Small businesses are the backbone of the American economy, employing nearly half of the American workforce and representing approximately 99.9% of all businesses in the U.S., according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Despite this, small businesses only account for around 44% of U.S. economic activity, meaning that much of the economy is reliant on large corporations.
While corporations might provide convenience and slightly lower prices, small businesses are what keep communities together and the American Dream alive. Successful small businesses keep money in their local community and can even bring in revenue that can support local public services. And oftentimes the people and stories behind these small businesses provide a unique opportunity for meeting and event planners to learn and connect with their event’s host destination and forge a deeper connection between the destination and attendees.
Visit Milwaukee understands the value small businesses add to the local community as well as visitors. In November, the DMO announced it had partnered with 1,000 local Milwaukee businesses to promote and showcase what makes Milwaukee a great place to visit. And today, over 31% of those business partners are minority, LGBTQ+, veteran or women owned.
To truly understand what Milwaukee is about, you don’t have to look any further than the diverse small business owners that make up its local economy. Consider contracting with one of these small businesses for your next meeting, event or conference in the 414.
HoneyBee Sage
In November 2018, massage therapist Angela Mallett founded Honeybee Sage, a retail herbal apothecary that utilized medicinal herbs to create herbal teas, mocktails and clean body products that can be used to heal a variety of ailments. Mallett says she has used these herbal blends herself for years prior to starting her business and claims they can help treat a variety of issues such as menstrual cramps, anxiety, headaches, immune support and more.
“There’s only so much I can do as one person, touching one body at a time,” Mallett said. “So, I knew that I wanted to expand my offerings beyond message so that I could reach a larger audience…My goal with getting into herbs was to be able to have an offering that I could share with folks that was not pharmaceutical—something more natural and holistic.”
In 2022, Mallett opened a cafe in downtown Milwaukee to serve her blended teas as prepared drinks and provide a healthier alternative to beverages like coffee and alcoholic beverages, as well as a healing space to help calm those who are busy and on-the-go.
In an industry as stressful as meetings and events—and during an age when people are more mindful about their personal well-being—Mallett’s small apothecary provides a unique opportunity for planners to provide a wellness option that is not only healthy and soothing for attendees, but representative of Milwaukee as a whole.
“Being a part of Visit Milwaukee has been very helpful,” Mallett said. “Having them to kind of throw our hat in the ring for when people are looking for unique vendor or beverage options, we get the opportunity to make connections and share what we’re doing here in Milwaukee with folks from all over the country and sometimes the world.”
Honeybee Sage was asked to accompany Visit Milwaukee as a vendor at PCMA’s 2024 Convening Leaders event, where they prepared beverage samples for upwards of 2,000 attendees per day, proving to themselves and meeting planners alike that they can accommodate larger events.
[Related: 5 Unforgettable Group Food and Beverage Experiences in Milwaukee]
BKlear H2O
Meetings and events love their branded water bottles. If you’re considering them for your next Milwaukee event, double the benefit by choosing a vendor that not only can customize water bottles for your attendees, but can do some good in the process.
United States Airforce veteran and registered nurse Muhammad Mahdi created Bklear H2O (or Bklear Water) in October 2020 to help provide a sustainable and healthier alternative to traditional disposable water bottles. Bklear produces alkaline water in aluminum bottles, which not only helps reduce plastic waste, but provides an important health benefit.
“Most of our bodies, from the air we breathe to the food we consume to the drinks we sip, most of the time it’s acidic,” Mahdi explained. “With our diets being primarily acidic, this can be found, a lot of times, as the root cause of sickness and disease. Our acidic diet produces mucus…and mucus is a host for viral and bacterial infections. So, if you have a more alkaline diet, to combat the acidic consumption, you are balancing out to hopefully alleviate illness and sickness.”
Mahdi also says that the acidic nature of most bottled water can break down the plastic of the bottle and release harmful chemicals, such as Bisphenol A (BPA), which when ingested can lead to cancer and hormonal issues. This is why, along with aluminum being a more sustainable material, Bklear bottles are made with aluminum.
Another key part of Bklear’s mission is to give back to communities in need. Bklear has provided water in areas such as Flint, Michigan, as well as Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Bklear and Mahdi have even helped to build wells in places like Lamu, Kenya and Guatemala City, Guatemala. Bklear has also pledged to plant one tree for every case of water sold.
“My life has always been about service...it comes to me naturally,” Mahdi said on his website. “It’s an honor to be able to say that I’ve held the position as an instructor, USAF veteran and, of course, a nurse…We all deserve fresh water and a cleaner earth. BKlear tackles them both!”
Bklear water bottles can be sourced for any size of meeting or event, with Mahdi able to service any number of attendees if given enough notice. Additionally, Bklear bottles can be white-labeled and customized for companies to add their own logo or message on the bottle.
[Related: Touring the Latest and Greatest Meetings Offerings in Madison, Wisconsin Dells and Milwaukee]
Alice’s Garden
In 1972, a community garden was established on the north side of Milwaukee in the space where a canceled freeway project uprooted an entire neighborhood. Today, Alice’s Garden stands at over two acres and provides the community with food through its regenerative urban farming programs and serves as a cultural beacon for the area.
The garden is named in honor of Alice Meade-Taylor, a prominent community figure and longtime advocate for urban community programs in Milwaukee who passed away in 2001. In 2014, local Lutheran minister Venice Williams was appointed the first executive director of Alice’s Garden to help run the garden and expand its influence on the city.
“We’re really about cultivating community and cultivating the diversity that coexists in plants and creatures and within humanity,” Williams said. “And using farming and gardening and health activities and reading circles…it’s an invitation to slow down and be present with yourself and with other people.”
Alice’s Garden provides a host of activities and opportunities for the community, including 100 garden plots, an herbal meditation path, reading circles, culinary and gardening classes, herbal gatherings, outdoor artisan market and environmental education. The outdoor garden is also available for group rentals on Wednesday and Friday evenings, providing a pavilion with four tables, an additional eight picnic tables and a grassy gathering area that can accommodate around 150 attendees.
“That outdoor space is what people know the most, because it’s just beautiful,” Williams said with a smile. “By the time you hit mid-July, [the garden] is just overflowing with so much abundance…the sky is your ceiling.”
In 2022, Venice’s The Table ministry was gifted a building about three miles from Alice’s Garden that helped expand the garden’s ability to service both the local community and meetings and events. While Alice’s Garden is only available during Milwaukee’s warmer months (June-October), The Table is a year-round facility and has a conference area that can accommodate several hundred attendees, a food area that can accommodate 100 and a small meeting space that can accommodate around 25.
“The average conference room is not necessarily an inspiring and stimulating place, Alice’s Garden is,” Williams joked. “Especially for people who are coming from out of town, they literally get a new view of the city of Milwaukee that you would never get unless you were at Alice’s Garden.”
