Bellgrove Lenders, a small-business funding broker in Appleton, Wisconsin, works from 123 S Appleton St in ZIP 54911. Outagamie County had 5,304 employer establishments in 2023, 46.5 percent with fewer than five employees, and 12,522 owner-only businesses in 2024 (Census). Each credit decision, rate and term belongs to a lending partner.
| Counties | Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago |
|---|---|
| Office ZIP | 54911: 923 employers (ZBP 2023) |
| Outagamie County employers | 5,304 (CBP 2023) |
| Under five employees | 46.5% of county employers |
| Owner-only businesses | 12,522 (NES 2024) |
| Most establishments | Retail trade, 683 |
| Housing units authorized | 1,022 in 2025 (BPS) |
Appleton, Wisconsin, in three counties
This page is about Appleton, Wisconsin. Appleton, Minnesota and an Appleton in Arkansas are different places, and Appleton City, Missouri is another, so add "WI" when searching for local records.
Appleton is not a one-county city. Its land reaches into Outagamie, Calumet and Winnebago counties (Census 2020 place-by-county file). Bellgrove's address, 123 S Appleton St, sits in ZIP 54911, in Outagamie County, so the county figures below are for Outagamie County and are labelled that way. They describe the county, not the city limits.
Outagamie County, WI employers by sector
Outagamie County had 5,304 employer establishments in 2023, with 101,784 paid employees and about $6.26 billion in annual payroll (U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023).
| Sector | Establishments | Share under five employees |
|---|---|---|
| Retail trade | 683 | 33.2% |
| Construction | 632 | 59.0% |
| Health care and social assistance | 587 | 38.7% |
| Other services | 541 | 56.2% |
| Accommodation and food services | 503 | 24.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 374 | 62.6% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Manufacturing had fewer establishments, 344, but the largest payroll in the county, about $1.41 billion, and 19,385 paid employees.
Most Outagamie County, WI employers are small
In 2023, 2,468 of the county's employer establishments had fewer than five employees, 985 had five to nine and 819 had ten to nineteen. Only 159 had a hundred or more (CBP 2023). Size matters for funding: in a business with a handful of staff, the owner's own credit and bank history usually carry much of the review, and many offers include a personal guarantee.
Owner-only businesses
Separately, 12,522 Outagamie County businesses had no paid employees in 2024 (U.S. Census Bureau, Nonemployer Statistics 2024). The largest groups were real estate and rental (1,610), professional services (1,594), retail (1,223), other services (1,217) and construction (1,117). This count comes from a different program and a later year than the employer count, so the two should be read side by side, not added together.
The office ZIP code, 54911
ZIP 54911 had 923 employer establishments in 2023, with 20,702 paid employees and about $1.20 billion in annual payroll; 41.8 percent of those establishments had fewer than five employees (U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns 2023).
| Sector | Establishments |
|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 141 |
| Accommodation and food services | 139 |
| Other services | 116 |
| Retail trade | 113 |
| Finance and insurance | 76 |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 64 |
| Manufacturing | 51 |
| Construction | 39 |
A ZIP is not a city. About 74 percent of ZIP 54911's land lies inside Appleton, but that ZIP holds only about a quarter of the city's land; most of the rest falls in ZIPs 54913, 54914 and 54915 (Census 2020 ZIP code relationship file). Treat 54911 as the area around the office, not the whole city.
Self-employment in Appleton, WI
About 6.6 percent (plus or minus 1.0) of employed Appleton residents are self-employed: 2.7 percent in their own incorporated business and 4.0 percent in an unincorporated one (U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024, 5-year estimates). The Outagamie County figure is 7.7 percent (plus or minus 0.6) and the Wisconsin figure 8.5 percent (plus or minus 0.1). The city and county ranges overlap, so the gap between them may not be real.
The split matters when applying: an incorporated business files its own returns, while an unincorporated owner's business income usually shows up on personal returns, which a partner will then read closely.
Residential building permits in Outagamie County, WI
Outagamie County authorized 561 new privately owned housing units in 2023, 453 in 2024 and 1,022 in 2025 (U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, county annual). Of the 2025 units, 412 were in single-unit buildings and 584 in buildings with five or more units. These are residential permits only and say nothing about commercial work. Our contractor post looks at what the figures can and cannot tell a contractor weighing an equipment purchase.
Licenses, zoning and registration in Appleton, WI
Partners often check that a business is in good standing with the state and that its name matches across records. The Appleton, WI license, zoning and permits guide sets out the questions to settle before a lease or build-out, and the trade name guide covers names that differ from the legal entity name. If you are about to sign for space, read the lease-first checklist.
Free help in the Fox Cities, WI
Advising, chamber membership and regional economic development groups are outside what a broker does, and Bellgrove has no affiliation with any of them. The Fox Cities help directory sorts them by type and lists what to bring.
Sectors, options and nearby towns
Builders, kitchens and clinics get their own pages under funding by sector. The comparison page sets the six options side by side; the most common starting points are working capital for timing gaps and equipment financing for machines. Owners planning a first hire can read the first-employee post, and everything else is on the blog. Kimberly, Menasha, Little Chute, Kaukauna, Hortonville and Brillion are on the service areas page.
Reaching Bellgrove Lenders
Call (920) 260-3971 or write to 123 S Appleton St, Appleton, WI 54911. About Bellgrove explains our role and the contact page has the details.
Appleton, WI sectors our partners fund
Our partners have confirmed appetite for four kinds of business: contractors and construction trades, restaurants and food service, medical and dental practices, and retailers and wholesalers that carry stock. If your Appleton, WI business is something else, call and ask before you spend time on paperwork.
Paperwork partners commonly ask for
- Last year's filed tax return for the business
- Current financial statements: profit and loss plus a balance sheet
- A driver's license or passport for each owner
- Formation documents and your EIN
- A list of existing business debts and payments
- For equipment, the seller's quote with make, model and price
Each lending partner sets its own list, so treat this as a starting point.
What happens after you reach out
- You call (920) 260-3971 or send the short form (name, contact details and business name). When we speak, we ask what the money is for, how long you have been in business and roughly what the business brings in.
- You hear which options match the need and what a partner will likely want to review. We submit nothing without your approval.
- With your permission, we take the request to lending partners that offer that kind of funding. Each partner reviews it and makes its own credit decision.
- When an offer arrives, weigh its full cost, how payments are scheduled and the conditions. Accepting is entirely your choice.
Bellgrove Lenders is based at 123 S Appleton St, Appleton, WI 54911.
By Bellgrove Lenders · Updated
