LOWVILLE, N.Y. — Six small businesses in Lewis County are using a total of $170,000 in grant funding to pay for equipment and projects.
They include Osceola Ski & Sport Resort, the Bateman Draft House in Lowville, Black River Valley Natural in Lyons Falls, Bodhi Kombucha in Lowville, Cumming Farms Creamline Milk in Turin, and Tug Hill Artisan Roasters in New Bremen, per Lewis County Economic Development.
The Lewis County microenterprise grant program — which Lewis County Economic Development administers — awarded the grant funding. It helped pay for equipment purchases that helped lead to the creation of new jobs, retention of existing jobs, and expansion of products and services.
The county offered the assistance to income-eligible businesses through the New York State Office Community Renewal (NYSOCR) Community Development Block Grant (CDBG).
“2020 was an incredibly difficult year for small businesses in Lewis County,” Ryan Piche, county manager of Lewis County, said. “Programs like the microenterprise grant program are essential to keeping our economic momentum, even during times of extreme difficulty. The team at the [Industrial Development Agency] did a wonderful job getting these funds into the hands of entrepreneurs and small business owners who continue to move our community forward.”
Lewis County recently submitted another grant application for $200,000 for a second round of funding through NYSOCR. Officials expect to make award announcements this summer.
How to qualify
In order to qualify for the microenterprise grant program, businesses must be involved in food or value-added production, relocation to a downtown, or a tourism-based business.
The businesses must also be a microenterprise comprised of five or fewer employees, including the owner; be located within Lewis County; and they must use the funding must be used to purchase equipment, machinery, furniture or fixtures.
Applicants must also create new jobs to be made available to low-to-moderate income individuals as defined by NYSOCR guidelines. In the case of the microenterprise, the owner can also qualify by those same income guidelines.