Grant

March 15 - 19, 2021

EDA announced 22 investments from March 15-19, 2021, totaling $19,677,228, which is matched by $5,071,969 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $18,454,228 in 17 Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects to help alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which includes 10 projects for $11,182,218 that will help create 664 jobs, save 631 jobs, and leverage $190,225,000 in private investments; (2) $600,000 in one Economic Adjustment Assistance project 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 35 jobs and leverage $10,000,000 in private investment; (3) $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; and (4) $573,000 in three Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.

  • $18,454,228 in 17 Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects, matched by $4,489,469 in local investments, as follows:
    • $4,000,000, matched by $1,000,000 in local investment, to Southern Tech, Ardmore/Carter County, Oklahoma, to support Southern Tech with building an Aerospace Airframe and Powerplant Certification Training Facility to provide training for workforce dislocated because of the COVID-19 pandemic in a growing sector in Ardmore, Oklahoma, a designated Opportunity Zone. The building will include: one large central shop space where aircrafts can be worked on, two classrooms each with an office, a shared storage space between the classrooms, four lab spaces with shared storage, restrooms, and janitor/electrical/mechanical closets with an airlock vestibule. Once completed, the project will aid in recovery efforts from the pandemic and build economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 160 jobs, save 180 jobs, and leverage $800,000 in private investment.
    • $2,800,000, matched by $700,000 in local investment, to the State of Tennessee Department of Tourist Development, Nashville/Davidson County, Tennessee, to fund the development of a media plan targeting markets identified through research and past performance as primary places of origin for visitors to Tennessee. The plan will leverage existing and new creative marketing materials in the form of video for broadcast television and digital advertising as well as other tactics designed to reach four core audience segments with high propensity to travel to Tennessee. Once implemented, the project will help offset the economic impacts to Tennessee's tourism sector resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, help spur economic development and diversification in the area, and increase resiliency for future disruptions.
    • $2,282,262, matched by $570,566 in local investment, to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, Anchorage/Anchorage, Alaska, to support the development and execution of a statewide destination marketing plan for Alaska to help save the tourism industry, which has been devastated by the COVID-19 economic downturn. The project will help promote Alaska tourism through the creation of education programs targeted to the region’s businesses, organizations, and communities to aid in the reopening of the state’s tourism economy, which will help to advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $1,990,220, matched by $497,555 in local investment, to the City of Lake City, Lake City/Florence County, South Carolina, to fund the construction of water and wastewater upgrades to support a new hospital in Lake City, South Carolina, a designated Opportunity Zone. The new hospital will have the capacity to offer more types of services and treatments, as well as provide more preventative care and health care education. Once completed, the project will provide permanent resources and continued access to health care services to support economic resiliency, which will strengthen and advance the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 60 jobs.
    • $1,500,000, matched by $78,948 in local investment, to the Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission, Ashland/Boone County, Missouri, to help capitalize a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the central Missouri region including Boone, Callaway, Cole, Cooper, Howard, and Moniteau Counties. Through the new RLF, Mid-Missouri Regional Planning Commission will provide financing options and gap financing to small businesses impacted by the pandemic and support the development of new entrepreneurial business opportunities arising from, or related to, recovery or future resiliency. The RLF will provide much-needed capital in the region for businesses to not only continue operations but also retain and create jobs. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 25 jobs, save 25 jobs, and leverage $5,800,000 in private investment.
    • $1,000,000, matched by $492,000 in local investment, to the City of Pleasanton, Pleasanton/Atascosa County, Texas, to support the City of Pleasanton with the renovation and repurpose of a former elementary school into a business center that will support economic development growth for small businesses in downtown Pleasanton, Texas, an Opportunity Zone. The renovated facility will provide space for retailers, a business incubator, government resource offices, and will also serve as a space for emergency response for national emergencies. Once completed, the project will create jobs, attract private investment, and help the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 125 jobs, save 200 jobs, and leverage $150,000,000 in private investment.
    • $1,000,000, matched by $250,000 in local investment, to AltCap, Kansas City/Jackson County, Missouri, to help capitalize a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in the Kansas City region including Jackson, Cass, Clay, and Platte Counties in Missouri and Wyandotte and Johnson Counties in Kansas. Alt-Cap will provide financing options and gap financing to small businesses impacted by the pandemic and support the development of new entrepreneurial business opportunities arising from, or related to, recovery or future resiliency. The RLF will provide much-needed capital in the region for businesses to not only continue operations but also retain and create jobs. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 50 jobs, save 25 jobs, and leverage $1,900,000 in private investment.
    • $800,000, matched by $200,000 in local investment, to the Mid-Atlantic Broadband Communities Corporation, South Boston/Halifax County, Virginia, to support the engineering and design of a new 206-mile route of middle-mile, open access fiber infrastructure spanning 14 counties in South Boston, Virginia. The project will enable expansion of existing 1,900-mile, open access fiber optic infrastructure network. This expansion will alleviate the lack of reliable broadband access plaguing rural Virginia while strengthening the Commonwealth’s overall economic competitiveness. The project will help provide fiber connections to healthcare facilities, medical research centers, and existing businesses, including 28 industrial and technology parks along the route, representing 4,582 acres available for commercial development. Once completed, the project will make the region more resilient to future economic shocks like the COVID-19 pandemic.
    • $625,000, with no local match, to the City of Tiptonville, Tiptonville/Lake County, Tennessee, to fund sewer system improvements to support a new pipe manufacturing facility in Tiptonville, Tennessee, a designated Opportunity Zone. The improvements will include construction of two sewage lift stations, force mains, and a grinder pump to support the establishment of a pipe and tubing manufacturer at the Lake County Industrial Site and Port of Cates Landing. 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 create 100 jobs and leverage $18,000,000 in private investment.
    • $415,261, matched by $103,907 in local investment, to the Board of Regents-University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln/Lancaster County, Nebraska, to fund the Nebraska Entrepreneurship Initiative to create and test the feasibility of a statewide entrepreneurship coaching and resource networking model in three economic sub-state regions impacted by COVID-19 that emphasize entrepreneurship in their 5-year Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy plans. The project will directly assist over 143 existing or new business ventures over two years by leveraging the state’s new SourceLink resource referral platform and direct business coaching to increase program responsiveness. The project will develop and serve as a model for expanding the resource network to all regions of the state, which 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. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 50 jobs, save 22 jobs, and leverage $7,500,000 in private investment.
    • $400,000, matched by $100,000 in local investment, to the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Columbus/Franklin County, Ohio, to support the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission with updating a Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) to include economic recovery planning because of economic dislocations due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Columbus, Ohio. The project will provide the resources needed to focus on both short-term and long-term strategies for a more resilient and sustainable region as well as enable the region to have a strategic approach based on regional visioning, goals, measurable objectives and prioritized action. Once implemented, the CEDS will assist the region with recovery efforts from the pandemic and help build resiliency from future economic disruptions.
    • $390,000, with no local match, to the Government of Guam, Hagatna, Guam (Project: Agana Heights, Guam), to fund the development of a comprehensive Tourism Recovery Plan to revitalize and build resilience for Guam’s economy, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The project will help identify new revenue sources with recommendations for upgrades or the creation of new tourist attractions and tourist experiences, which will create new jobs for the region. Once implemented, the plan will provide new ecotourism and cultural tourism experiences, which will help make Guam become more resilient in the face of future economic shocks and health-related disasters, spur private investment and strengthen the regional economy.
    • $378,640, matched by $350,000 in local investment, to the Technology Council of Maryland, Inc., Frederick/Frederick County, Maryland, to support the Maryland Technology Council Business Continuity Task Force with helping local companies maximize their resilience, plan for an optimal recovery, execute a recovery plan and reimagine their future post the COVID-19 pandemic in Frederick County, Maryland, a designated Opportunity Zone. The members of the Task Force and all activities will be guided by the policies and principals of the Maryland Technology Council Venture Mentoring Services (MTC VMS) program, which focuses on the many challenges local companies are facing in the area and provides insight on how to capitalize on economic opportunities. Once implemented, the project will help to strengthen the regional economy and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $260,000, with no local match, to the Haines Economic Development Corporation, Haines/Haines County, Alaska, to support the Haines Economic Development Corporation with establishing a Pivot Program to help businesses move their operations online, find new customers and enhance their digital marketing skill set throughout the Alaskan Haines Borough, a designated Opportunity Zone. The new program will help mitigate the effects of COVID-19 by helping local businesses become globally competitive even without a tourism base, which will promote job retention and mitigate job loss and business closures. Once implemented, the program will help businesses in the area adapt and develop strategies to mitigate and respond to the impacts of coronavirus on the tourism industry, create jobs, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 35 jobs, save 129 jobs, and leverage $1,200,000 in private investment.
    • $241,108, matched by $68,302 in local investment, to Current Innovation, Chicago/Cook County, Illinois to support Current Innovation and its partner, the Water Council, in their effort to spur the Chicago and Milwaukee freshwater-based industry clusters with a new strategic plan for the industry’s immediate response to COVID-19 as well as its long-term growth. The planning process will align and involve a variety of regional stakeholders, who will research and create a strategic action plan to maximize the value of the freshwater economy to the region, especially as the pandemic has magnified the need for investment in related infrastructure. The strategy will include industry engagement with private-sector employers providing input to institutions and governments in the region and all stakeholders working collaboratively to ensure the region has what it needs to support this vital industry. Once implemented, the new market-based strategic plan for the water clusters in the states will strengthen the regional economy and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $202,300, matched by $35,700 in local investment, to the City of Edgewood, Edgewood/Delaware County, Iowa, to fund improvements to the Edgewood waste treatment facility in Delaware County, Iowa. The critical infrastructure is needed for business expansion and job creation and to support the community in responding to the economic injury resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The investment will aid in the expansion of operations at a local meat processing plant and the improvements to the treatment facility supports the generation of new jobs and will help attract other additional business opportunities. Once completed, the project will provide permanent resources and continued access to health care services to support economic resiliency, which will strengthen and advance the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 22 jobs, save 50 jobs, and leverage $5,000,000 in private investment.
    • $169,437, matched by $42,491 in local investment, to the Appalachian Artisan Center of Kentucky, Inc., Hindman/Knott County, Kentucky, to support the Troublesome Creek Instrument Company, a social enterprise of the Appalachian Artisan Center, with establishing a nationwide branding campaign in Hindman, Kentucky. The project will support economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic by helping to bring visitors back to the Kentucky region, which is vital to the recovery of local businesses. Once implemented, the project will support the company in developing a YouTube Channel, podcasts and instructional branding videos, which will attract private investment and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 37 jobs and leverage $25,000 in private investment.
  • $600,000 in one Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $150,000 in local investment, as follows:
    • $600,000, matched by $150,000 in local investment, to the Lee-Russell Council of Governments, Opelika/Lee County, Alabama, to help capitalize a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) Program to provide financial assistance to new and existing small to medium sized businesses in Lee and Russell Counties, Alabama. The RLF will provide a source of financing for businesses expanding into multiple locations, with a special emphasis on businesses that increase jobs and create resilience in the area. Once implemented, the project will bolster job creation, attract private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 35 jobs and leverage $10,000,000 in private investment.
  • $50,000 in one Local Technical Assistance project, matched by $12,500 in local investment, as follows:
    • $50,000, matched by $12,500 in local investment, to the City of Banning, Banning/Riverside County, California, to support the development and implementation of a comprehensive economic development strategy (CEDS) for the City of Banning to guide economic development and job creation initiatives for the City. 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.
  • $573,000 in three Partnership Planning projects, matched by $420,000 in local investments, to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) process. 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.