Spring Valley EDA

Tools for Economic Growth in Spring Valley, Minnesota.

Spring Valley EDA News

Kiwanis Student Spotlight: Grace House

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Name: Grace House

Parents: Heidi and Brady House

School Activities: Drama Club, and National Honor Society

Activities/Work Outside of School: Hardware Hank

Your Favorite Class and Why? My favorite class this year has been the developmental psychology class that I took through Riverland Community College. I really enjoy learning about the brain and how it works and it was very interesting to learn how our brains develop as we age.

Why is a Solid Education Important?  Getting a solid education is a great way to prepare for life. Along with learning the proper lessons to get a job that you want, it also helps to prepare you for many other life experiences that will follow both high school and college.

Immediate Plans after High School Graduation: ​I plan on attending college at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities and getting my bachelor’s degree in early childhood education.

Long-term Plans/Goals: I plan to get a job teaching young children after college.

Note: The Spring Valley Kiwanis Club annually recognizes the top academic performers at Kingsland High School. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the plans to honor the students in person are still unknown. Typically, they attend a meeting of Kiwanis with their parents for recognition.

Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MN-DEED) Announce Campaign to Vaccinate Manufacturing Employee’s

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Communicated on behalf of MN-DEED Commissioner Steve Grove

Business and Community Leaders,

I hope you are all doing well. Thank you for your continued leadership in helping our business community weather the pandemic.

I’m reaching out today to share that we are doing a push this week to encourage workers in manufacturing to get vaccinated. There are more than 8,000 manufacturers across Minnesota, and this week, we are prioritizing their vaccine appointments through the Vaccine Connector.

We’d love your help. Here’s what you can do:

  • Message your members, community, and employees in the manufacturing industry on the importance of getting vaccinated. Share with them that the state is proactively prioritizing manufacturers this week.
  • Share the employer toolkit with manufacturers in your community – it’s the best resource for them to help their employees
  • Post on social media, using the attached graphics, to encourage manufacturing employees to get vaccinated. The hashtag is #RollUpYourSleevesMN

Your voice as leaders in our communities can make a big difference in accelerating our progress in vaccine distribution.

You may have heard about the CDC and FDA’s recommendation to take a temporary pause on further administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of extreme caution. It’s important to note there have only been 6 incidents out of almost 7 million people who have received the J&J vaccine and we have no reports of any similar reactions in Minnesota.

We have moved quickly to adjust to this development and stand ready to continue vaccinating Minnesotans this week with almost 200,000 doses of Pfizer and Moderna. Our critical workforce is a top priority.

Signing up for the Connector means you will both be given information about where the vaccine is available near you and put you on a list to be contacted if there is an available appointment for you at a nearby state vaccination site.

Bottom line: The best way to get your employees or members a vaccine is to help them get a spot in line!

If you know that one of your employees or members is unable to sign up online, has questions, or needs language assistance, please direct them to call the Minnesota COVID-19 Vaccine Connector Hotline at 1-833-431-2053.

Please reach out with any questions, and thank you again for your help.

Yours,

Steve

Steve Grove | Commissioner – he/him/his – MN- Department of Employment and Economic Development

1st National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota St., Suite E200, St. Paul MN 55101

UPDATED INFORMATION: American Rescue Plan Includes a $28.6 Billion Relief Package Earmarked for Grants to Restaurants

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Please find updated information and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s) about this program from the National Restaurant Association at the following link: National Restaurant Assoc. Revitalization Grants

UPDATED as of April 1st: The U.S. Small Business Administration said applicants for the Restaurant Revitalization Grant program do not need to register for a Data Universal Numbering System, or DUNS number—the unique nine-digit identifier for businesses—or on SAM.gov, as initially required.

When Congress passed the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, it included a $28.6 billion relief package earmarked for grants to restaurants called the Restaurant Revitalization Fund (Fund).

The Restaurant Revitalization Fund supplies tax-free federal grants to eligible restaurant businesses equal to their COVID-19 pandemic-related revenue losses.  Fund grants do not need to be paid back.  Unlike the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which was administered by lenders with the Small Business Administration (SBA) in the background, Fund will be administered directly by SBA.

Who is Eligible?

The Fund provides grants to “eligible entities,” which include restaurants, food stands, food trucks, food carts, caterers, saloons, inns, taverns, bars, lounges, brewpubs, tasting rooms, taprooms, and similar businesses where patrons assemble for the primary purpose of being served food or drink.

Businesses that have applied for or received a Shutter Venue Operators grant are not eligible.  Publicly-traded companies are ineligible, but franchisees of publicly-traded companies are eligible.

How Much is Available?

Grants will be available in amounts of up to $5 million per physical location, with a maximum of $10 million for eligible entities.  $5 billion of the Fund is earmarked specifically for smaller operators, specifically, eligible entities with 2019 gross receipts of $500,000 or less.  The remaining $23.6 billion of the Fund is available for all other eligible entities.

Grant amounts will be based on “pandemic-related revenue loss,” which generally equals the difference between 2020 gross receipts and 2019 gross receipts.  If your business was not operating for the entirety of 2019, revenue loss would be determined by annualizing gross receipts—i.e., comparing 12 times average 2019 monthly gross receipts versus 12 times average 2020 monthly gross receipts.  If your business began in 2020, you may still be able to receive a grant equal to the amount of “eligible expenses,” less 2020 gross receipts.  Finally, for a business not yet in operation as of the application date, grants equal “eligible expenses.”

Pandemic-related revenue losses are reduced by any PPP loans received.  Funding received from the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) or the Employee Retention Tax Credit (ERC) do not count towards 2020 revenues.  However, EIDL and ERC funds may not be used to cover the same expenses as Fund grants.

What Expenses are Eligible?

There is a wide range of expenses for which the grant funds may be used. Eligible expenses include pay roll costs, mortgage obligations, rent payments, utilities, maintenance expenses, supplies, food and beverage expenses, supplier costs, paid sick leave, or any other expense the SBA determines to be essential for the eligible entity.  Renovation and redecoration are not eligible expenses.

Eligible expenses are those expenses incurred beginning February 15, 2020 and running through December 31, 2021.

When will grants become available?

There is not a concrete date when the SBA will begin accepting Fund applications. You can follow the SBA’s COVID-19 relief efforts at http://www.sba.gov/coronavirusrelief or learn more about the American Rescue Plan Act here: American Rescue Plan Act Elevates Small Business Support in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic (sba.gov)

What Should You Do Now?

UPDATED as of April 1st: The U.S. Small Business Administration said applicants for the Restaurant Revitalization Grant program do not need to register for a Data Universal Numbering System, or DUNS number—the unique nine-digit identifier for businesses—or on SAM.gov, as initially required.

Please contact Chris Hahn, Spring Valley EDA Director with any question at 612-327-9729 or email director@SpringValleyEDA.org

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Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (MN-DEED) Announce Campaign to Vaccinate Food Service Employees

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Communicated on behalf of MN-DEED Commissioner Steve Grove

Dear Business Leaders:

I’m very grateful for the leadership you’ve shown this past year in getting your workers and customers through this pandemic safely. With over 8,500 restaurants in Minnesota employing over 100,000 Minnesotans, the challenges you’ve faced have been extraordinary – and the scope of impact to your business to keep people safe have been far-reaching.

In an effort to convey how important our food service industry is and to bring back workers safely, Governor Walz has directed his administration to launch an outreach campaign to members of the food service industry. Our goal is to make sure food service workers are connected to the resources they need to get vaccinated.

On Tuesday, April 6, we are launching Food Service Week of Action. During the week, the Administration will collaborate with our Food Service Industry Champions to drive food service employees to the COVID-19 Vaccine Connector. 

The goal of our Food Service week is to drive vaccine participation and connect food service employees with the resources they need to get signed up for a vaccine. You can help us share this message in a few ways:

  1. Make sure your employees are signed up through Minnesota’s Vaccine Connector. Next week, the connector will be prioritizing food service workers.
  2. Share guidance, positive encouragement, vaccine resources, and personal stories as to why you are personally choosing/chose to get vaccinated.

Attached are graphics you can include in your messaging for social media networks. If you’re willing, we’d love to see you all share posts throughout the week through various mediums (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Website/Blog, Email). Help us amplify the message by using hashtags #VaxMN or #RollUpYourSleevesMN.

If you have questions as to how to assist your employees, please check out the Minnesota Department of Health’s Employer Toolkit. This is a one stop shop designed to direct employers to the resources they need to help their workforce get vaccinated safely and efficiently, and to provide materials to educate employees about COVID-19 vaccines.

Please feel free to forward this email and resources to your networks so we can expand our reach and reach out with any questions.

Thank you again for your help!

Yours,

Steve

Steve Grove | Commissioner – he/him/his – MN- Department of Employment and Economic Development

1st National Bank Building, 332 Minnesota St., Suite E200, St. Paul MN 55101

Kiwanis Student Spotlight: Hunter Lee

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Name: Hunter Lee

Parents: Larry and Jennifer Lee

School Activities: Football, Track and Field, class Vice President, Student Council.

Activities/Work Outside of School: Sandwich Artist at Subway; hang out with friends.

Your favorite class and why? History, because I enjoyed learning from both the teachers.

Why is a Solid Education Important? So that you have a foundation to build your future and career.

Immediate Plans After High School Graduation: Enjoy summer and then head off to college.

Long-term Plans/Goals: Graduate college with good grades and then start my career.

Note: The Spring Valley Kiwanis Club annually recognizes the top academic performers at Kingsland High School. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the plans to honor the students in person are still unknown. Typically, they attend a meeting of Kiwanis with their parents for recognition.

New owner, same great service at Matt’s Body Shop

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Business ownership was kind of always in the back of my mind as something I wanted to do,” Greg Melartin said. Melartin recently purchased Matt’s Body Shop and Tire Service in Spring Valley and fulfilled his dream of owning his own business.

It started back in the fall of 2020 when Melartin stopped into the body shop for some business and noticed a “For Sale” sign. He didn’t have an interest in purchasing it, but asked about the sign while making small talk and was told that they were selling the entire business and retiring. Something about the conversation stuck with him and several nights later, he couldn’t sleep thinking about the body shop and how it would be a good fit for him.

To read the full feature by Hannah Wingert, please visit the Fillmore County Journal