March 1 - 5, 2021

EDA announced 11 investments from March 1-5, 2021, totaling $13,731,883, which is matched by $4,334,433 in local investments. These Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency projects will help alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which includes eight projects for $11,719,196 that will help create 1,509 jobs, save 1,935 jobs, and leverage $22,200,000 in private investments.

• $13,731,833 in 11 Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects, matched by $4,334,433 in local investments, as follows:
  • $3,000,000, matched by $1,220,000 in local investment, to the Union County Fiscal Court, Morganfield/Union County, Kentucky, to fund the Job Corps Sanitary Sewer Rehabilitation and Replacement Project, to rehabilitate sewer infrastructure to support local industries and enhance recovery and resiliency following the coronavirus pandemic in Union County, Kentucky. The scope of work consists of rehabilitating approximately 67,000 LF of 8-inch clay pipe using cured-in place pipe trenchless rehabilitation methods. The project also includes replacing 18,000 LF of 8-inch sewer and replacing all 310 brick manholes in the Job Corp collection system, which were installed in the 1940s. Once completed, the project will provide permanent resources to support economic resiliency and further the long-term economic adjustment objectives, which will strengthen and advance the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help save 904 jobs.
  • $2,500,000, with no local match, to the Town of Oneida, Oneida/Scott County, Tennessee, to support improvements to the Town of Oneida’s existing water treatment plant. The improvements will enhance resiliency from impacts of COVID-19 and assure potable water availability during the frequent drought conditions that occur during summer months. Stabilizing water availability will secure continuous operation of existing business and industry, as well as allow for future planned growth that is so desperately needed in Scott County, Tennessee. Once completed, the project will help the region with recovery efforts from the coronavirus pandemic, strengthen the regional economy, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 158 jobs and leverage $2,900,000 in private investment.
  • $2,000,000, matched by $1,630,000 in local investment, to the Ashville Convention and Visitors Bureau/Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee, to support the Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau with developing a plan to address the impact of COVID-19 on the hospitality industry in Nashville, Tennessee. The project includes developing a comprehensive marketing campaign to bring visitors back to the Nashville region, which is vital to the recovery of local businesses. The campaign will start by honoring the reality of tourism in a reopening status, including limited offerings, limited methods of travel, travelers’ sentiments on distance willing to travel and heavily addressing safety concerns. Once implemented, the project will help establish a strategic and phased marketing approach to support tourism and hospitality businesses, create and save jobs, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 637 jobs and save 81 jobs.
  • $1,500,000, matched by $300,000 in local investment, to the Natural Capital Investment Fund, Inc., Charles/Jefferson County, West Virginia, to fund staff salaries, technical assistance, consulting services and directly related operational expenses to assist Natural Capital Investment Fund, Inc. with COVID-19 recovery efforts. The project will help mitigate losses in earned income and cover the cost of additional capacity needed due to the COVID-19 crisis to help the region focus on state-wide recovery efforts. The completion of the project will help prevent the severity of future adverse economic impacts of a pandemic upon businesses and communities that possess fewer resources throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 200 jobs, save 500 jobs, and leverage $5,000,000 in private investment.
  • $1,183,941, matched by $295,986 in local investment, to the Northwest Kansas Technical College, Goodland/Sherman County, Kansas, to fund the expansion of the Northwest Kansas Technical College’s (NWKTC) training facility. The project is critical to supporting the response, recovery, and future resiliency of communities throughout rural Kansas and the 17-county service area in northwestern Kansas that NWKTC serves. The project will increase the number of diesel and automotive technicians trained and hired in distressed communities. The ability to expand NWKTC’s programs in these fields will create many additional opportunities for high-wage, high-skill positions in response to a regional need for more professionals in a variety of sectors and industries, including logistics, trucking and agriculture. Once completed, the project will aid in recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic and build economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 299 jobs.
  • $1,023,840, matched by $255,960 in local investment, to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville/Knox County, Tennessee, to fund the Tennessee Manufacturing Resiliency Initiative, a statewide effort to enhance the resiliency capacity of manufacturers and communities to mitigate the potential for disaster and pandemic related losses and to bounce back from disruptions to the economic base. The project will deliver a new and comprehensive Business Continuity Planning program to strengthen manufacturing firms and supply chains to resist disruptions and recover operational capability after disruptions occur. Once completed, the project will assist the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic, support entrepreneurism, spur jobs creation, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
  • $800,000, matched by $200,000 in local investment, to the Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship, Wichita/Sedgwick County, Kansas, to capitalize a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to provide access to financing options to address economic resiliency effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Kansas. Kansas Center for Entrepreneurship, Inc. will address the current pandemic by providing capital financing to the surrounding communities of: Clay, Douglas, Franklin, Jackson, Jefferson, Leavenworth, Lyon, Marshall, Miami, Morris, Nemaha, Osage, Pottawatomie, Shawnee, and Wabaunsee Counties in Kansas. The RLF will provide the community with a local source of capital for new, existing, and expanding businesses which will promote the growth and development by increasing investment, employment, and economic diversity. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 30 jobs, save 40 jobs, and leverage $5,800,000 in private investment.
  • $595,654, matched by $150,212 in local investment, to Colorado State University, Fort Collins/Larimer County, Colorado (Applicant: Grant Junction/Mesa County, Colorado), to fund the Planning and Technical Support to Diversify Colorado Economic Opportunities project, to provide technical assistance to three Colorado regions to aid economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Colorado State University (CSU) will provide roadmaps for communities to diversify their economies into sectors with strong potential for growth; help communities use market intelligence to refine their economic and community action plans; and provide a set of entrepreneurs to help local enterprises to start up or grow their networks. In addition, CSU will partner with Delta County to establish a supply and distribution program for preserved produce in their region. Once implemented, the project will address the regional need for more and enhanced job and entrepreneurship opportunities, bolster existing economic linkages across regions and increase resilience and economic recovery from COVID-19 for a variety of rural business enterprises.
  • $552,733, matched by $157,938 in local investment, to the Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc., Branson/Taney County, Missouri, to support the development of a Main Street economic recovery technical assistance and training program in support of businesses and communities throughout the state of Missouri. Missouri Main Street Connection, Inc. is addressing the local and regional need to create and sustain jobs and foster new businesses and business transitions in both rural and urban Missouri communities that have been negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will provide communities with services including direct entrepreneur support, online sales training, business ecosystem building, and micro-business development to support economic recovery and resilience. Once completed, the project will assist small business enterprises and small communities recover from and operate effectively in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, which will help prevent the severity of future adverse economic impacts of a pandemic upon businesses and communities that possess fewer resources throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 160 jobs, save 400 jobs, and leverage $8,000,000 in private investment.
  • $393,193, matched by $78,639 in local investment, to the Pacific Northwest Economic Region, Seattle/King County, Washington (Applicant: Auburn/King County, Washington), to support the Pacific Northwest Economic Region Foundation’s creation of a Comprehensive Regional Pandemic Resilience Roadmap to strengthen its capacity to address the complex challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic impact on Central Puget Sound Region's economy and health industry. The project will enhance the region's capacity to address the severe challenges of COVID-19 impact and develop a roadmap or action plan toward Pandemic Resilience for the entire region. Once implemented, the plan will assist with recovery efforts from the coronavirus, save and create jobs, and strengthen economic resiliency throughout the region.
  • $182,522, matched by $45,698 in local investment, to ABOR for and on behalf of Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff/Coconino County, Arizona, to support the development and implementation of a Diversification Strategy to concentrate on four areas: Green House Development Plan, Food Cooperative Initiative, Farm-to-School Program and Food Security/Supply Chain study. The coronavirus pandemic showed there was a supply chain breakdown and food/supplies were limited within the Tribal Community in Flagstaff, Arizona, a designated Opportunity Zone. The project is designed to help increase underserved White Mountain Apache communities’ access to healthy, affordable, and locally sourced food. In addition, the project will provide technical assistance to support food enterprise development, business strategy, and supply chain components of the food system to get more healthy food into the Tribal communities with limited access, focusing on local and regional sourcing. Once implemented, the project will create jobs, provide economic incentives to Apache farmers and ranchers, preserve Apache traditions and cultural lifeways and increase long-term economic sustainability, which will strengthen the regional economy and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 25 jobs, save 10 jobs, and leverage $500,000 in private investment.