The businesses applied for those loans, ranging from $200,000 to $2 million, after the passage of the federal stimulus package in March which provided for higher SBA-backed loan guarantees and reduced fees to encourage more bank lending.

The Obama administration’s plan to raise the maximum amount for SBA-backed loans from $2 million to $5 million could further energize area small businesses, Wisconsin SBA director Eric Ness told the Business Journal’s Rich Kirchen.

“There’s a lot of pent-up demand from a lot of successful small businesses who want to grow,” Ness said.

The largest loans in Wisconsin went to businesses in the metal industry, commercial printing, outdoor furniture manufacturing and food packaging, said the article.

Greg Huffman, owner of a family-owned hunting supply business, completed a $1.6 million facilities expansion thanks to the attractive SBA-backed lending terms and lagging real estate market.

“You might see ups and downs, but when you have a passionate customer base, they’re with you through thick and thin,” Huffman told the Business Journal.

These business owners say they are moving past short-term thinking about the economy. Donn Flipse, owner of Field of Flowers, floral superstores in Florida, told the AP, “Business is going to get better, so I’m going to do something to position myself to do even better than my competition.”

The real estate market around the country has been especially hard hit by the recession, putting many small companies out of business. But some survivors are looking toward an upswing in the housing market.

Kathy Braddock, co-founder of Charles Rutenberg Realty in New York City, said she’s readying for the next boom in a city where real estate is king. She told the AP the company is improving technology so it can take on more agents – preparing to go from 250 to 1,000.

Lorrie Thomas, who runs an Internet marketing training firm in California, started implementing changes to her business model early in 2008 and launched a new Web site this March.

“That’s the best part, to do it now,” Thomas told the AP. “Other companies, when the boom kicks back in, they’re going to start doing what I did a year ago.”