Grant

May 1 - 5, 2017

$1 million in Public Works funds to the University of Houston-Victoria, Texas, to fund renovation of a portion of the former Town Plaza Mall to establish the Regional Center for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship to be owned and operated by the University of Houston-Victoria. The new center will provide a regional hub for small business resources that promotes community engagement and partnerships to support the educational, economic, and cultural development throughout the area. Additionally, the project will encourage economic diversification and entrepreneurial development opportunities for communities across the region. This investment is part of a $2 million project that the grantee estimates will create 1,080 jobs, save 1,080 jobs, and leverage $43.2 million in private investment.
$980,000 in Public Works funds to the City of Danville, Kentucky, to fund improvements to the city’s water infrastructure to support the continued operation, expansion, location of companies, and employment in the area. The project will result in the creation of jobs and also supports the state’s growing aerospace industry cluster which is expected to generate future long-term, economic growth in the region by attracting foreign direct investment. This investment is part of a $1.96 million project that the grantee estimates will create 127 jobs, save 188 jobs, and leverage $30 million in private investment.
$909,686 in Public Works funds to the Greene County Board of Supervisors, Leakesville, Mississippi, to fund the expansion of an existing Workforce Training Center in Leakesville, Mississippi. This new construction will provide electrical and ship fitting courses and offer expanded classes in welding and pipe fitting. These workforce development initiatives will support the ship building and marine industries in the Gulf Coast which will strengthen global competitiveness. This investment is part of a $1,299,551 project that the grantee estimates will create 250 jobs and leverage $60,000 in private investment.
$600,000 in Public Works funds to the City of Providence, Rhode Island, to support construction of new public infrastructure, including site access and utility improvements, to support the redevelopment of an environmentally-remediated industrial site into food production, processing and other commercial or light industrial uses. The improvements will support private investment and job creation within the community consistent with the Providence New Food Cluster Strategy and economic development goals. This investment is part of a $1.2 million project that the grantee estimates will create 360 jobs and leverage $25,000 in private investment.
$569,204 in Public Works funds to Somerset County, Pennsylvania, to fund the installation of critical fiber optic infrastructure to four new sites in Somerset County—the Somerset Industrial Park, the Laurel Highlands Business Park, the Borough of Meyersdale, and the North Star Industrial Park. The expanded fiber optic services will help overcome barriers that hindered access to critical modern communication technology, thereby improving the economic competitiveness and resiliency of the County, which has been negatively impacted by drastic changes in the coal economy. This investment is part of a $1,897,346 project that the grantee estimates will create 42 jobs, save 20 jobs, and leverage $25 million in private investment.
$750,000 in Economic Adjustment assistance to the Carolina Small Business Development Center Fund, Raleigh, North Carolina, to fund the creation of a Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) to serve small businesses in the 14-county region of Southeast North Carolina. The RLF will provide business capital not readily available from traditional sources to restore the operations of small, at-risk businesses directly and severely impacted by Hurricane Matthew in October 2016. This investment is part of a $1.5 million project.