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Business Resources You Need Now
SBA and Public Private Strategies Institute are hosting several webinars from June to August to help you get your business back on track. Hear about what steps you can take now to learn and take advantage of new and existing programs that are available at the SBAGet an update regarding programs and recent policy announcements made by the Biden-Harris AdministrationHave your questions answered by SBA Leadership and small business expertsLearn how you can become a vaccine leader in your communityDiscover
6,000 H2B Visas Available for Honduras, El Salvado, and Guatemala
6,000 H-2B Visas Available for Honduras, El Salvador and GuatemalaOn May 25, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a temporary final rule making available an additional 22,000 H-2B temporary nonagricultural guest worker visas for fiscal year 2021 to employers who are likely to suffer irreparable harm without these additional workers.While 16,000 of the additional visas are limited to returning workers, 6,000 visas have been reserved for nationals of the Northern Triangle countries (Honduras, El
Small Business Tax Credit Programs
The American Rescue Plan extends a number of critical tax benefits, particularly the Employee Retention Credit and Paid Leave Credit, to small businesses. The Employee Retention Credit The America Rescue Plan extends the availability of the Employee Retention Credit for small Businesses through December 2021 and allows businesses to offset their current payroll tax liabilities by up to $7,000 per employee per quarter. This credit of up to $28,000 per employee for 2021 is available to small businesses who
Chamber Meets Representative Dudley Greene on Staffing Issues
May 28, 2021, McDowell, NC—The McDowell Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Kim Effler and staff met with North Carolina Representative Dudley Greene to discuss the issue of staffing on behalf of its members on Friday, May 28, 2021. "After hearing from many of our members who expressed concern regarding staffing issues in their businesses, we conducted a survey to get some hard data from which to work," said Effler. Ten out of the 24 respondents said they were experiencing above average problems not
SBA Launches 'Community Navigator Pilot' Program Application
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) announced today that it is accepting applications for its new Community Navigator Pilot Program. This new initiative, established by the American Rescue Plan, will leverage a community navigator approach to reach our nation’s smallest businesses, with a priority focus on those owned by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, as well as women and veterans. SBA will accept applications through July 12, 2021, and anticipates making award
SBA Receives 186,200 RRF Applications
The SBA began accepting applications for the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) on Monday, May 3. In the first two days of the RRF application window, the SBA has received: 186,200 applications from restaurants, bars, and other eligible businesses in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. Territories. 97,600 applications of which came from restaurants, bars, and other eligible businesses owned and controlled by women (46,400), veterans (4,200), socially and economically disadvantaged individuals
Outdoor Businesses Return With A Vengeance in First Quarter; Is Your Business Ready for Growth?
"A year after the pandemic decimated their top and bottom lines, publicly traded outdoor companies are posting blowout quarters to begin 2021," a recent report from the Outdoor Industry Association reports. This is great news for McDowell County as we move forward with investing and enhancing our own outdoor economy including the Fonta Flora State Trail and Old Fort G5 Trail Collective. According to the reports, most companies saw revenue gains in the double digits and are experiencing favorable comps for
Restaurant Relief Fund Opens Application Process
Release Date: April 27, 2021 Contact: Press_Office@sba.gov www.sba.govRelease Number: 21-33 Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Blogs& Instagram SBA Administrator Guzman Announces Application Opening for $28.6 Billion Restaurant Revitalization FundFund prioritizes direct relief to women, veterans, and socially and economically disadvantaged individuals, and includes $9.5 billion in set-asides for smaller businesses WASHINGTON - SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman today
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021
American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 Upon President Biden signing the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 into law, the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Senior Advisor Michael Roth stated: “The American Rescue Plan Act enables the SBA to continue to lift up the cornerstones of our communities; the mom-and-pop businesses and nonprofits that provide essential services for our everyday lives, hire from within neighborhoods, and more. Our nation’s more than 30 million small businesses are the economic engine of
U.S. Congressman Madison Cawthorn Joins Local Broadband Discussion
Monday, March 29, 2019, McDowell County, NC—Rep. Madison Cawthorn (NC-11) joined a panel of McDowell County officials and Rep. Dudley Greene (NC-85) on McDowell Matters Podcast Monday, March 29, 2021 to address rural broadband and learn what McDowell County is doing to advance access for all.Rep. Cawthorn (NC-11), who prioritized broadband access for North Carolina during his campaign, heard from Connect McDowell board member Keith Buchanan, McDowell County Commissioner Brenda Vaughn, and Rep. Dudley
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper Eases Capacity and Operating Restrictions Across the State
Governor Cooper announced that North Carolina will relax some COVID-19 restrictions. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed Executive Order No. 204 that will take effect March 26 at 5 pm and is set to expire April 30 at 5 pm. The Executive Order (No. 204) will increase the number of people who may gather indoors from 25 to 50 people and the number of people gathered outdoors from 50 to 100. The Order also fully lifts the restriction on the late-night sale and service of alcoholic beverages on bars,
Small, Self-Employed Businesses Benefit from New SBA PPP Rules
Small Self-Employed Businesses Benefit from New SBA PPP RulesThe Small Business Administration (SBA) recently made an announcement on Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans which could allow small, self-employed businesses to benefit significantly more than under the former rules. On March 3, 2021, the SBA published a 32-page interim final rule (IFR) titled “Business Loan Program Temporary Changes; Paycheck Protection Program – Revisions to Loan Amount Calculation and Eligibility” providing changes for PPP
Free Books on Retirement Planning and Distribution
Retirement has changed as should the way you save. In my over 28 years of experience helping people plan for and implement retirement planning strategies, I have seen my fair share of changes. With the current, almost 28 trillion debt and the looming tax increase in 2026 rethinking how you save for retirement and how you take distributions from your retirement plans is critical to your retirement success. To help, I have two books that can help you both written by financial leader and author Martin H. Ruby,
National Funding Sources for Small Business
NEW SBA RESOURCE AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC! SBA has curated list of thousands of funding sources at the national, state, regional, and local levels designed to support small businesses in accessing capital to recover from COVID-19. The opening page captures programs that are available nationally. Visitors then only need to enter a ZIP code of interest to see which programs their area may be eligible. The information is current as of the date of publication, so resource availability may change over time. You
Goodwill Receives Largest Investment in its 94-Year History
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 18, 2020 Goodwill® Receives Largest Investment in Its 94-Year History to Help Americans Get Back to Work (Winston-Salem, NC) – Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, Inc. announced a $10 million donation from author and philanthropist MacKenzie Scott – the largest donation received in the organization’s 94-year history. With 10.7 million Americans unemployed and in urgent need of work, this investment will enable Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina to
What's In The Covid Relief Bill For Businesses?
December 23, 2020 Information current as of Wednesday, December 23, 2020 - 9:00 a.m.Congress reaches deal on COVID-19 relief and FY21 funds Congress has additional COVID-19 relief and appropriated Fiscal Year 2021 spending levels. This $2.3 trillion package, including $900 billion in coronavirus relief funds and $1.4 trillion to fund the government for FY21, has been negotiated over the past several months, and addresses many key areas: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Reopening of the program upon
Old Fort Chamber Merges with McDowell Chamber
In July of 2020, the Old Fort Chamber of Commerce officially merged with the McDowell Chamber of Commerce creating a united effort to support and promote the businesses all across the county. "Prior to the merger, the McDowell Chamber respected the jurisdiction of the Old Fort Chamber, while still serving our members there," said incoming Executive Director Kim Effler. "We are now better positioned to address the business needs of the whole county." Effler previously served as the volunteer director for
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