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July 6, 2026
NORTH CENTRAL WISCONSIN – The Wisconsin Procurement Institute (WPI), a Milwaukee-area nonprofit, is helping recognize, support and grow the for-profit potential within the federally designated HUBZones of Lincoln and Langlade counties.
WPI Executive Director/President Aina Vilumsons said in recent years, the two North Central Wisconsin counties were designated in recent years as Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zones – a federal program designed to stimulate economies with low income and high unemployment – following a request from Gov. Tony Evers.
“Each year, the governor of a [respective] state can request… that certain areas of the state… be designated as HUBZones,” she said.
Per the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) online HUBZone Map (maps.certify.sba.gov), Lincoln and Langlade counties were approved for the program in February 2024 – with the designation expiring in roughly two years on July 1, 2028.
About halfway through its designated timeframe, Vilumsons said the WPI – and its accompanying program, APEX Accelerator – exist to bring awareness to those kinds of opportunities before they lapse.
“[We] work with businesses in the state on their efforts to work with government entities,” she said. “Whether it be local government, state government, federal or DoD (former Department of War, now Defense) – whether it’s prime (holding a direct contract with the federal government) or a part of the supply chain – that’s our mission.”
Per its website (sba.gov), the SBA states the goal is to award “3% of federal contract dollars to HUBZone-certified companies each year.”
In order to be a HUBZone certified company, the SBA further states a business must:
- Be a small business according to SBA size standards
- Be at least 51% owned and controlled by U.S. citizens, a Community Development Corporation, an agricultural cooperative, an Alaska Native corporation, a Native Hawaiian organization or an Indian tribe
- Have its principal office located in a HUBZone
- Have at least 35% of its employees living in a HUBZone
Vilumsons said these qualifications help the program support several goals: encouraging businesses to operate within HUBZones; bringing attention to existing small businesses within HUBZones; and propping up economies identified as having minimal employment opportunities.
“So [WPI’s] work includes everything from working with a company to see if it’s a good market or not, helping them enter the marketplace and then helping them grow in the marketplace,” she said.
Through educational webinars, in-person conferences, individual consultations and outreach efforts, Vilumsons said the WPI works with roughly 1,300 businesses a year across Wisconsin’s 72 counties.
“We have a statewide footprint,” she said. “We have our main office down in Wauwatosa, we have a full-time office in Camp Douglas, near Volk Field and Fort McCoy, and then we have part-time offices at several locations, including Green Bay.”
Contracts, compliance and certifications
Coming up on its 40th anniversary, Vilumsons said WPI – which is supported by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) – was founded by former Wisconsin U.S. Congressman Les Aspin, “who later went on to be the Secretary of Defense.”
Working in the areas of government contracts, compliance and certifications, Vilumsons said WPI’s “sweet spot” is federal contracting, specifically with the DoD.
“We work with a lot of manufacturers, a lot of construction [companies], a lot of technology, R&D and IT firms throughout the state,” she said. “Defense contracting… federal dollars, in general, are pretty significant in Wisconsin.”
With existing federal contractors – such as Oshkosh Defense, Fincantieri and Marine Travel Lift – operating in the state, Vilumsons said the HUBZone program helps bring their attention to areas in Wisconsin they may not yet have considered for their next project.
“You have more work coming into your area,” she said. “The whole intent is to bring business to those areas that lead to the need for employment, because the designation is based on unemployment and personal income.”
Opportunity awareness
Vilumsons said the HUBZone program also helps draw the attention of government agencies or contractors to local small businesses that can be employed to fulfill necessary duties.
She said the opportunities can vary in size and scope – but to be aware of them, “you need to be part of the system.”
“There are opportunities, but you need to know how to look…,” she said. “There are registrations and prep work, but for good reason – the government wants to know who they’re working with and to make sure it’s above board.”
For example, Vilumsons said organizations in Wisconsin such as the National Park Service, Veterans Affairs and military bases, require all outside contractors and service providers to be thoroughly vetted to perform government work.
“Our work is to look at how we can help these companies build and grow in this market,” she said. “We just did an event in Appleton, for example, for defense contractors [to discuss] contract management issues. The biggest obstacle right now in that space is cybersecurity – it’s demanded by the [DoD], and it’s expensive and challenging to implement in a business situation… That’s why we exist. It’s a great opportunity.”
Vilumsons said WPI also helps businesses take advantage of opportunities like the Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Women-Owned Small Business and many other certification programs.
“HUBZones are one of the programs that can give a company an edge in the marketplace,” she said. “No one is going to come find you if they don’t know you’re there.”
That being said, Vilumsons said the HUBZone program is unique in the fact that its efforts target specific areas and demographics struggling with economic opportunity – providing them with visibility that helps build stability.
“The whole purpose of it is to be an economic driver for areas, especially in rural areas, that have a more difficult time bringing work in,” she said. “There are huge opportunities in the rural parts of our state, and the HUBZone program is there to help [bring awareness] to that – not just in Wisconsin, but nationwide.”
For additional information on the WPI and its services, visit wispro.org.
To learn more about the HUBZone program and other SBA opportunities, navigate to its aforementioned website.
