Contractor requests sent to Clayhill Advances in Stevens Point, Wisconsin go on to funding partners for review. This page covers retainage gaps for roofers, concrete and foundation crews, excavator and skid steer financing, how contractors compare financing companies, and the Portage County construction and housing permit counts.
At a glance
- Construction, Portage County, WI
Construction, Portage County, WI: 164 employer establishments, 1,256 paid employees (CBP 2023)
- Construction without payroll, Portage County, WI
Construction businesses with no paid employees, Portage County, WI: 460 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024)
- Housing units permitted, Portage County, WI
New housing units authorized by building permits, Portage County, WI: 244 in 2025 (BPS)
Business Loans for Roofing Contractors Around Stevens Point, WI: Retainage Gaps
Retainage is the share of each progress payment the owner or general contractor holds back until the job is accepted. For a roofing crew, it means the materials and labor are paid out in full while part of the price waits weeks or months after the last shingle. A line of credit or a short working capital loan can carry that gap and be repaid when the retainage is released.
Illustration only, with invented figures: a roofer finishes a $240,000 commercial job with 5% retainage, so $12,000 is held after completion. Drawing that amount on a line of credit at an annual rate of 11.5% would cost about $115 in interest for each month the money is out.
Roofing contractors (NAICS 238160) counted 6 employer establishments in Portage County, WI in 2023, 5 of them with fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns 2023). The same gap applies to any specialty trade on a retained contract.
Concrete and Foundation Contractors in Portage County, WI: Pours, Pumps and Payroll
Concrete and foundation contractors carry heavy, specific equipment: mixers, pumps, screeds, forms and the trucks that move them. They also face the first draw on most jobs, since foundations come early, and weather can push pours back. Equipment financing fits the pump or mixer; a line of credit fits form rental, payroll and materials ahead of a draw.
Specialty trade contractors, the Census group that includes concrete and foundation crews, counted 99 employer establishments with 618 paid employees in Portage County, WI in 2023 (County Business Patterns 2023).
Small Business Loans for Contractors, With an Excavator as the Stevens Point, WI Example
An excavator is often the first large machine a small contractor finances, and it suits equipment financing well: the machine holds resale value and secures its own loan. A partner reads the quote, the machine's age and hours if used, and the contractor's backlog of work.
Illustration only, with invented figures: a contractor finances a used $98,000 mini excavator at an annual rate of 9.5% over 60 months: about $2,058 a month and about $25,491 in interest over the term.
Residential building construction counted 54 employer establishments in Portage County, WI in 2023, and 38 of them had fewer than five employees (County Business Patterns 2023). Equipment financing compares loans and leases.
Business Loans for Contractors: Retainage Gaps and Skid Steers in Stevens Point, WI
A contractor's year usually has two kinds of funding need. Skid steers, trailers and trucks are one-time purchases that last years. Materials, payroll and retainage gaps repeat on every job. Keeping them in separate requests, a machine on equipment financing and the job costs on a revolving line, keeps the payments in step with the money that pays them.
Construction businesses with no paid employees numbered 460 in Portage County, WI in 2024 (Nonemployer Statistics 2024), many of them owner-operators who buy their first machine on a dealer program. Working capital loans cover a single larger gap.
Financing Companies for Contractors: What Portage County, WI Builders Compare
Financing companies for contractors include dealer finance programs, independent equipment lenders, banks and credit unions, online lenders and advance providers. They differ on down payment, term, whether they finance used machines, how they treat seasonal revenue and what they file as collateral.
A builder comparing them can ask each for the total of payments, any fees taken at closing, whether a blanket lien is filed, and the cost of paying early. A contractor with steady bank deposits and a clean equipment list usually has more options. In Stevens Point, the city's Licenses and Certifications page lists the state credentials required for electrical, plumbing, HVAC and dwelling contractor work, and partners may ask for them.
Portage County, WI Construction Counts: Builders, Specialty Trades and Housing Permits
| Measure | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Construction employer establishments | 164 | CBP 2023 |
| Construction of buildings (NAICS 236) | 60 | CBP 2023 |
| Specialty trade contractors (NAICS 238) | 99 | CBP 2023 |
| Construction annual payroll | $97 million | CBP 2023 |
| Construction businesses with no payroll | 460 | NES 2024 |
| New housing units permitted | 244 (279 in 2024, 167 in 2023) | BPS 2025 |
Of the 244 housing units permitted in 2025, 122 were in single-unit buildings, 58 in two-unit buildings and 64 in buildings with five or more units (Building Permits Survey). Permit counts cover new homes only, not commercial work or remodels. Stevens Point, WI figures and neighboring trades complete the contractor view.
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