MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee rates near the bottom when it comes to starting up new businesses, but a new effort could change that, and that effort is Positively Milwaukee.

“This event is the beginning of a new buzz, a new attitude, a new understanding of what makes our economy tick, in short, a new culture,” John Torinus of Serigraph, Inc. said.

Local business leaders gathered recently at Discovery World, to launch a new program to encourage entrepreneurs in Milwaukee.

"We’re going to take high potential deals, hot entrepreneurs, and give them intense coaching that they need to sprint from the starting line,” Dan Steininger of Steininger & Associates said.

It's called BizStarts Milwaukee, and it will make it easier for future entrepreneurs to go into business.

Milwaukee rates 45th in the top 50 cities for getting businesses started.

CEO's here also want attract to and keep young professionals in the area.

“I do not need to tell you that young people graduating from colleges today do not perceive Wisconsin capable of offering them enough opportunities. Therefore, they're migrating to other states,”

Tina Chang, CEO of Syslogic Software wishes this program had been available when she first began.

"Simply put, if an entity like BizStarts existed when I first started out 12 years ago, I’m confident that Syslogic would have been even further along than we are now,” Chang said.

Thanks to BizStarts, Milwaukee entrepreneurs can go to the Web site and get all sorts of information. Everything from accounting to licensing. It’s really just one stop shopping for people who want to own their own business.

There’s hope this effort will mean new jobs, and a stronger economy for Milwaukee and the region.

"One day other cities will look to BizStarts Milwaukee to serve as a model on how to revitalize a region,” Randy Spalding from Spalding Clinical Research said.

Click on the link under related content for more information on BizStarts Milwaukee.