Grant

July 19 - 23, 2021

EDA announced 19 investments from July 19-23, 2021, totaling $17,554,399, which is matched by $11,593,690 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $11,521,974 in six Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects to help alleviate sudden and severe economic dislocation caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which includes four projects for $10,145,974 that will help create 1,417 jobs, save 320 jobs, and leverage $540,000,000 in private investments; (2) $660,454 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 one project for $120,000 that will help create 20 jobs, save 75 jobs, and leverage $10,000,000 in private investment; (3) $4,057,000 in two Public Works project to help communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure that will help create 278 jobs, save 120 jobs, and leverage $50,700,000 in private investments; (4) $433,971 in three Technical Assistance University Center projects to make the varied and vast resources of universities available to the economic development practitioner community; and (5) $881,000 in five Partnership Planning projects to support the development and implementation of the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy process.

  • $11,521,974 in six Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects, matched by $9,063,014 in local investments, as follows:
    • $4,945,774, matched by $7,418,661 in local investment, to the City of Kenosha, Kenosha/Kenosha County, Wisconsin, to support the Kenosha Innovative Neighborhood Infrastructure Construction Project, which includes making road and sewer infrastructure improvements in Kenosha County, Wisconsin, a designated Opportunity Zone. The project will also provide a workforce training center to help meet the regional demand for a new generation of manufacturing talent. Once completed, the project will assist the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic, advance the manufacturing industry, bolster job creation, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 1,000 jobs and leverage $500,000,000 in private investment.
    • $2,400,000, matched by $600,000 in local investment, to the Ann Arbor Spark/City of Ann Arbor, Ann Arbor/Washtenaw County, Michigan, to support Ann Arbor Spark and the City of Ann Arbor with constructing 20 miles of underground fiber optic cable, to attract and retain high-tech businesses in the growing mobility sector in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti, Michigan. Once completed, the project will advance the fiber network connectivity throughout the region, create and retain jobs, spur private investment, and increase economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 67 jobs and leverage $35,600,000 in private investment.
    • $1,800,000, matched by $450,000 in local investment, to the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, Inc., Cleveland/Cuyahoga County, Ohio, to support the Urban League of Greater Cleveland, Inc. with establishing a $2.5 million Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to lend to small businesses and entrepreneurs throughout Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Once implemented, the RLF will provide access to capital to help small businesses and entrepreneurs recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which will promote job creation and retention, attract private investment, and bolster economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 300 jobs, save 300 jobs, and leverage $3,000,000 in private investment.
    • $1,056,000, matched by $264,000 in local investment, to the City of Fall River, Fall River/Bristol County, Massachusetts, to support the City of Fall River with developing the Phase I engineering design and permitting requirements for sewer line infrastructure upgrades to directly support economic development opportunities in Fall River, Massachusetts, a designated Opportunity Zone. The project will support the remaining future build-out of the Fall River Industrial Park, Commerce Park and the South Coast Life Science and Technology Park to help advance manufacturing, life sciences and technology in the area. Once completed, the project will help the region recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which will strengthen the regional economy and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $1,000,000, matched by $250,000 in local investment, to the Rio Arriba County, Espanola/Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, to support Rio Arriba County with renovating a former charter school to create a pipefitting workforce training facility and a community center in Espanola, New Mexico. The new facility and center will assist local workers displaced by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing opportunities for well-paying, quality jobs. In addition, the County will coordinate with the Pipe Fitters Union to provide workers with workforce development training in resilient fields. Once completed, the project will bolster job creation, spur private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 50 jobs, save 20 jobs, and leverage $1,400,000 in private investment.
    • $320,200, matched by $80,353 in local investment, to the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, Anchorage/Anchorage County, Alaska, to support the Anchorage Economic Development Corporation with the preparation of a cluster-based economic analysis, institution of cluster workgroups, and publication of a strategy and action plan document to mitigate the adverse impacts of economic disruptions in Anchorage, Alaska. Once implemented, the plan will help spur economic development and diversification to help the area recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, which will increase resiliency throughout the region.
  • $660,454 in three Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $487,455 in local investments, as follows:
    • $290,454, matched by $290,455 in local investment, to the University of Montana, Missoula/Missoula County, Montana, to fund the Montana Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Strategy Project to bring much needed capital investment and job creation to the state of Montana by targeting FDI opportunities in the area. The project will help enhance community assets, support growth in US exports tied to FDI, and help ease COVID-19 related economic distress by attracting capital that will further diversify and strengthen Montana’s economy. In addition, the project will help create a new economic path for the State, which will enhance future economic sustainability, strengthen the regional economy and bolster economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $250,000, matched by $167,000 in local investment, to the El Paso Chamber of Commerce, El Paso/El Paso County, Texas, to support the El Paso Chamber of Commerce with expanding the Business Solutions Center (BSC) technical support services to assist businesses economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic in El Paso, Texas. The project will help assist small businesses through initiatives centered in business advocacy, consulting services, business training, business sustainability, and contract opportunity assistance. All assistance will be available in both English and Spanish to address the needs and demographics of the Borderplex business community. Once completed, the project will allow businesses to quickly respond to future disruptions, like those caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, and encourage local businesses to stay and expand in their current location, which will help create and retain jobs and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
    • $120,000, matched by $30,000 in local investment, to the Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc., Medford/Jackson County, Oregon, to support the Southern Oregon Regional Economic Development, Inc. (SOREDI) with hiring a Business Disaster Recovery and Resiliency Liaison to respond to business needs in Jackson County, Oregon, a designated Opportunity Zone. The Liaison’s job responsibilities would include, but not be limited to business outreach visits, needs assessment within the business community, communication with impacted jurisdictions, and coordination with multiple other partners and agencies responding to the wildfire disaster in Southern Oregon. Once completed, the project will help strengthen and diversify the regional economy, which will increase resilience in the face of future disasters. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 20 jobs, save 75 jobs, and leverage $10,000,000 in private investment.
  • $4,057,000 in two Public Works projects, matched by $1,014,250 in local investments, as follows:
    • $3,414,500, matched by $853,625 in local investment, to the City of Hornell Industrial Development Agency/City of Hornell, Hornell/Steuben County, New York, to support the City of Hornell Industrial Development Agency and the City of Hornell with constructing infrastructure improvements at the Shawmut Industrial Park to facilitate the construction of a new automobile manufacturing facility in Steuben County, New York. Located in a designated Opportunity Zone, the project work includes: 2,800 linear feet of Shawmut Park Drive will be milled and deteriorated pavement restored to support new traffic to NYS Route 36; traffic control signals and overhead utility lines will be relocated and overhanging trees removed along Thacher Street Road to accommodate vehicles carrying car body shells; construction of two parking areas; relocation of the water main and sanitary sewer infrastructures; and upgrade of a sewer pump station. Once completed, the project will advance the region’s manufacturing industry, bolster job creation, spur private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 258 jobs and leverage $47,200,000 in private investment.
    • $642,500, matched by $160,625 in local development, to the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority, Brunswick/Cumberland County, Maine, to support the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority with installing HVAC equipment at the TechPlace manufacturing center to provide a year-round controlled climate cooling system that is essential to high technology product development and manufacturing operations in Cumberland County, Maine. The project will serve the center’s offices and 30,000 square feet of manufacturing space and include the installation of lighting controls to maximize energy efficiency. Once completed, the project will meet the regional needs of the growing manufacturing and high technology industry, create and retain jobs, attract private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 20 jobs, save 120 jobs, and leverage $3,500,000 in private investment.
  • $433,971 in three Technical Assistance University Center projects, matched by $433,971 in local investments, to support a five-year University Center 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.
  • $881,000 in five Partnership Planning projects, matched by $595,000 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.