Grant

June 21 - 25, 2021

EDA announced 65 investments from June 21-25, 2021, totaling $19,054,229, which is matched by $22,045,052.71 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $9,039,096 in seven Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects to help alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic that will help create 1,138 jobs, save 837 jobs, and leverage $293,300,000 in private investments; (2) $3,787,500 in three 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, which includes two projects for $3,587,500 that will help create 297 jobs, save 24 jobs, and leverage $88,000,000 in private investment; (3) $1,292,113 in one Public Works project to help communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure that will help create 225 jobs and leverage $110,000,000 in private investments; (4) $50,000 in one Local Technical Assistance project to strengthen the capacity of local or state organizations and institutions to undertake and promote effective economic development programs; (5) $2,544,500 in 21 Technical Assistance University Center projects to make the varied and vast resources of universities available to the economic development practitioner community; and (6) $2,341,020 in 32 Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.

  • $9,039,096 in seven Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects, matched by $8,622,687 in local investments, as follows:
    • $2,900,000, matched by $6,600,000 in local investment, to the Raleigh County Public Service District, Sophia/Raleigh County, West Virginia, to support the Raleigh County Public Service District with constructing a new Water Treatment Plant to serve 233 industrial and commercial customers in Raleigh, West Virginia. The project will allow for business expansion and the development of over 105 acres of property. Once completed, the project will help the region recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, benefit a nearby Opportunity Zone, create and retain jobs, attract private investment, and strengthen the regional economy in an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 22 jobs, save 397 jobs, and leverage $4,000,000 in private investment.
    • $2,300,000, matched by $575,000 in local investment, to the Paris-Bourbon County EDA/Bourbon County/City of Paris, Paris/Bourbon County, Kentucky, to fund construction of a connector road in the Paris-Bourbon County Industrial Park to facilitate the expansion of several industries in Bourbon County, Kentucky. Once completed, the project will improve truck access to the Paris-Bourbon County Industrial Park, which will help facilitate the growth and expansion of businesses, expand manufacturing, increase economic diversification, grow jobs, attract private investment, and advance resiliency throughout the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 296 jobs, save 147 jobs, and leverage $213,800,000 in private investment.
    • $1,903,179, matched by $475,795 in local investment, to the Youngstown Edison Incubator Corporation, Youngstown/Mahoning County, Ohio, to support the Youngstown Edison Incubator Corporation (YBI) with renovating its 65,000 square foot building and enhancing the organization’s capacity to spur entrepreneurship and innovation in the Youngstown region of Ohio. Located in a designated Opportunity Zone, the project will provide additional space for incubation activities and services, which will complement the current YBI building and build upon ongoing partnerships with America Makes, the National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute. Once completed, the project will help the region recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, diversify the regional economy, create and retain jobs, attract private investment, and strengthen resiliency in the face of future economic shocks. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 23 jobs, save 43 jobs, and leverage $4,500,000 in private investment.
    • $588,000, matched by $150,135 in local investment, to the Maryland Department of Commerce/Maryland Manufacturing Extension Partnership, Inc., Baltimore/Baltimore City, Maryland, to support the Maryland Department of Commerce and the Maryland Manufacturing Extension Partnership with overcoming the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic by creating a program to build the supply chain industry in Maryland. The project will revive and expand the Maryland Defense Diversification Assistance program to support the current needs of the broader manufacturing community by building activities for manufacturers who are adversely impacted by COVID-19 via a loss of, or the threat of loss of, contracts, revenue, suppliers, or employee layoffs. Once completed, the project will generate new revenue growth opportunities and protect existing operations for affected businesses, which will bolster job creation and retention, spur investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 300 jobs, save 250 jobs, and leverage $65,000,000 in private investment.
    • $577,917, matched by $577,917 in local investment, to the Alamance Community College, Graham/Alamance County, North Carolina, to support the Alamance Community College with purchasing equipment needed for the college's new Biotechnology Center of Excellence in Alamance County, North Carolina, a designated Opportunity Zone. The new center will include training for critically needed workers in health care, medical testing in the bio agriculture industries, and provide skilled workforce necessary for the region’s growing biotechnology cluster. Once completed, the project will create jobs, spur private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 75 jobs and leverage $1,000,000 in private investment.
    • $500,000, matched by $163,840 in local investment, to the Technology Entrepreneur Center, Inc./Curators of the University of Missouri on behalf of the University of Missouri Saint Louis Regional Convention and Visitors Commission, Saint Louis/Saint Louis County, Missouri, to support the Technology Entrepreneur Center ("T-REX"), the University of Missouri System (UM), the St. Louis Convention and Visitor's Commission (STLCVC), and other partners, with establishing a Midwest hub for geospatial technology in St. Louis, Missouri. The project will create a state-of-the-art XRS Lab to innovate remote work and learning experiences and develop new Extended Reality (XR) technologies. In addition, the project will focus on two community-based projects: (1) Increase quality and engagement in remote leaning and connect University of Missouri students to industry mentors and potential employers while expanding T-REX efforts to support geospatial startups. (2) Discover and test new XR opportunities and innovative solutions for the STLCVC in response to the COVID-19 pandemic's devastating disruptions to the conference, meeting, and events business sector in St. Louis. Once completed, the project will bolster job creation, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 422 jobs and leverage $5,000,000 in private investment.
    • $320,000, matched by $80,000 in local investment, to the Arizona Commerce Authority, Phoenix/Maricopa County, Arizona, to support the development of a strategic plan for future broadband communications network infrastructure and service implementation in Phoenix, Arizona, a designated Opportunity Zone. The project activities will include evaluation of the expansion and monetization of the state’s broadband implementation strategy, development of an action plan for middle-mile broadband expansion to include economic forecasts, compilation of an inventory of last mile broadband connectivity options, and identification of industry partners to work with municipal and tribal governments to link last mile connection points to middle-mile infrastructure. Once implemented, the project will create and retain jobs, improve business retention, enable business expansion, and increase business attraction opportunities, which will help advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
  • $3,787,500 in three Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $7,253,038 in local investments, as follows:
    • $3,000,000 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $6,567,550 in local investment, to the City of Branson, Branson/Taney County, Missouri, to support the City of Branson with addressing the need to strengthen the area's tourism, retail, and hospitality industries by constructing a flood resilient wastewater treatment infrastructure to protect the primary wastewater treatment plant in Taney County, Missouri. The project will prevent business disruption and loss of jobs by mitigating the likelihood of system failure for the area's wastewater treatment in the event of future flooding. The grantee estimates that this investment will help save 24 jobs.
    • $587,500, matched by $587,500 in local investment, to the City of Lewisburg, Lewisburg/Marshall County, Tennessee, to support the City of Lewisburg with the construction of sewer system improvements to provide additional sanitary sewer capacity for a new automotive-related industry locating in the Lewisburg Industrial Park in Tennessee. The project will include the renovation of the Johnson Controls Sewage Pumping Station, construction of a new 8-inch force main, and replacement of the downstream gravity sewer lines, which receive flow from this area. In addition, the project will support the future expansion of existing companies and the recruitment of new industries in the Park. Once completed, the project will bolster job creation, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 297 jobs, and leverage $88,000,000 in private investment.
    • $200,000, matched by $97,988 in local investment, to the George E. Brown United States Foundation for Science/University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Applicant: Washington, DC; Project: McAllen/Hidalgo County, Texas, to support the George E. Brown United States Mexico Foundation for Science, McAllen Economic Development Corporation, and the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley with creating a consortium that will develop a multi-phase reshoring manufacturing project geared towards spurring economic development within the South Texas Border Region. The consortium will complete asset mapping of the region to identify existing regional suppliers and develop strategies to fill identified supply chain gaps. Once completed, the project will support companies interested in reshoring manufacturing back to North America, which will help promote private capital investment, spur economic resiliency, and create job opportunities throughout the region.
  • $1,292,113 in one Public Works project, matched by $1,292,113 in local investments, as follows:
    • $1,292,113, matched by $1,292,113 in local investment, to the City of Worcester, Worcester/Worcester County, Massachusetts, to supports the City of Worcester with constructing approximately 1,140 linear feet of publicly owned access road and utilities to the Rectory Biotechnology Park in Worcester, Massachusetts. The project will support the Southern Worcester County Region and serve the biotechnology, life sciences and research and development industries. Once completed, the project will create jobs, increase private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 225 jobs and leverage $110,000,000 in private investment.
  • $50,000 in one Local Technical Assistance projects, matched by $50,033 in local investments, as follows:
    • $50,000, matched by $50,033 in local investment, to the ProMedica Health Systems, Inc., Toledo/Lucas County, Ohio, to fund the ProMedica Social Innovations District Feasibility Study, to focus on four main areas: 1) Minority and women-owned businesses; 2) research and new business creation for non-traditional healthcare solutions focusing on social determinants of health and healthy aging; 3) technology innovation; and 4) medical devices and clinical innovations. Once completed, the analysis will help provide economic stability, create jobs, and strengthen the local economy.
  • $2,544,500 in 21 Technical Assistance University Center projects, matched by $2,486,161.71 in local investments, to support a five-year University Center (UC) 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.
  • $2,341,020 in 32 Partnership Planning projects, matched by $1,998,478 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.