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Commerce Department Invests $3.4 Million to Spur Economic Growth & Create Jobs in IN, AR, ID, CA, NM, OR, TX & IA

September 3, 2010
Contact: John Atwood, (202) 482-4085

Grants to Help Increase Competitiveness in the Global Marketplace

WASHINGTON - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today announced $3.4 million in U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) grants to help communities in Indiana, Arkansas, Idaho, California, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Iowa adjust to increasing competition in the global marketplace, better positioning them to create jobs and boost their local economies.

"The Obama administration is committed to helping main street businesses strengthen their global competitiveness," Locke said. "These EDA grants will help create jobs and support economic growth in these communities by developing strategies and projects that will diversify the regional economy and keep companies competitive."The grants announced today include:
  • $1.2 million to Mississippi County and Blytheville-Gosnell Regional Airport Authority of Blytheville, Ark., to expand and improve two facilities at the Blytheville-Gosnell Regional Airport. The project will advance plans to transform the former Eaker Air Force Base into a regional aeronautics testing and aviation maintenance facility, enhancing and diversifying the community's economic base.
  • $1 million to Idaho's Boise State University to build the Technology and Entrepreneurial (TECenter) Incubator. The TECenter will provide local entrepreneurs with the expertise and technological tools needed to grow their businesses and create new jobs.
  • $500,000 to Orange County, Calif., to prepare an analysis of the current Orange County economy to help target new industries, diversify the local economic base and advance regional competitiveness.
  • $200,000 to the Upper Explorerland Regional Planning Commission of Postville, Iowa to implement a 27-county, three-state regional action plan prepared under the direction of the tri-state Aim2Win network.
  • $170,000 to Grant County, N.M., to develop an economic development master plan that will help target new industries and create jobs.
  • $155,689 to Lane County, Ore., to enhance entrepreneurship by implementing economic gardening, business development, instructional technical assistance, and workforce training programs.
  • $93,046 to Morris County, Texas, to develop an economic development strategic plan to assess the current market in order to diversify the local economic base and create higher-skill, living-wage jobs.
  • $75,000 to the Northwest Iowa Planning & Development Commission of Spencer, Iowa, to develop a strategic plan to help the region map its future economic course, providing a precise and targeted route focused directly at job creation, industrial diversification and long-term stability.

Earlier this year, President Obama unveiled his National Export Initiative, an effort to help U.S. businesses sell their goods and services abroad with a goal of doubling U.S. exports over the next five years in support of 2 million American jobs. Through the NEI, the federal government is expanding its trade advocacy efforts in all forms, including educating U.S. companies about opportunities overseas, directly connecting U.S. companies with new customers, and advocating more forcefully for U.S. company interests in contracting processes.

These grants are funded under EDA's Community Trade Adjustment Assistance (CTAA) Program, which is aimed at helping to create and retain jobs by providing project grants to communities (cities, counties, or other political subdivisions of a state or a consortium of political subdivisions of a state, including District Organizations of Economic Development Districts) that have experienced, or are threatened by, job loss resulting from increased global competition.

Grants under the program can be used to support a wide range of technical, planning, and infrastructure projects to help communities adapt to the global marketplace and diversify their economies. Additional information is available at: http://www.eda.gov/InvestmentsGrants/CommunityTAA.xml.

EDA expects to announce additional CTAA program grants within the next month.

About the U.S. Economic Development Administration (www.eda.gov):
This year, the U.S. Economic Development Administration (EDA) marks 45 years of public service, with a mission of leading the federal economic development agenda by promoting competitiveness and preparing American regions for growth and success in the worldwide economy. EDA is an agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce that partners with distressed communities throughout the United States to foster job creation, collaboration and innovation.