MILWAUKEE — "Deflating but not defeated" is how some local vendors describe their reactions to news of a downsized Democratic National Convention in Milwaukee this summer.
Fiserv Forum will no longer be the site of DNC proceedings and most of the people initially expected to attend will not come.
“It can be depressing but we can not sit and wait,” said Nael Said, owner of Paramount VIP and limo services.
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In February, Said said he was looking forward to a large boost in business.
“We want to provide a better service and a good service for the DNC participants,” he told TMJ4 News in Feburary.
Major changes to the DNC moves the conference from Fiserv Forum to the smaller Wisconsin Center.
“It’s a little debilitating because we are looking to things like that,” said Curtis Fleming, owner of Executive Commercial Cleaning.
Fleming’s business is listed as one of the convention’s many potential vendors. He’s going to miss having the opportunity to bring on local help for the event.
“It’s going to be a huge economic impact seeing as we hire people from within the community to help us out in those engagements because it’s a huge event,” Fleming said.
The DNC will now move to the Wisconsin Center. Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and former Vice President Joe Biden is expected to be in Milwaukee to accept the nomination.