Grant

July 5 - 9, 2021

EDA announced 25 investments from July 5-9, 2021, totaling $20,749,864, which is matched by $10,033,860 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $8,108,487 in six Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects to help alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which includes three projects for $7,700,000 that will help create 2,927 jobs, save 218 jobs, and leverage $9,500,000 in private investments; (2) $3,828,493 in four Economic Adjustment Assistance projects to help communities design and implement strategies to adjust or bring about change to their economy in response to structural damage to their underlying economic base that will help create 1,944 jobs, save 372 jobs, and leverage $265,250,000 in private investments; (3) $7,139,580 in five Public Works project to help communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure, which includes four projects for $5,001,280 that will help create 632 jobs, save 70 jobs, and leverage $125,400,000 in private investments; (4) $350,804 in three Technical Assistance University Center projects to make the varied and vast resources of universities available to the economic development practitioner community; and (5) $1,322,500 in seven Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.

  • $8,108,487 in six Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects, matched by $2,093,189 in local investments, as follows:
    • $4,000,000, matched by $1,000,000 in local investment, to the Texas Research and Technology Foundation, San Antonio/Bexar County, Texas, to support the Texas Research and Technology Foundation with constructing six private laboratories to aid in the development of drugs, biologics, diagnostics, therapeutics, vaccines, and medical devices essential to the development of lifesaving technologies for COVID-19, and future threats to human health and well-being in Bexar County, Texas. Located within a designated Opportunity Zone, the laboratories will be leased to private organizations and will offer fully functional lab space, including permits, waste handling, and all reasonably common lab equipment required for bioresearch. Once completed, the project will help the region create and retain jobs, attract private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 173 jobs, save 173 jobs, and leverage $8,200,000 in private investment.
    • $2,400,000, matched by $600,000 in local investment, to Temple College, Temple/Bell County, Texas, to support Temple College with constructing a two-story addition to the rear of the existing Health Science Center to expand its offerings in the healthcare professions in Bell County, Texas. Located nearby a designated Opportunity Zone, the project will create space for an enlarged simulation laboratory suite for nursing and other allied health courses programs. The allied health program will offer courses in respiratory therapists, registered nurses, dental hygienists, diagnostic medical sonographers, radiologic technologist, emergency Medical Technicians, pharmacy technicians, surgical technicians, licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, medical records and health information technicians, health technologists and technicians and medical assistants. Once completed, the project will assist the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic and promote long-term recovery from future natural disasters, which will help advance economic resiliency, support workforce development, attract private investment, and bolster job creation. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 172 jobs, save 45 jobs, and leverage $1,300,000 in private investment.
    • $1,300,000, matched by $325,000 in local investment, to the Victoria County Junior College District, Victoria/Victoria, Texas, to support the Victoria County Junior College District with renovating the Allied Health Building to create an interdisciplinary medical simulation lab in Victoria County, Texas, located nearby a designated Opportunity Zone. The project will provide a shared instructional space and interdisciplinary laboratory for cross-training opportunities for students in healthcare programs to increase skillsets for employability and COVID-19 response. In addition, the project will allow for healthcare programs to work in a collaborative environment to gain a better understanding of patient care from first response, hospital care, discharge, and in-home care. Once completed, the project will provide labs that replicate the emergency room, intensive care unit, and inpatient hospital rooms to assist students in workforce training that promotes skilled workers, which will strengthen the regional economy and bolster job creation. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 2,582 jobs.
    • $604,405, matched by $604,405 in local investment, to the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Institute, Denver/Denver County, Colorado, to support the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Institute with providing technical assistance, planning, and coaching for Colorado small- and medium-sized businesses. The Institute will scale up its Global Trade Activator program to reach dozens of Colorado importers and exporters looking to expand their international business. Through the expanded program, Colorado businesses will develop trade plans, receive professional mentorship and coaching, and have training opportunities, including curriculum and resources that will be accessible remotely through an online platform. Once completed, the project will increase international sales, bolster job creation and retention, spur private investment, support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and advance resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 1,302 jobs, save 357 jobs, and leverage $225,000,000 in private investment.
    • $225,000, matched by $25,000 in local investment, to the City of Yreka/Siskiyou County Economic Development County, Yreka/Siskiyou County, California, to support the City of Yreka with conducting a market analysis of potential properties within the City’s sphere of influence that would be suitable for industry clusters, manufacturing facilities, new and expanded businesses, infrastructure improvements, and incubation programs that could significantly benefit from the area’s Opportunity Zones. The study will analyze the existing assets, needs, and market conditions of the local economy to prioritize investments that contribute to economic prosperity. A comparative analysis of the sites will additionally determine whether the Opportunity Zones incentive is significant enough to make sites located within the Opportunity Zones more feasible than several located adjacent to the Opportunity Zones. Once completed, this project will help Yreka rebuild from the devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic, which will support recovery and resiliency to diversify the local economy.
    • $100,097, matched by $122,341 in local investment, to the Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation, Indianapolis/Marion County, Indiana, to support the Indiana Economic Development Association Foundation's pilot initiative to develop a statewide Rural Economic Development Model (REDM). By considering four Indiana regions, which include 32 counties and several regional Economic Development Districts, the project will provide relevant analysis for many of Indiana’s rural areas. The strategic planning process will offer rural leaders and stakeholders’ valuable insights into rural assets and industry clusters as well as the impact of infrastructure and logistics resources and energy-related capacity. As part of the strategy process, the Foundation will also analyze workforce development needs, policies that impact critical sectors, and the best ways to attract and retain rural businesses. Once implemented, the study will build on existing regional economic development strategies and help state and local leaders understand how best to maximize the potential of Indiana’s rural regions and make Indiana's regions more economically-resilient in the face of future disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic, which will help increase economic growth and diversification, bolster job creation, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $83,390, matched by $20,848 in local investment, to the Greater Wabash Regional Planning Commission, Albion/Edwards County, Illinois, to support the Greater Wabash Regional Planning Commission in its effort to coordinate the region’s recovery from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by hiring an Economic Recovery Coordinator. The Coordinator will help build on Greater Wabash’s existing economic development planning efforts to ensure that the recovery coordination process includes input from all relevant stakeholders. In addition, the Coordinator will assimilate input from these stakeholders to further help the region chart a course to increase economic diversity and resilience by becoming better equip with recovering from job losses and business closures because of the COVID-19 crisis.
  • $3,828,493 in four Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $2,965,881 in local investments, as follows:
    • $2,073,938, matched by $2,073,938 in local investment, to Wichita State University, /Sedgwick County, Kentucky, to fund the purchase and installation of key equipment needed to support the establishment of a Flight Test Research Center (FTRC) and a Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) Facility for the National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) at Wichita State University in Wichita, Kansas. The FTRC and the MRO facility will provide regional commercial and defense manufacturers, suppliers, and aviation-supporting small businesses and entrepreneurs with access to a non-profit, public university-based flight testing and aviation research center. In addition, the center will advance new technologies increasing resiliency by enabling the regional aviation industry cluster to more efficiently and effectively pivot operations to address current and future changes in the aviation industry, such as the ongoing economic impacts to aviation as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Once completed, the project will bolster job creation, spur private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 475 jobs.
    • $864,550, matched by $216,138 in local investment, to the TexAmericas Center, New Boston/Bowie County, Texas, to support the TexAmericas Center with the design and construction of new rail facilities and reconstruction of existing rail facilities in Bowie County, Texas, a designated Opportunity Zone. The rail improvements will support the growth of industrial and commercial businesses within TexAmericas Center, which is an acreage mixed use economic development site. Once completed, the project will assist the local economy by modernizing the current rail system and promoting long term economic recovery from the economic shocks of the global pandemic, support the manufacturing industry, create and retain jobs, increase private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 157 jobs, save 5 jobs, and leverage $250,000 in private investment.
    • $604,405, matched by $604,405 in local investment to the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Institute, Denver/Denver County, Colorado, to support the Rocky Mountain World Trade Center Institute with providing technical assistance, planning, and coaching for Colorado small- and medium-sized businesses. The Institute will scale up its Global Trade Activator program to reach dozens of Colorado importers and exporters looking to expand their international business. Through the expanded program, Colorado businesses will develop trade plans, receive professional mentorship and coaching, and have training opportunities, including curriculum and resources that will be accessible remotely through an online platform. Once completed, the project will increase international sales, bolster job creation and retention, spur private investment, support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and advance resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 1,302 jobs, save 357 jobs, and leverage $225,000,000 in private investment.
    • $285,600 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $71,400 in local investment, to the Town of Johnsburg, North Creek/Warren County, North Creek/Warren County, New York, to support the Town of Johnsburg with designing and constructing stormwater management improvements to reduce the likelihood of road washouts from severe storm events along Ski Bowl Road, which serves as an entrance to tourist destinations Gore Mountain and Ski Bowl Park, and the Town's Solid Waste Transfer Station. The project work includes reconstruction of stormwater channels, replacement and installation of culverts, installation of porous pavers in parking areas, and installation of gutters and drywells at a pavilion. Once completed, the project will increase resiliency, mitigate the effects of future disasters, create and retain jobs, generate private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 10 jobs, save 10 jobs and leverage $40,000,000 in private investment.
  • $7,139,580 in five Public Works projects, matched by $3,835,180 in local investments, as follows:
    • $2,138,300, with no local match, to the Osage Nation, Pawhuska/Osage County, Oklahoma, to support the Osage Nation with fully developing one of only three nation-wide non-military owned Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) research and development parks (also known as drone ports) in Osage County, Oklahoma, a designated Opportunity Zone. The project will include renovations and improvements to Building A and an adjacent hangar at the existing airpark to support Skyway 36. Once completed, the project will support a newly emerging UAS/Unmanned Aerial Vehicle market and provide commercial technology developers an environment conducive to innovation and economic growth, which will strengthen and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $1,900,600, matched by $1,900,600 in local investment, to the City of Grand Rapids/Itasca Economic Development Corporation/City of Cohasset/County of Itasca, Grand Rapids/Itasca County, Minnesota, to support the City of Grand Rapids with expanding its Grand Rapids and Cohasset Industrial Park, to prepare for new developable industrial acreage in Itasca County, Minnesota. The project will provide public water and sanitary sewer utilities to a 216-acre manufacturing site to allow for new developable space for the attraction of new businesses and the expansion of existing businesses. Once completed, the project will assist the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic by enhancing business growth and diversification, which will bolster job creation, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 189 jobs, save 8 jobs, and leverage $36,300,000 in private investment.
    • $1,400,680, matched by $1,164,580 in local investment, to the Village of Grantsburg, Grantsburg/Burnett County, Wisconsin, to support the Village of Grantsburg with expanding its North Industrial Park in Burnett County, Wisconsin. The project will provide 26 acres of developable space where new and existing businesses can expand and locate. In addition, the project will assist with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2017 and 2019 floods, which critically impacted the region’s tourism industry. Once completed, the project will help to diversify the local economy, reduce dependence on tourism-related activities, retain and create jobs, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 383 jobs, save 43 jobs, and leverage $83,000,000 in private investment.
    • $1,300,000, matched by $370,000 in local investment, to the New Orleans Business Alliance/University of New Orleans Research and Technology Foundation, New Orleans/Orleans County, Louisiana, to support the New Orleans Business Alliance with making renovations at the Information Technology Center located on the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Park in New Orleans, Louisiana. The project components include construction of an approximately 3,500 square foot chemistry wet lab and an approximately 3,500 square foot biology wet lab, which would include lab casework, acid resistant countertops, fume hoods, lab gas, and associated mechanical and electrical components, as well as construction of an approximately 1,000 square foot clean room, and appurtenances. Once completed, the project will provide housing dedicated to private biotech companies that require a combination of wet labs, administrative offices, and meeting spaces, which will help bolster job creation and spur private investment throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 39 jobs, save 19 jobs, and leverage $5,100,000 in private investment.
    • $400,000, matched by $400,000 in local investment, to the Fab Lab Tulsa, Inc, Tulsa/Tulsa County, Oklahoma, to funds the purchase of digital fabrication machinery and systems (Equipment) at the newly constructed Fab Lab Tulsa facility in the Kendall Whittier Federal Opportunity Zone located in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The project components include 30 sets of machinery systems and components ranging from fiber cutters/engravers to milling machines. Once completed, the project will help close the skills gap that students and workers must have to remain competitive and employable in the area, which will improve the regions socioeconomic status, increase employment opportunities, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 21 jobs and leverage $1,000,000 in private investment.
  • $350,804 in three Technical Assistance University Center projects, matched by $351,276 in local investments, to support a five-year University Center program, which is a competitively-based partnership between EDA and academic institutions that makes the varied and vast resources of universities available to the economic development practitioner community.
  • $1,322,500 in seven Partnership Planning projects, matched by $788,334 in local investments, to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS). The CEDS process is designed to bring together the public and private sectors in the creation of an economic development roadmap to diversify and strengthen the regional economy.