President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a $2 trillion infrastructure package should be part of Congress’ next response to the coronavirus pandemic, reviving a 2016 campaign pledge to ramp up construction projects despite public health guidance that Americans should stay home and isolated to the greatest extent possible. Citing extraordinarily lo...Continue Reading

Electric co-ops, guided by their coronavirus pandemic plans, are preparing to operate with a smaller workforce, potential disruptions in the supply chain, and limited support services for an extended period of time, the head of the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association said Tuesday. Jim Matheson, the CEO of the NRECA, sai...Continue Reading

The Food and Drug Administration has relaxed regulations on the types of alcohol that can be used to make hand sanitizers during the shortage caused by the coronavirus pandemic, expanding the market to potentially millions of gallons made by ethanol producers. Hospitals and nursing homes are desperately searching for hand sanitizer...Continue Reading

Over the past few weeks, several state and federal programs have been built to assist small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic. Different programs make sense for different businesses, so we’re providing this summary guide to help small businesses quickly see which programs might be right for their situation. Click here t...Continue Reading

As some northeastern Minnesota businesses reel from the coronavirus economic fallout, the Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation, is stepping up its game. “We're being aggressive in helping businesses every way we can,” said Mark Phillips, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation commissioner. “We're going to help direct them t...Continue Reading

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is announcing the Minnesota Small Business Loan Guarantee Program, which was approved by the Minnesota Legislature last week. This temporary program, established in response to impacts of COVID-19, provides another option for financing to help small businesses weather this difficult time...Continue Reading

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As part of its ongoing work to help in the global fight against coronavirus, Bloomberg Philanthropies, in partnership with the National League of Cities, today launched a new initiative that collects and shares actions taken by local U.S. leaders in response to the pandemic. The COVID-19: Local Action Tracker will feature ...Continue Reading

 Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced a new set of supports for U.S. cities to help them better understand how to access and track the Federal programs and funding mechanisms that are available to support their COVID-19 response and recovery.  Specifically, this program will highlight established best practices and provide tutorials o...Continue Reading

The Blandin Foundation will quickly establish two $500,000 funds to support Itasca County area small businesses, one for working capital and one a relief fund. “Small businesses are at the cornerstone of vibrant communities,” said Dr. Kathleen Annette, Blandin Foundation president and CEO. “Our Itasca business leaders are strong and resilien...Continue Reading

A new fund has been created to provide financial relief to small businesses that have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Itasca Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) announced. The fund is designed to maximize cash flow for distressed small businesses and help maintain the vitality of Itasca County communities.    “Smal...Continue Reading

USDA Rural Development has launched a COVID-19 resource page to keep our customers, partners, and stakeholders continuously updated on actions taken by the Agency to help rural residents, businesses, and communities impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak Click here to read full announcement from the United States Department of Agriculture. Continue Reading

USDA Rural Development has taken a number of immediate actions to help rural residents, businesses and communities affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Rural Development will keep our customers, partners, and stakeholders continuously updated as more actions are taken to better serve rural America.  Click here to read full article from th...Continue Reading

When it comes to social distancing, Minnesota gets an A. The tech company Unacast analyzed GPS location data from millions of smartphones to track changes in average distances traveled before and after the coronavirus pandemic hit to determine how well residents were adhering to social distancing practices. Click here to read ful...Continue Reading

This pilot program allows SBA Express Lenders authority to deliver expedited SBA-guaranteed financing on an emergency basis for disaster-related purposes to eligible small businesses, while the small businesses apply for and await long-term financing. Click here to read the whole program guide from the Small Business Administration. Continue Reading

Site readiness programs are a tool that many economic development organizations have used in recent years to help companies and site selectors make faster, more informed decisions on the viability of potential sites. But not all programs follow the same defined standards, which leads to inconsistencies. This issue is the topi...Continue Reading

Great River Energy’s economic development services team reported a strong year for project deal flow again in 2019, with a high concentration in small- to- mid-sized business expansions in an array of industries. Although the total financing secured through programs administered by Great River Energy and its member-owner cooperatives was dow...Continue Reading

Great River Energy’s economic development services team stands in solidarity with its member-owner cooperatives and partner organizations as the world continues to monitor and adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic is unprecedented. But the need for economic development professionals to adapt quickly in response to a crisis is not. Whethe...Continue Reading

Chippewa Valley Ethanol at least has some consolation during grim times for the biofuel industry. The west-central Minnesota company also churns out industrial alcohol, a key ingredient in hand sanitizer. “It’s nice to have a little product diversity,” said Chad Friese, Chippewa Valley’s CEO. “In a market like this, it make...Continue Reading

Minnesota is looking to buy small business owners some time with an interest-free loan program as the COVID-19 pandemic strains the state economy. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who ordered nonessential businesses to shutter in order to contain the spread of the virus, announced the program on Monday, March 23. Eligible businesses can borro...Continue Reading

The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) is creating an emergency loan program to help Minnesota small business owners who need immediate assistance to meet their families’ basic needs during COVID-19 closures. The loan program was created under the Small Business Assistance Executive Order 20-15 announced by Governor Ti...Continue Reading

Andy Spurgeon, chief of Operations at NTIA’s “BroadbandUSA” brand, discussed how NTIA’s revived mapping efforts will work. He emphasized leveraging FCC data that already exists. His team was specifically “asked not to duplicate the results of the FCC,” referring to the roundly-criticized Form 477 Data that overreports the number of American...Continue Reading

Small businesses in Minnesota are now eligible to apply for disaster assistance through the Small Business Administration (SBA) for economic injury during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gov. Tim Walz announced Saturday. He sent a letter to the director of the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance requesting that Minnesota businesses be eligibl...Continue Reading

The Entrepreneur Fund is urging everyone to support local retailers, restaurants and other businesses during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Our region’s small businesses are vital to providing core services and employing our friends, neighbors and families. Click here to learn more from The Entrepreneur Fund. Continue Reading