The beloved Gingerbread House in Mehama survived a firestorm that tore through the Santiam Canyon community Monday, Sept. 8. Other businesses in the area were destroyed. (Saphara Harrell/Salem Reporter)
There’s a lot going on business. To help keep you up to speed, the Salem Reporter has launched a semi-regular roundup of business-related items that includes new business openings, locations, grant opportunities and others.
To suggest an item, reach out to reporter Jake Thomas at [email protected]
SMALL BUSINESS GRANTS. The city of Salem has announced another grant program to help small businesses affected by the Covid pandemic. Grants are available for Salem small businesses, sole proprietorships and non-profits with 25 or fewer employees.
The $238,000 in funding was made available from Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency. According to the city, the online grant application opened at 8 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 30, and closes at 5 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 7. The application is available in English and Spanish.
Businesses that received federal loans or grants from the Economic Injury Disaster Loans or Paycheck Protection Program are eligible. However, they must reduce the maximum grant amount by the amount of funding they received. According to the city, decisions will be made through a lottery and the process will reopen if additional funds are available.
NETWORKING. Startup Champion will be hosting Salem’s Coffee Club for Startups on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at Brew Coffee and Tap House, located at 1320 Edgewater St N.W. from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. The event, which will take place on the outdoor patio with social distancing measures in place, will give business owners and entrepreneurs a chance to network and share the challenges and success of their ventures. For more information, contact Mariah Hurlburt at [email protected].
FIRE RECOVERY PRESENTATION. Business Oregon, the state’s economic development agency, is holding an online presentation on resources to help with the recovery from the wildfires that devastated the Santiam Canyon, and other parts of Oregon. The presentation will be held on Monday, Oct. 5, from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. and will draw on lessons learned from other wildfires in Oregon and California. The presentation will be part of the agency’s online Oregon Brownfields and Infrastructure Summit. Registration can be found here.
CULTURAL GRANTS. Organizations wanting to host historic, cultural or tourism-related events in Salem can apply for a grant program from the city to help with marketing and promotions. Grants of up to $2,000 are available for small events and up to $7,500 for large events hosted by nonprofit organizations, according to a city press release.
To be eligible, the events must be in city limits, open to the public and take place between July 1, 2021 and June 30, 2022. Funding for grants comes from the city’s Transient Occupancy Tax.
Organizations interested in the grants must attend one of two pre-application meetings via Zoom on Tuesday, Oct. 13, and Thursday, Oct. 15. To attend the meetings, contact [email protected] or [email protected]. Applications are due Monday, Nov. 16. For more information, contact 503-540-2361.
SEDCOR LANDS AG GRANT. The Strategic Economic Development Corporation of the Mid-Willamette Valley (SEDCOR) has been awarded a $469,150 federal grant for the Northwest Ag Innovation Hub, an initiative that will seek to increase the competitiveness of local farms and boost entrepreneurship around agriculture and ag-related businesses.
The grant came from the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build to Scale Program. In a statement, SEDCOR President Erik Andersson said that he expects the grant to benefit growers, producers and processors in the region. That could include farming, processing, equipment manufacturing and logistics.
According to the statement, SEDCOR will be creating a regional farmer network to connect businesses in the agricultural supply chain to share innovation. The NW Ag Innovation Hub will expand networking events and innovation programs throughout Polk, Marion and Yamhill counties. It’ll connect technologists, software developers and entrepreneurs with farmers to bring technical knowledge to agricultural problems. Additionally, the program will allow local farmers to access a national network of entrepreneurs and others.
Contact reporter Jake Thomas at 503-575-1251 or [email protected] or @jakethomas2009.
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