions. Green Lake, with a population just over 1000 people, is a popular vacation destination and the site of Wisconsin’s deepest lake. The town is known for its boating and water sports, scenic parks, and charming downtown.
The 3rd CEC Conference will feature 14 sessions led by 50+ Green Lake and Statewide entrepreneurs and business support specialists, all focusing on strategies for starting, growing, and supporting local business in Wisconsin’s small towns. This year’s agenda will include sessions about grant-writing, weathering seasonal swings in business revenue, fostering a local creative economy, and a downtown revitalization workshop. The conference will open and close with keynotes by Mark Wilton, a Green Lake entrepreneur and Executive Director of the Green Lake Chamber of Commerce, and Craig Culver, the CEO of Culver’s Restaurants. Attendees will have the opportunity to sign up for a boat tour of Green Lake on The Escapade, sponsored by Jo Ellen and Sean Madden of Green Lake.
The conference also will feature a plein air painting festival. Artists are invited to paint a scene of Green Lake during the conference on May 14 and then display and sell their paintings at the conference evening reception. Prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, 3rd Place, in addition to an honorable mention. The Green Lake Plein Air Festival is sponsored by Art MidWisconsin, Community Economic Development Associates, and Town Square Community Center. Artists who want to participate can register at: https://greenlaketownsquare.org/monthlycalendar/green-lake-plein-air-festival-2026.
UW-Extension received a grant from Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to bring the CEC Conference to Wisconsin. Other Midwestern states, including Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and South Dakota host this conference on an annual basis as part of their statewide rural development strategy.
The CEC conference is hosted by Extension’s Community Economic Development Program, in collaboration with the City of Green Lake, the Green Lake Chamber of Commerce, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation/Office of Rural Prosperity, Office of Business and Entrepreneurship, Wisconsin Women’s Business Initiative Corporation, New North, and East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission.
Questions about the 2026 CEC Conference can be directed to Maggie Cornelius, UW-Extension Outreach Specialist, at mmcornelius@wisc.edu.