Press Release

U.S. Department of Commerce to Invest $1.6 Million to Establish Business Revolving Loan Fund in Youngstown, Ohio

WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.6 million grant to the Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation (MVEDC) of Youngstown, Ohio, to establish a new Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) in support of small businesses and entrepreneurs. The EDA grant, to be located near a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act designated Opportunity Zone, will be matched with $400,000 in local funds and is expected to help create 200 jobs, retain 55 jobs, and generate $9 million in private investment.

“The Trump Administration is committed to helping Ohio’s economy prosper,” said Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross. “This new RLF will help diversify and boost northeast Ohio’s economy by providing the critical gap financing that businesses throughout the region need to grow and expand.”

“This project will establish the MVEDC Economically Disadvantaged and Growing Entrepreneurs (EDGE) RLF,” said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Dr. John Fleming. “This fund will focus its loan-making to assist in the growth of minority and women-owned businesses in Mahoning and Trumbull Counties, and the project’s location near a Tax Cuts and Jobs Act Opportunity Zone will help to drive private investment into the region.”

“We appreciate the Trump administration’s investment in the Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “The new Revolving Loan Fund will provide an additional funding source for Ohio’s minority and women-owned businesses and start-ups that are looking to grow. Continued investment in our small businesses will strengthen Ohio’s economy.”

“I applaud the Department of Commerce for awarding the Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation a $1.6 million grant to help establish the Economically Disadvantage Growing Entrepreneurs fund,” said Senator Portman. “This fund will help diversify the economy in Mahoning and Trumbull counties by helping local businesses thrive. Not only will this fund help create and train employment opportunities for the Mahoning Valley, but it also targets opportunity zones and new market tax credit investments — both of which I worked hard to get included and passed in tax reform.”

“This federal investment to establish a new Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) in support of small businesses and entrepreneurs comes at a critical time in our valley and region,” said Congressman Tim Ryan (OH-13). “Mike Conway and the team at the Mahoning Valley Economic Development Corporation (MVEDC) should be commended for their vision and persistence to capitalize a program to support the growth of minority and women-owned businesses in Mahoning and Trumbull Counties. Revolving Loan Programs are primarily used for the development and expansion of small businesses in their regions. There are roughly 30.2 million small businesses in this country which accounts for 99.9% of all United States business. By focusing our attention to help small business grow, we can foster our local economies keeping money close to home and support our neighborhoods and communities. I am proud of the Economic Development Administration (EDA) for seeing the merit with this innovative investment opportunity.”

The funding announced today goes to a designated Opportunity Zone, created by President Donald J. Trump’s Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 to spur economic development by giving tax incentives to investors in economically-distressed communities nationwide. In June 2019, EDA added Opportunity Zones as an Investment Priority, which increases the number of catalytic Opportunity Zone-related projects that EDA can fund to fuel greater public investment in these areas. To learn more about the Opportunity Zone program, see the Treasury Department resources page here. To learn more about the Commerce Department’s work in Opportunity Zones, please visit EDA’s Opportunity Zones webpage.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov)
The mission of the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) is to lead the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing the nation's regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. An agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, EDA makes investments in economically distressed communities in order to create jobs for U.S. workers, promote American innovation, and accelerate long-term sustainable economic growth.