March 7 - 12, 2021

EDA announced 18 investments from March 7-12, 2021, totaling $20,669,538, which is matched by $14,693,008 in local investments. These investments include the following: (1) $14,773,953 in 13 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 $11,883,889 that will help create 13,574 jobs, save 13,672 jobs, and leverage $60,500,000 in private investments; (2) $348,825 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 $99,050 that will help create 150 jobs, save 80 jobs and leverage $2,000,000 in private investment; and (3) $5,546,760 in two Public Works projects to help communities revitalize, expand, and upgrade their physical infrastructure that will help create 568 jobs, save 800 jobs, and leverage $85,750,000 in private investments.

• $14,773,953 in 13 Economic Adjustment Assistance-COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Projects, matched by $4,047,065 in local investments, as follows:
  • $4,220,000, matched by $1,055,000 in local investment, to the City of North Richland Hills, North Richland Hills/Tarrant County, Texas, to support the City of North Richland Hills with the reconstruction of Iron Horse Boulevard, a major collector road that provides access to industrial employers in Tarrant County, Texas. The project will help retain essential employers including a major manufacturer of medical and PPE equipment, an aerospace manufacturer, and a food processing facility. Once completed, the project will allow businesses to quickly respond to future disruptions, like those caused by the COVID-19 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. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 200 jobs and save 832 jobs.
  • $2,331,907, matched by $869,723 in local investment, to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs/Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade Community Builders, Denver/Denver County, Colorado, to support the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA), Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) and Community Builders, in partnership with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE), with developing and implementing a strategic, coordinated approach to support innovation and successful recovery outcomes from the COVID-19 pandemic in rural Colorado regions and communities. The project will expand the State’s current capacity for rural resiliency, economic development planning and business support coordination, allowing for faster implementation and more impactful outcomes. Once implemented, the plan will support community partnerships and be data-driven and actionable, helping Colorado rural businesses and economies create and retain jobs, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantees estimate that this investment will help create 100 jobs and leverage $50,000,000 in private investment.
  • $2,255,000, matched by $567,918 in local investment, to Operation Hope, Inc., Atlanta/Fulton County, Georgia, to supports Operation Hope, Inc. with providing technical assistance and financial guidance to small, nascent, minority and women-owned businesses to respond to and recover from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in the eight-state southeastern region of the nation, including nearby Opportunity Zones. The project will execute recovery and resilience actions by assisting entrepreneurs and business owners with preparedness planning using the HOPE Emergency Financial First Aid Kit (EFFAK), designed to prevent and prepare for financial emergencies and economic shocks. 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.
  • $1,996,160, matched by $499,040 in local investment, to the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center Trust, Fairbanks/Fairbanks North Star County, Alaska, to support the Fairbanks Pipeline Training Center Trust with purchasing heavy-duty equipment to train Alaskans in operation and maintenance to better support the growing workforce demand brought to Alaska through the LNG Pipeline Project, Boeing Missile Silos, Donlin Gold Project; the Yukon-Kuskokwim Freight Corridor, Energy Corridor Project; and infrastructure projects conducting in the Bethel and Northwest Arctic Borough in Alaska. The project will help the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic by providing apprenticeships in the oil and gas, mining, and major construction industries to help promote a pipeline of skilled workers. Once completed, the project will increase high-paying job opportunities, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 12,300 jobs, save 5,000 jobs, and leverage $10,500,000 in private investment.
  • $1,250,000, matched by $336,199 in local investment, to the City of Fairview, Fairview/Major County, Oklahoma, to support the City of Fairview with the construction of the Outpatient Therapy Sports Performance Rehabilitation Center building and associated parking lot and signage at the Fairview Regional Medical Center (FRMC) in Major County, Oklahoma. The project will help the FRMC with providing continuation of rehab services including physical therapy, cardiac rehab, and speech therapy in the wake of increased health care demand and enhanced safety protocols. Once completed, the project will assist the region with recovery efforts from the COVID-19 pandemic, create jobs, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 20 jobs.
  • $662,922, matched by $165,730 in local investment, to the City of Salem, Salem/Essex County, Massachusetts, to support the City of Salem with implementing a recovery strategy designed to advance sustained long-term recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuring downtown Salem remains a nationally and globally competitive tourism destination in Essex County, Massachusetts. The project contains four components, which includes a visitor marketing campaign, alternative events programming, tourism industry based technical assistance to help local small businesses, and an economic diversification strategy for Salem to identify promising industries for diversification based on economic trends in the region. Once implemented, the project will impact two Opportunity Zones, create jobs, attract private investment, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 374 jobs.
  • $500,000, matched by $160,000 in local investment, to One Redmond, Redmond/King County, Washington, to support One Redmond with establishing the Small Business Recovery and Resiliency Center (BRRC) to provide full-time technical assistance programs to small businesses owners as they pivot to survive the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in King County, Washington. The BRRC will provide tailored technical assistance to assist businesses in reopening safely and successfully; a virtual portal to showcase small business success stories while providing updated information on the latest developments; and program coordination and collaboration with State and local partners. Once completed, the project will empower local businesses and foster entrepreneurship, create and retain jobs, and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 500 jobs and save 1,500 jobs.
  • $452,900, matched by $113,225 in local investment, to the City of Sycamore, Sycamore/Turner County, Georgia, to fund improvements to Sycamore City's wastewater treatment facility, increasing its capacity and making it more resilient against future disaster events. The improvements will mitigate the potential for future economic injury by allowing the City to provide adequate and sustained sewer service, which will support economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic impacts. Once completed, the project will save jobs, spur private investment, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help save 60 jobs.
  • $300,000, matched by $75,000 in local investment, to the Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance, Las Vegas/Clark County, Nevada, to fund the COVID-19 Recovery and Resilience Investment Project to provide one-on-one outreach and education, marketing, webinars, and critical COVID recovery programming through a broad partnership network in Clark County, Nevada, a designated Opportunity Zone. The Las Vegas Global Economic Alliance will organize and lead this network to provide targeted business outreach along with recovery and rehiring assistance to employers negatively impacted by COVID-19, which will help to strengthen the regional economy and advance economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help save 6,000 jobs.
  • $280,000, matched by $70,000 in local investment, to the W.E. Upjohn Unemployment Trustee Corporation/South Central Michigan Planning Council, Kalamazoo/Kalamazoo County, Michigan, to support the W.E. Upjohn and the South Central Michigan Planning Council with economic recovery efforts related to the impacts of COVID-19 in the Branch, Kalamazoo, St. Joseph, and Calhoun County region. The project will enhance the region’s resilience to future economic shocks by helping regional leaders better understand targeted opportunities for investment in infrastructure, job training, education, and the strength of local economic linkages. Once implemented, the strategy will provide key insights into the region’s workforce development needs, which will increase job opportunities, attract private investment, and strengthen the local economy.
  • $275,064, matched by $68,766 in local investment, to the Eureka Chamber of Commerce, Eureka/Humboldt County, California, to fund the e-Commerce Assistance to Small Area Businesses project, to support local business with becoming more resilient by establishing or expanding their e-commerce and online marketing capabilities through hands-on technical assistance in Humboldt County, California, a designated Opportunity Zone. The project will respond to the region’s economic injury as a result of the coronavirus pandemic by improving businesses’ e-commerce sites coupled with providing more sophisticated online marketing strategies. Once implemented, the project will help to strengthen the regional economy and advance economic resiliency throughout the region.
  • $170,000, matched by $42,500 in local investment, to the Siskiyou County Economic Development Council, Yreka/Siskiyou County, California, to support the development of an economic recovery and resilience plan for professional economic development capacity, technical assistance, and planning for the communities in Siskiyou County, California. The project will identify and analyze economic vulnerabilities in areas of the economy that were hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic economic downturn; strategize mechanisms between local government and the business community to allow the efficient allocation of resources such as capital assistance; and provide local leaders with the ability to make informed, data-driven decisions on problems with pronounced uncertainties. Once implemented, the plan will help spur economic development and diversification to help the area recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and increase resiliency for future disruptions. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 80 jobs and save 280 jobs.
  • $80,000, matched by $23,964 in local investment, to the City of Lancaster, Lancaster/Fairfield County, Ohio, to support the City of Lancaster and Fairfield County in their assessment of the impact of implementing the Ewing Street Connector project, connecting US-22 and US-33. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious gaps in the city’s transportation infrastructure, and increased traffic near the Fairfield Medical Center negatively impacting traffic conditions and imposing costs on local businesses. Once completed, the study will help make the city more resilient in the face of future economic shocks and health-related disasters, which will save jobs, spur private investment, and strengthen the regional economy.
• $348,825 in three Economic Adjustment Assistance projects, matched by $92,450 in local investments, as follows:
  • $199,775 in 2019 Disaster Supplemental funds, with no local match, to the Guam Economic Development Authority, Tamuning, Guam (Project: Barrigada, Guam), to support the Guam Economic Development Authority with conducting the Guam Aquaculture Industry Feasibility Study, to determine the agriculture and aquaculture industry's viability as a secondary economic driver for fostering economic growth in the Territory of Guam, an area hit hard by Typhoon Mangkhut. The study aims to increase efforts towards food security and economic independence for the island by developing aquaculture-related infrastructure, promoting agri-tourism, encouraging prospective farmers and tertiary businesses, and establishing an export product that reduces the dependence on seafood imports to supply local food institutions. Once completed, the project will provide long-term economic growth, support business development, and create new jobs throughout the region.
  • $99,050, matched by $42,450 in local investment, to Nodaway County Economic Development, Inc., Maryville/Nodaway County, Missouri, to support Nodaway County Economic Development, Inc. with hiring a Workforce Recruitment/Recovery Specialist to coordinate local workforce efforts and collaborate with industry and service providers in Nodaway County, Missouri, a designated Opportunity Zone. The specialist will help the area address gaps in labor force participation and increase the supply of skilled workers to meet the growing demand within the regions manufacturing industry. The region historically has a tight labor supply that hampers growth and creates a comparative disadvantage. The project will help diversify the workforce and address the growing need of skilled tradesmen in the region, which will spur economic development. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 150 jobs, save 80 jobs, and leverage $2,000,000 in private investment.
  • $50,000 in Assistance to Coal Communities, matched by $50,000 in local investment, to the Tucker County Development Authority, Davis/Tucker County, West Virginia, to support the Tucker County Development Authority with conducting a feasibility study to address long term considerations of reducing inflow and infiltration (I & I) with Davis’ and Thomas’ systems, upgrading one or both wastewater treatment plants, and/or constructing a centralized regional wastewater treatment plant in Tucker County, West Virginia. Once completed, the project will create new job opportunities and attract private investment to an area that has been impacted by the decline in the coal industry.
• $5,546,760 in two Public Works projects, matched by $10,553,493 in local investments, as follows:
  • $3,000,000, matched by $8,000,000 in local investment, to the Atlantic City Improvement Authority, Atlantic City/Atlantic County (Project: Egg Harbor Township/Atlantic County), New Jersey, to support the Atlantic County Improvement Authority with constructing a two-story, 40,000-square foot office building, to house at least three aviation technology companies in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey, a designated Opportunity Zone. The building will be constructed as a multi-tenant facility with tenant spaces of 5,000 to 20,000 SF of office space that will include research and development areas. Once completed, the project will strengthen the Aviation Technology cluster in southern New Jersey and diversify the economy from relying on traditional clusters of tourism and gaming, which will attract private investment, create jobs, and strengthen the regional economy. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 165 jobs and leverage $2,250,000 in private investment.
  • $2,546,740, matched by $2,553,493 in local investment, to the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research, Danville/Danville City County, Virginia, to support the purchase of capital equipment to be used for the Industry 4.0 Integration and Training Initiative and Innovation Lab, housed at the new Center for Manufacturing Advancement located on the Institute for Advanced Learning and Research’s (IALR) campus in Danville, Virginia. The project will help build a work-ready pipeline of highly skilled workers who will be able to retool and integrate Industry 4.0 strategies into factories to automate systems and operations to include digital factories monitored and controlled remotely. Once completed, the project will attract private investment and provide opportunities for in-demand, high paying jobs in advance manufacturing, which will ensure a more resilient manufacturing base, attract new industries, increase global competitiveness, and promote economic resiliency throughout the region. The grantee estimates that this investment will help create 403 jobs, save 800 jobs, and leverage $83,500,000 in private investment.