TECHNITE20 POSTPONED & NOMINATION DEADLINE EXTENDED
TechNite20 | Where are the emerging businesses at?
A note from Nicky | POSTPONED: TechNite20
TechNite20, originally scheduled for May 5, has been postponed and will be rescheduled, pending facility availability.
We will honor tech and innovation in the Shenandoah Valley as soon as we can.
In the meantime, let's collect and prep all the innovation and tech-based efforts thoroughly. We have extended the nomination deadline to March 31, but if you need add'l time after that, drop me a note info@svtc-va.org. I am especially wondering about entrepreneurs in the Valley, that category is a bit thin.
Surely we have tech-based entrepreneurs??!!
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During Tech Nite, approx. 275 attendees honor and recognize the technology innovators of the area. This recognition helps organizations and individuals immensely - the winning organization is able to expand its network, attract employees, and obtain publicity inside and often outside of the local region. Tech Nite allows attendees to witness the successes and innovative progression of the Shenandoah Valley. We encourage everyone to attend, network with others, and celebrate the innovative companies, organizations, educators, and leaders in our area.
We are still taking nominations!
Seeking the Valley's tech leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, innovators, companies, and organizations that have an amplified community impact while using technology!
Tech Nite is the Shenandoah Valley's largest technology celebration of the year!
We're ready for your nominations for the Valley's best and brightest
in the following categories:
Innovation in Community Impact Award
The Community Impact Award is given to an individual, team, nonprofit/civic organization, or company in the Shenandoah Valley that aspires to use its capabilities to help solve a social or environmental issue in a local community while using technology to amplify the impact of a service, mission, or project.
Innovation in Emerging Business Award
Awarded to a Shenandoah Valley start-up/emerging
technology company or entrepreneur.
Innovation in Education K-12 Award
Awarded to the educator or program in K-12 that provides exceptional technology leadership, innovative use and/or development of technology while encouraging students to pursue higher education or training in science, technology, engineering or math.
Innovation in Higher Education Award
Awarded to the educator or program in higher education that provides exceptional technology leadership, innovative use and/or development of technology while encouraging students to pursue higher education or training in science, technology, engineering or math.
Innovation in Development Award
Awarded to a company or organization whose development of new technology applications and/or systems creates new processes, methodologies, and/or services for their own or others' benefit.
Innovation in Utilization Award
This award recognizes outstanding commercial growth and achievement by an established company that either produces or markets high tech products or services, or an established company or organization that produces/offers more
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Regional COVID-19 Business Support Taskforce Formed
Regional agencies and organizations have teamed up to coordinate support and resources for businesses in the Harrisonburg and Rockingham area. The Regional COVID-19 Business Support Taskforce started meeting weekly to brainstorm ideas, curate resources, share information, and unify their efforts as they address business and employer concerns.
Taskforce members include representatives from the City of Harrisonburg Economic Development; Rockingham Department of Economic Development and Tourism; the Shenandoah Valley Partnership; the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center (SVSBDC); Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance; the Shenandoah Valley Tech Council: and the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce.
Last week, the Taskforce undertook the following steps:
- Coordinated numerous state and federal alerts and proposed programs for business support and funding.
- Distilled information on the first emergency small business loan program, through the Small Business Administration with local support through the SVSBDC.
- Collected data from area employers and the local economy to share with state agencies and federal departments and authorities to assess impacts and support economic relief efforts.
- Developing a video that educates the public on how and why they should support local businesses during this unprecedented time.
- Launching a continually updated, one-stop shop Google Docs that consolidates COVID-19 business assistance programs and toolkits.
Remember to support your local economy when many small businesses are looking at options to weather the economic storm. Buy gift cards now. This helps businesses with cash flow today, so their doors are open tomorrow. Shop online. Many local businesses have online stores or will take orders over the phone for shipping or curbside pick-up. Also, you can order delivery from local restaurants as well as retailers who deliver.
The Task Force members are all working tirelessly on keeping up with fast developing and changing developments, particularly at the federal and state level. Elected officials are keenly aware of the economic impacts of the coronavirus and the measures implemented to stop its spread. The hope is that the actions taken at the federal, state and local levels will result in a faster end to the virus' impact and a
return to a normal business climate.
- SBA's Disaster Loan is program is designed to help small businesses and non-profit organizations meet their ordinary and necessary financial obligations that cannot otherwise be met as a direct result of COVID-19. The SVSBDC provides information and assistance in the loan preparation documents. To learn how to apply for the SBA EIDL: disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/Information For assistance from the SV SBDC to apply, see here: valleysbdc.org/covid-19
- Families First Coronavirus Response Act* Includes info on paid sick time, paid family leave, UI benefits, SBA vs. Business Interruption loans & Phase 3 discussions
*You can find additional small business information on the NFIB COVID-19 resource page
- Status of Building Officials' offices across the Commonwealth on VBCOA website
- Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational RegulationCOVID-19 Update Page outlines regulated non-essential businesses that most close
- FEMA has a page on HOW TO HELP that gives contact information producing COVID-19 related products. *Contact the SBDC office if you want more detail on the challenges of creating/manufacturing personal protective products, and we'll put you in touch with our International Trade Manager and other subject matter experts.
- Local Loan Fund Information:
The City of Harrisonburg has launched a new loan program to assist businesses impacted by the crises - Harrisonburg Disaster Impact Loan Program.
- Maximum loan amount of $5,000
- Interest free loan (0%)
- Three-year term
- No payments for 90 days after the loan funds are disbursed to the business
- Business must have been established and operational in Harrisonburg for at least the previous 6 months
- Eligible uses of funds: payroll, utilities, inventory, rent
Harrisonburg will accept and review applications on a rolling basis. Applications will be reviewed expeditiously by a loan review committee. Loan applicants will be notified immediately upon the decision of this committee and the city will move quickly to loan closing. Unfortunately, as the Harrisonburg Disaster Impact Loan Program has a limited amount of funding, all loan applications may not be approved.
HDILP applications are available on Harrisonburg Economic Development's website at www.harrisonburgdevelopment.com. For questions, contact Peirce Macgill at Harrisonburg Economic Development at (540) 432-7701.
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COVID-19 Resources & Local Open/Closed Businesses
During this uncertain time, we feel the need to share information that will help our readers monitor the current situation. Below we have linked several resources.
We also recommend you take a look at the following article providing additional COVID-19 resources for economic development planning and recovery:
https://restoreyoureconomy.org/
Resources to monitor COVID-19 updates:
Open/closed businesses (& altered hours of operations) in the Shenandoah Valley:
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Member News:
Cadence Navigates Challenges
Associated with COVID-19
Staunton, Va. (March 23, 2020)
Cadence, Inc. has maintained stable production output as the company navigates through the
challenges associated with COVID-19. Production at all of Cadence's five facilities remains at full capacity with no significant supply disruptions.
All Cadence employees remain safe with no known infection or exposure. The company has implemented a response team that meets daily to address the on-going situation. Extensive social distancing practices are also in place company-wide, as well as employee travel and visitor restrictions.
"Employee safety is our top priority while we continue to serve our customers and the patients who depend on the critical healthcare products that we provide.
I am truly humbled by the effort, thoughtfulness, creativity, and empathy Cadence team members are exhibiting," stated Alan Connor, CEO. "We stand ready to support our customers and continue to deliver critical medical products through this unprecedented time."
About Cadence, Inc. - Cadence, Inc. is a contract manufacturing partner providing advanced products, technologies, and services to medical device, life science, industrial, and aerospace companies worldwide. Cadence employs approximately 575 people with its corporate headquarters in Staunton, Virginia and additional locations in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin. For more information on Cadence, please visit our website at
cadenceinc.com
.
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Small Business Provisions in Coronavirus Aid, Relief,
and Economic Security (CARES) Act
SENATE SMALL
BUSINESS COMMITTEE, MINORITY
American small businesses are facing an unprecedented economic disruption due to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. Cities and states have implemented mandatory closures of public spaces to ensure social distancing to prevent the spread of the virus, so those difficulties have only increased.
Congress has reached a bipartisan compromise on a $2 trillion economic stimulus package to address the economic impact caused by the COVID-19 outbreak titled the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Division A of the bill, which provides more than $377 billion in support to small businesses, includes prominent measures from the
Keeping American Workers Employed and Paid Act sponsored by Republican Senators Marco Rubio (Fla.), Susan Collins (Maine), and Lamar Alexander (Tenn.), as well as the
COVID-19 RELIEF for Small Businesses Act of 2020 sponsored by Ranking Member Ben Cardin (MD.) and all Democrats on the Senate Small Business Committee.
A description of the small business provisions included in the stimulus is below.
Paycheck Protection Program
The stimulus includes nearly $350 billion in funding for a provision to create a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) that will provide small businesses and other entities with zero-fee loans of up to $10 million. Up to 8 weeks of average payroll and other costs will be forgiven if the business retains its employees and their salary levels. Principal and interest is deferred for up to a year and all borrower fees are waived. This temporary emergency assistance through the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Treasury can be used in coordination with other COVID-financing assistance established in the bill or any other existing SBA loan program.
The bill requires the SBA Administrator to set a cap on how much a bank can earn to process loan applications and prioritize underserved borrowers, including those in rural communities, minorities, women and veterans.
Emergency Economic Injury Grants
The stimulus includes $10 billion in funding for a provision to provide an advance of $10,000 to small businesses and nonprofits that apply for an SBA economic injury disaster loan (EIDL) within three days of applying for the loan. EIDLs are loans of up to $2 million that carry interest rates up to 3.75 percent for companies and up to 2.75 percent for nonprofits, as well as principal and interest deferment for up to 4 years. The loans may be used to pay for expenses that could have been met had the disaster not occurred, including payroll and other operating expenses.
The EIDL grant does not need to be repaid, even if the grantee is subsequently denied an EIDL, and may be used to provide paid sick leave to employees, maintaining payroll, meet increased production costs due to supply chain disruptions, or pay business obligations, including debts, rent and mortgage payments. Eligible grant recipients must have been in operation on January 31, 2020. The grant is available to small businesses, private nonprofits, sole proprietors and independent contractors, tribal businesses, as well as cooperatives and employee-owned businesses.
A business that receives an EIDL between January 31, 2020 and June 30, 2020 as a result of a COVID-19 disaster declaration is eligible to apply for a PPP loan or the business may refinance their EIDL into a PPP loan. In either case, the emergency EIDL grant award of up to $10,000 would be subtracted from the amount forgiven in the payroll protection plan.
The bill provides $562 million to ensure that SBA has the resources to provide Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to businesses that need financial support.
Debt Relief for Existing and New SBA Borrowers
The stimulus includes $17 billion in funding for a provision to provide immediate relief to small businesses with standard SBA 7(a), 504, or microloans. Under this provision, SBA will cover all loan payments for existing SBA borrowers, including principal, interest, and fees, for six months. This relief will also be available to new borrowers who take out an SBA loan within six months after the President signs the bill. The measure also encourages banks to provide further relief to small business borrowers by allowing them to extend the duration of existing loans beyond existing limits; and enables small business lenders to assist more new and existing borrowers by providing a temporary extension on certain reporting requirements. While SBA borrowers are receiving the six months debt relief, they may apply for a PPP loan that provides capital to keep their employees on the job. The six months of SBA payment relief may not be applied to payments on PPP loans.
The stimulus also includes a permanent fix that allows SBA to waive fees for veterans and their spouses in the 7(a) Express Loan Program, regardless of the President's budget. Under current law, SBA may only waive fees on 7(a) Express loans to veterans when the President's budget does not project a cost above zero for the overall 7(a) loan program.
Paid Leave for Government Contractors
The stimulus includes a provision that provides paid leave for employees working on small business contracts with the federal government. The measure allows agencies to modify the terms of a contract to reimburse small business contractors for the cost of providing paid leave, including sick leave, to employees or subcontractors unable to perform work on-site due to a facility closure and cannot telework.
Resources for Business Counseling Services
Many large companies are struggling to respond to the unprecedented economic disruption our nation is facing, so small businesses that have even fewer resources to dedicate to navigating the economic impacts of COVID-19 must have access to reliable counseling and mentorship services.
The stimulus provides $275 million in grants to the nation's network of Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) and Women's Business Centers (WBCs), as well as the Minority Business Development Agency's Business Centers (MBDCs), to provide mentorship, guidance and expertise to small businesses. The funding will allow SBDCs, WBCs, and MBDCs to hire staff and provide programming to help small businesses and minority-owned businesses respond to COVID-19.
The bill also provides funds for the associations that represent SBDCs and WBCs to create a joint platform that consolidates information and resources related to COVID-19 in order to provide consistent, timely information to small businesses.
The SCORE mentoring program and Veterans Business Outreach Center program are encouraged to use the platform and participate in the COVID-19 education sessions for their volunteer mentors and small business counselors.
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Harrisonburg-Rockingham Community Services GIS App
As part of the County coronavirus alert and GIS hub, an application was created to support community business and organizations to assist the efforts of the recently formed Regional COVID-19 Business Support Task force.
This map application provides information from businesses and organizations detailing how they provide goods and services to our citizens during the COVID-19 crisis. This information will be updated as our community partners provide new information.
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Harrisonburg Disaster Impact Loan Program
Harrisonburg's small businesses are facing unprecedented hard times right now. To that end, Harrisonburg Economic Development has created an emergency loan fund to aid small businesses who are being affected.
* Maximum loan amount of $5,000
* Interest free loan (0%)
* Three-year term
* No payments for 90 days after the loan funds are disbursed to the business
* Business must have been established and operational in the City of Harrisonburg for at least the previous 6 months
* Eligible uses of funds: payroll, utilities, inventory, rent
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2021 Virginia Telecommunications (VATI)
Input Session Webinars (4/14 or 4/23)
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Tuesday, April 14, 2020
11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
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Thursday, April 23, 2020
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
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The Virginia Telecommunications Initiative (VATI) Input Sessions that were originally being held in-person will now be held as webinars using the Adobe Connect platform. If you have previously registered, you do not need to register again. If you have not registered, please register using the link below. The meeting link will be sent out to registrants the week of the scheduled session.
The Virginia Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) will host two input sessions to discuss the proposed FY2021 Virginia Telecommunication Initiative (VATI) guidelines and criteria. The meeting is open to the public. Representatives from units of local government, internet service providers and other interested stakeholders are encouraged to attend.
VATI has an introduced budget of $35 million for FY2021 to implement broadband infrastructure deployment in partnership with units of local government and private internet service providers across the commonwealth. The funds shall be used to extend service to areas that presently are unserved by any broadband provider.
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Shenandoah Valley Open Tech Jobs
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James Madison University, Harrisonburg (Scientific Computing Specialist)
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Middle River Regional Jail, Staunton (IT Systems Technician)=
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Segra, Waynesboro (IT Operations Technician)
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Harrisonburg High School (Computer Science Teacher)
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Augusta County Service Authority, Verona (Systems Analyst/Developer)
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Vision Technology Group, Harrisonburg (Tier III Network Engineer)
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Budget Referee, Harrisonburg (Full Stack Developer with front end web development focus)
GOT ADDITIONAL JOBS THAT SHOULD BE PUBLICIZED
? SEND US A NOTE AND WE'LL PUBLICIZE THEM.
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Participate in the local tech conversation: Rocktown Tech (Slack)
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SVTC MEMBERS INVITATION: DISPLAY YOUR MEMBERSHIP STATUS
Membership Badge Available
Use our new graphic on your own website (and remember to link back to our website
www. svtc-va.org
!)
Choose the graphic file of your choice:
Let us know when you incorporate this graphic and we'll mention your site in return!
Examples:
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The Shenandoah Valley Technology Council does not endorse the companies, organizations, teams, or events mentioned, or take a stand on any of the articles or notices or events included.
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Silver Level Member
Level III Members
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>> Ready to become a member, too? Membership Benefits
& Prices >> How have you benefited from participating in our activities and/ or from membership? Tell us! Info@svtc-va.org |
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Contact Us
Shenandoah Valley Technology Council
800 S. Main Street MSC 3615
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22807
540-568-7882
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