September 15 - 21, 2023

EDA announced 29 investments from September 15-21, 2023, totaling $25,727,567, which is matched by $19,408,939 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $14,406,490 in 10 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 five projects for $12,194,502 that will help create 995 jobs, save five jobs, and leverage $155,700,000 in private investments; (2) $5,000,000 in two Public Works projects to help communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure that will help create 605 jobs, save 101 jobs, and leverage $30,750,000 in private investments; (3) $334,654 in three Local Technical Assistance projects to strengthen the capacity of local or state organizations and institutions to undertake and promote effective economic development programs; (4) $1,442,700 in one Partnership Planning project to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process; (5) $87,500 in two Short-Term Planning projects to support the creation and implementation of regional economic development plans designed to build capacity and guide the economic prosperity and resiliency of an area or region; and (6) $4,456,223 in 11 STEM Talent Challenge projects to help communities build and implement programs that support a robust STEM workforce in emerging and transformative sectors including aerospace, aeronautics, biotechnology, advanced manufacturing, and cybersecurity.

• $14,406,490 in 10 Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $7,723,763 in local investments, as follows:
  • $8,000,000 in 2023 Disaster Supplemental funding, matched by $4,650,000 in local investment, to Horry-Georgetown Technical College, Conway/Horry, South Carolina, to support the construction of a new training facility on the Horry-Georgetown Technical College campus in Conway. The project will support an expansion of the college’s outboard marine technology program, which is a critical first step in supplying the marine manufacturing sector in South Carolina. Once completed, the project will provide a highly trained workforce, which will help attract private investment and create opportunities to strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 473 jobs and leverage $74,900,000 in private investment.
  • $1,751,658 in Assistance to Coal Communities, matched by $1,422,130 in local investment, to Cass County, Logansport/Cass County, Indiana, to support the reconstruction of Cass County Roads 300S and 400W, located at the entrance of the Cass County Agri-Business Industrial Park in Logansport, Indiana. The project work includes providing critical road infrastructure upgrades that will allow the existing and future businesses at the park to move heavy agriculture equipment, such as large vehicles and trucks. Once completed, the project will help improve business operations, which will promote industrial growth and bolster job opportunities in a region impacted by changes in the energy economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 200 jobs, save 5 jobs, and leverage $68,500,000 in private investment.
  • $1,400,000, with $0 local match, to the Cherokee Nation, Tahlequah/Cherokee County, Oklahoma, to support the expansion of skilled employment training services to Tribal members in Tahlequah. The project will expand the Tribe’s building trade, lineman, and fiber technician training programs and will help Tribal members in creating their own businesses in these fields. Once completed, the project will help increase job creation and drive economic development throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 72 jobs.
  • $690,604 in Assistance to Coal Communities, matched by $364,896 in local investment, to the Town of Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown/Bladen County, North Carolina, to support construction of infrastructure improvements needed to support business and job growth in Bladen County. The project will support development of the Elizabethtown Industrial Park and its new Live-Work-Play campus, in a region impacted by changes in the energy economy. Once completed, the project will help create new job opportunities and attract private investment to an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 50 jobs and leverage $2,300,000 in private investment.
  • $499,000, matched by $499,000 in local investment, to the Lorain County Community College District, Elyria/Lorain County, Ohio, to support the expansion of the Lorain County Community College's (LCCC) workforce training programs with the goal of doubling the number of students trained in critical programs local employers require to continue creating jobs in Elyria. The project work includes purchasing circuit-board manufacturing training equipment to help LCCC meet more of the region’s workforce training needs. Once completed, the project will promote economic growth and resiliency throughout the region.
  • $480,000 in Assistance to Coal Communities, matched by $120,000 in local investment, to the Randolph County Development Authority, Elkins/Randolph County, West Virginia, to support the Randolph County Development Authority with expanding the West Virginia Wood Technology Center’s workforce development/job training program. Once completed, the program will help support a coal mine closure that displaced 273 workers, which will create new opportunities and increase economic resiliency throughout the region.
  • $433,240, matched by $433,240 in local investment, to the City of Delta, Delta/Delta County, Colorado, to support operational costs for the Delta Library Innovation Center (DLIC), which is a new business incubator and makerspace in the City of Delta. The project will allow the city to provide staffing and resources to assist new business support and development services, including a variety of training, exercises, and events providing learning opportunities related to entrepreneurship, innovation, re-skilling and up-skilling, 1-1 customized direct technical assistance to entrepreneurs and small businesses, and more. Once completed, the project will help diversify the economy, support a vibrant Main Street in the city, and build economic resilience throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 200 jobs and leverage $10,000,000 in private investment.
  • $401,988, matched by $100,497 in local investment, to the Western Dakota Technical College, Rapid City/Pennington County, South Dakota, to fund the Western Dakota Technical College's Rural Access to Medical Programming (Project RAMP), to help alleviate critical labor shortages in nursing and other health occupations that are sorely needed in rural Western South Dakota. The project will focus on workforce training and education programming by providing mobile simulation lab courses, which will bring practical training to rural underserved areas of the state with a focus on nursing and other medical professions. Once completed, the project will create a sustainable pipeline of skilled medical professionals that addresses these critical labor gaps, which will alleviate critical nursing shortages and enhance community resilience to disasters throughout the region.
  • $400,000 in Assistance to Coal Communities, matched by $100,000 in local investment, to the Jefferson County Port Authority, Steubenville/Jefferson County, Ohio, to support the Jefferson County Port Authority with initiating a strategic economic recovery and development program to help the region recover from the W.H. Sammis Power Plant closure that occurred in July 2023. As a critical source of jobs in the Steubenville region, the plant’s closure prompted local leaders to seek assistance to help its Port Authority inventory assets, support existing economic development initiatives, and develop a business retention and expansion plan as well as a coal recovery and resilience plan to help understand how best to respond to this economic shock to the region and chart a course forward. Once implemented, the project will help the community build a new more diverse, equitable, and resilient economy.
  • $350,000, matched by $34,000 in local investment, to Dine College, Tsaile/Apache County, Arizona, to fund a study to determine the financial/market feasibility of a wool mill located at Dine College in Tsaile. In addition, the project work includes research, data collection and recommendations for the appropriate operational model, producer association model and site preparation for the successful operation of the wool mill. Once completed, the study will determine whether wool produced and processed on Navajo land will help Navajo producers attract consumers around the world. With technology and marketing via the internet, Navajo wool and wool products can be marketed and shipped to consumers anywhere, which will help enhance future economic sustainability and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
• $5,000,000 in two Public Works projects, matched by $6,446,979 in local investments, as follows:
  • $3,000,000, matched by $3,944,586 in local investment, to East Mississippi Community College/East Mississippi Community College Board of Trustees, Scooba/Kemper County, Mississippi, to support the construction of a new industrial training facility on the campus of East Mississippi Community College, to prepare workers for manufacturing and industrial service sectors in Scooba. The facility will allow students and trainees the opportunity to earn certificates and associate degrees in electrical technology, welding and fabrication, HVAC maintenance, and more. Once completed, the project will provide sustainable income for the region while decreasing the unemployment rate and stabilizing the economy. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 205 jobs, save 51 jobs, and leverage $750,000 in private investment.
  • $2,000,000, matched by $2,502,393 in local investment, to the Charter Township of Mundy, Mundy/Genesee County Road Commission, Swartz Creek/Genesee County (Project: Flint/Genesee County), Michigan, to support the Charter Township of Mundy with upgrading the critical water and road infrastructure to serve industrial users’ requirements for water pressure and truck access in Genesee County. The project work includes upgrading approximately 800 feet of sanitary sewer, 9500 feet of water main, 3175 feet of storm sewer, drain extensions and detention areas. Once completed, the project will support existing manufacturing businesses, attract new private investment, and create jobs in healthcare, manufacturing, and technology sectors. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 400 jobs, save 50 jobs, and leverage $30,000,000 in private investment.
• $334,654 in three Local Technical Assistance projects, matched by $131,387 as follows:
  • $225,000, matched by $101,195 in local investment, to the MidSouth Development District, Cordova/Shelby County, Tennessee, to support capacity building to facilitate and grow economic development initiatives in Cordova. Once completed, the project will create an economic development roadmap to diversify and strengthen the regional economy.
  • $79,448, matched by $19,862 in local investment, to the Georgia Tech Research Corporation, Atlanta/Fulton County, Georgia, to support the development of a pilot program to assist two Georgia communities with the modeling of impacts of major economic development projects on local housing supply, public schools, safety, and infrastructure in the City of Atlanta. The Local Economic Development Asset Planning project will provide local economic development organizations and governments with a comprehensive analysis of the potential impact of development initiatives on the community. Once completed, the project will help diversify the economy and build economic resilience throughout the region.
  • $30,170, matched by $10,330 in local investment, to the Kentucky Association of Mitigation Managers, Inc., Frankfort/Franklin County, Kentucky, to support planning efforts for their annual conference in Frankfort. The event will bring together a host of community leaders from across the state to network and learn about disaster mitigation to enhance economic resiliency, and garner best practices that will strengthen future disaster response. Once completed, the project will lay the groundwork for long-term economic vitality and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
• $1,442,700 in one Partnership Planning project, matched by $360,675 in local investment, 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.
  • Commonwealth of KY Dept Local Governments, Franklin/Franklin County, KY ($1,442,700/$360,675)
• $87,500 in two Short-Term Planning projects, matched by $87,500 in local investments, as follows:
  • $67,500, matched by $67,500 in local investment, to the Port Sheldon Township, West Olive/Ottawa County, Michigan, to support the Port Sheldon Township with developing a recovery and resiliency plan to inform the Township’s economic development activities as the impending 2025 closure of the JH Campbell power plant in West Olive, Michigan will result in the loss of more than 300 jobs. Once implemented, the strategy will provide key insights into current strengths and weaknesses in the regional economy, update the Township’s master plan, and help local leaders better understand the impact of the closure and determine how best to respond and make the economy more resilient in the face of future economic shocks.
  • $20,000, matched by $20,000 in local investment to EDC, Inc., Economic Development Council for the Peoria Area, Peoria/Peoria County, Illinois, to support development of its new Greater Peoria Targeted Industry Analysis in Illinois. Recent industry trends resulted in disinvestment in the Peoria region including the loss of major employers. Together with long-term economic challenges, these losses propelled local leaders to develop a strategy to diversify the local economy and make it more resilient in the face of future economic shocks. The project will provide key insights into economic diversification opportunities, targeted interventions to connect regional assets, and an action plan that will help guide local leaders as they help guide regional economic development decisions to strengthen the economy as it changes. Once completed, the project will create an economic development roadmap to help create jobs and drive economic growth throughout the region.
• $4,456,223 in 11 STEM Talent Challenge projects, matched by $4,658,635 in local investments, as follows:
  • $500,000, matched by $503,690 in local investment, to the Liberty Science Center, Inc., Jersey City/Hudson County, New Jersey, to fund the High Schools of the Future Program, which supports the Liberty Science Center, with developing a comprehensive plan and roadmap for future High Schools of the Future cohorts. Phase two of the program work includes data collection and program evaluation, the exploration and assessment of ideas, stakeholder engagement, and partner recruitment. The program focuses on the immediate needs of the labor market by accelerating alternative learning paths to get students job-ready for rapid deployment into the workforce. Once implemented, the program will help build on the success and resources generated by the pilot program to launch a sustainable effort that trains and places students from New Jersey’s low-income and diverse neighborhoods into well-paying STEM jobs.
  • $500,000, matched by $500,000 in local investment, to CodePath.org, San Francisco/San Francisco County, California, to fund the Pathway to Tech in Atlanta program, to assist CodePath, a nonprofit organization that reprograms higher education to create the most diverse generation of software engineers, CTOs, and founders, with increasing the number of underrepresented college students in Atlanta who benefit from CodePath’s workforce roadmap for tech-interested students. In close partnership with universities, employers, and government stakeholders, CodePath will provide hundreds of hours of curriculum, mentorship, industry connections, and job opportunities to increase student confidence, networks, and belonging that contribute to higher rates of tech internships and high-trajectory tech careers. Once implemented, the program will modify university computing department curriculum and course sequence, significantly augment career centers, build a student community and leadership pathway, and link students to early paid work experience to improve technical internship and job attainment for underrepresented computing students while strengthening the region’s innovation economy. In addition, the program will help build a diverse STEM talent pipeline that ensures the people powering Atlanta’s regional innovation economy reflect the diversity of the population.
  • $496,693, matched by $496,693 in local investment, to the San Diego Electrical Training Trust, San Diego/San Diego County, California, to fund the Electrical Training Institute's (ETI, formerly San Diego Electrical Training Trust) Resilience in a STEM Economy (RISE) Program, to offer competency-based, work-and-learn education and training models that are directly connected to the needs of regional employers. The RISE program will support ETI’s programs in Micro-Grid Training and Certification, Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Training, and Photovoltaic Installation and Maintenance. These offerings enable apprentices to acquire transferable skills and receive a nationally- recognized credential. Once implemented, the program will provide ETI’s graduates with full-time, high-wage job offers, which will provide regional reciprocal growth and substantial community economic development.
  • $499,196, matched by $500,802 in local investment, to Goodwill of Western Missouri and Easten Kansas, Kansas City/Jackson County, Missouri, to fund the Bridge to Technology and Careers in Greater Kansas City program, which will increase diversity and equity in technology-based fields in the Kansas City metropolitan area. Goodwill of Western Missouri and Eastern Kansas (Goodwill) is a 501c3 nonprofit, working with a subrecipient, LaunchCode, to overcome the impact of the digital divide among underrepresented individuals while exposing them to exciting, high-wage technology job opportunities; provide training and apprenticeships for in-demand technology jobs; offer wraparound services and case management throughout to support program completion; and connect individuals to sustainable, innovation-based careers. The program will serve diverse populations in Jackson, Johnson, Clay, Wyandotte, Cass, Platte, Leavenworth, Lafayette, Miami, Ray, Clinton, Bates, Linn, and Caldwell counties in Missouri and Kansas. Once implemented, the program will provide enrollment for at least 200 people, and LaunchCode training enrollment for at least 450 people. In addition, at least 270 individuals will complete training and 80 individuals will start technology-based careers through courses and/or apprenticeships.
  • $493,521, matched by $562,575 in local investment, to the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville/Washington County, Arkansas, to fund the BioAR Train Biomanufacturing Workforce Initiative (BTBWI) program, to develop and implement a no-cost-for-participant online and hybrid biomanufacturing curriculum and credentialing to facilitate biomanufacturing workforce training. These biomanufacturing courses and credentialing programs will advance statewide and regional initiatives to remedy talent pipeline shortages and increase equitable access to web-based education and training models. Once implemented, the program will showcase a more diverse, inclusive, and sustainable STEM talent pipeline exemplifying economic resilience throughout the region.
  • $409,410, matched by $513,387 in local investment, to the Middlesex Community Collee, Lowell/Middlesex County, Massachusetts, to fund the Industry Integrated Computer Aided Design Expansion Program, to assist the Middlesex Community College (MCC), with campuses in Lowell and Bedford, Massachusetts, with implementing an industry-integrated Computer Aided Design (CAD) expansion program to double the size and scope of its current associate degree CAD course of study. MCC is a state-supported entity and institution of higher education that is also a Minority Serving Institution enrolling about 8,000 students annually. Once implemented, the program outcomes include enrolling an additional 200 students, partnering with a minimum of four area STEM or Advanced Manufacturing employers, improving CAD laboratory resources, establishing an industry-led advisory board, and a stretch goal of 100% job placement for participants.
  • $364,548, matched by $378,328 in local investment, to the Austin Community College District, Austin/Travis County, Texas, to fund the Semiconductor Technician Advanced Rapid Start (STARS) Training Program, to assist the Austin Community College, a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution that educates more than 40,000 degree-seeking students across a 7,000-square-mile service area in Central Texas, with launching and growing a new, short-term, high-quality training program for the semiconductor manufacturing industry. At least 144 hours of instruction via the College’s Continuing Education Division will prepare students for entry-level employment and/or Registered Apprenticeships as semiconductor manufacturing equipment maintenance and repair technicians. Once implemented, the program will support the advanced equipment that powers Texas’ robust semiconductor manufacturing industry.
  • $332,828, matched by $332,830 in local investment, to Bowling Green University, Bowling Green/Wood County, Ohio, to fund the Advancing Regional Talent in Smart Technology Enabled Manufacturing program, which supports Bowling Green State University with the creation of an ecosystem to transform smart manufacturing curriculum and training by engaging industry professionals in work-related learning modules and hands-on activities. The ecosystem will provide a talent-driven model for developing technical and professional skills in smart technology-enabled manufacturing. Once implemented, the program will provide pathways to accelerate innovation and grow entrepreneurship interest among students and professionals.
  • $323,832, matched by $325,474 in local investment, to the Board of Trustees of St. Petersburg College, St. Petersburg/Pinellas County, Florida, to fund the St. Petersburg College’s (SPC) Geospatial/AI STEM Training Program (GSTP), to create an innovative talent development pathway with employer and community partnership for job placement of graduates and to contribute to an AI technology-driven entrepreneurial economy in the geospatial discipline and related fields. GSTP will be an equity multiplier for socially and economically disadvantaged individuals (SEDI) with program recruitment to historically underrepresented participants. Once implemented, the program will help close hiring gaps in securing employment in the emerging technologies ecosystem, initiate business growth, and secure good paying jobs for participants
  • $283,262, matched by $287,160 in local investment, to South Texas College, McAllen/Hidalgo County, Texas, to fund the STEM Registered Apprenticeship Program, which seeks to (1) recruit employers in need of STEM apprentices; (2) recruit , enroll, and train 96 unemployed individuals in Pre-Apprenticeship Programs (PAPs); (3) place 96 PAP completers in advanced manufacturing and robotics, broadband expansion, and built environment jobs; (4) enroll these 96 employed PAP completers in one-year Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs); and (5) ensure employers reward successful RAP completers for skill gains. Once implemented, the program will help to close a projected workforce gap and create new opportunities for individuals underrepresented in the STEM workforce.
  • $252,933, matched by $257,696 in local investment, to the Washington State University, Pullman/Whitman County, Washington, to fund Washington State University's High-Demand Advanced Civil Engineering Workforce Development program, to help bridge the talent gap between industry-desired intelligence and traditional technical skills in civil engineering. The project focuses on infusing critical, emerging technologies and social intelligence in work-and-learn education and training models to develop students' competencies and skills, meeting high-demand civil, structural, transportation, and construction engineering jobs. Once implemented, the program will help develop STEM-focused work-based learning and training, increasing regional innovation capacity, and promoting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility in STEM.