COVID-19 Response
NEPA Alliance is committed to working with regional small businesses and nonprofits during the continued uncertainty surrounding Coronavirus (COVID-19). In cooperation with state and federal agencies, NEPA is offering loan assistance programs to businesses and nonprofits.

Information on the assistance programs and the Coronavirus can be found on NEPA's COVID-19 Response site and our Spanish translated site NEPA COVID-19 Recursos en Español.

NEPA is currently partnering with federal and state agencies to ensure small businesses and nonprofits in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania have available resources accessible to them through the coronavirus crisis. This includes help with the U.S. Small Business Administration low-interest federal disaster loan program for working capital to small businesses suffering substantial economic injury as a result of the Coronavirus. In addition, NEPA also has numerous business loan programs that offer low fixed interest rates to businesses in the seven-county region of Northeastern Pennsylvania.

For the latest information, please contact NEPA at 866-758-1929 or visit NEPA's COVID-19 Response site. Information is continually changing, and the assistance programs that are being offered may change. NEPA will continue to evaluate all available options to best serve the Northeastern Pennsylvania business community.
PEDA Restart Grant
The Pennsylvania Energy Development Authority (PEDA) is pleased to announce the opening of an opportunity to apply for a PEDA Restart Grant.  This grant program will offer approximately $2 million to be awarded for grant requests not to exceed $250,000.  PEDA is seeking applications to provide financial assistance for the completion of eligible energy projects initiated but then disrupted due to the COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-19), including projects that were planned prior to COVID-19 but not yet started. 

Eligible projects include: clean, advanced energy projects including the development and deployment of innovative, clean, advanced and efficient technologies; the generation of alternative energy or the production of alternative fuels; or the implementation of energy efficiency/demand side projects.  Businesses conducting manufacturing or production operations related to alternative and clean energy projects in Pennsylvania are also eligible.  Applicants can request funds for retroactive costs and working capital.  Grant funds can only be used to support the purchase of equipment and supplies.

Full program details, including the program guidelines and application instructions, are available on the DEP PEDA website.  Applications will be accepted until the application deadline of October 2, 2020 at 4 p.m.  All applications must be submitted online through DCED's Electronic Single Application (ESA) system.

Please consider applying if you are in need of assistance completing a clean energy project which has been disrupted by COVID-19.

For more information contact Kurt Bauman at 570-891-4665.
Bringing the World to PA
BTW
Join us for a series of online presentations designed to help your company explore new export markets.

Every September for more than 20 years, NEPA has worked with Pennsylvania's Department of Community & Economic Development, Office of International Business Development to welcome the state's team of Authorized Trade Representatives to the region. This year we will move Bringing the World to PA to an online platform to continue creating and building global business connections.
 
Bringing the World to PA 2020 will run from September 14 - 25 and will include a series of online presentations and panels on a range of international business and trade topics. Live presentations by Pennsylvania's Authorized Trade Representatives will highlight business opportunities for Pennsylvania exporters in key global markets. Partners and service providers from across the state and around the world will also be featured.
 
Pennsylvania-based companies interested in exploring new international markets for your products and services are invited to participate in as many sessions as you choose - all at no cost.

Contact, Debbie Langan, Senior Program Manager, at dlangan@nepa-nepa-alliance.org or 570-891-4645 for more information about this event.
  
DCED

Funded in part by DCED's Office of International Business Development
New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) Workshop
We are pleased to announce a New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC) workshop and project solicitation session. NEPA Alliance will be submitting our second consecutive NMTC application requesting a $30M+ NMTC allocation from the U.S. Department of Treasury in the Fall of 2020. The 2021 NMTC round has been increased to $5B, which is $1.5B higher than the 2020 funding level. NMTCs are a valuable tool to finance community, private, and nonprofit revitalization efforts in eligible distressed census tracts.
 
September 15, 2020
12:00pm - 1:30pm
 
For more information contact:
Member Spotlight
Mauch Chunk Trust Company
MCT
September's Membership Spotlight is Mauch Chunk Trust Company, a Community Bank in Carbon County and Tamaqua that was incorporated August 25, 1902. We spoke to Marty McGuire, Marketing Director, to learn more.

Mauch Chunk Trust Company has seven community banking offices and one Trust/Investment office located in Carbon and Schuylkill Counties in the following communities: Jim Thorpe, Albrightsville, Lehighton, Nesquehoning and Tamaqua. They provide the following services: banking and lending solutions for personal, business, government/municipalities and non-profit organizations; and trust and wealth management services.

Mauch Chunk Trust Company remains a locally owned and managed independent community bank. While many banks of their type have merged or simply disappeared, their ability to change with the times has allowed them to grow and prosper for over 117 years by focusing on their customers.

Mr. McGuire went onto to say, "A membership in NEPA allows Mauch Chunk Trust Company to offer non-conventional business lending options such as below market interest rates and fixed rates for the term of the loan."

For more information, visit www.mauchchunktrust.com
Business Finance News
NEPA Alliance has several loan programs available for small businesses located in Carbon, Lackawanna, Luzerne, Monroe, Pike, Schuylkill and Wayne counties.
 
These low cost, low interest loans offer reduced down payments and standard loan term maturities for machinery and equipment, land and building acquisition, construction and renovation.  Loan rates are fixed and generally below the prime lending rate.
 
Eligible businesses include Manufacturers, Industrial, Agriculture/Agribusiness, Hospitality & Tourism Related Enterprises, Recyclers, Day Cares, Computer Related Services, Advanced Technology, and Retail and Service Related Businesses. Other business sectors may also qualify.
To learn more about these loan programs, contact Stephen Ursich, Dave Nat, Ken Doolittle or Donovan Klem at 570-655-5581 or 866-758-1929.
Recently Funded Loans

Funeral Home - Clarks Summit
  • This LCIDA loan was completed in partnership with PS Bank for the purchase of equipment.
Auto Repair - Sugarloaf
  • This ARC loan was completed in partnership with Luzerne Bank for the purchase of commercial real estate.
Hydroponic Farm - Lakewood
  • This USDA RMAP loan was completed in partnership with private equity for the purchase of equipment.
Daycare - Greentown
  • This USDA RMAP loan was completed in partnership with Wayne Bank for the purchase of commercial real estate.
NEPA-BFC NEPA Alliance Business Finance Corporation is a state-wide CDC allowing for NEPA BFC to lend SBA 504 Loans to eligible small businesses located in the state of Pennsylvania.
 
Financing Structure

A bank or other lender finances 50% of the project cost and takes a first lien position on the assets financed. The SBA 504 loan NEPA-BFC Tree finances 40% of the project cost, up to $5.5 million, and takes a second lien position. The borrower then contributes a down payment of as little as 10%.

Small Businesses can Receive:
  • Subordinate Financing
  • Up to 90% Loan to Value
  • Up to $5.5 Million in SBA Financing
        - Unlimited Total Project Cost
SBA 504 Loans Offer: 
  • As Little as 10% Equity Injection
  • Terms up to 25 Years
  • Guaranteed Fixed Interest Rate
*Eligibility Criteria Apply*
 
To learn more about this loan program, contact Stephen Ursich, Dave Nat, Ken Doolittle or Donovan Klem at 570-655-5581 or 855-266-9021.
PTAC Program Update
On July 30th, Congressman Matt Cartwright hosted a virtual event with NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine and NASA Small Business Program Leaders. The event focused on small business contracting opportunities to support space exploration technology research and the Artemis program. With the Artemis program, NASA will land the first woman and next man on the Moon by 2024, using innovative technologies to explore more of the lunar surface than ever before. NASA will collaborate with commercial and international partners and establish sustainable exploration by the end of the decade. Then, they will use what we learn on and around the Moon to take the next giant leap - sending astronauts to Mars. The virtual conversation with NASA was well attended and the content was timely and relevant.
 
The presentation PowerPoint and recording are now available on the NASA Office of Small Business Programs News page.
 
If you have questions about the NASA small business program in general, the NASA Office of Small Business Programs can be reached by email at smallbusiness@nasa.gov or by phone at 202-358-2088.
 
NASA Office of Small Business Programs also encourages you to follow them on Twitter (@NASA_OSBP) and Facebook (@NASAsmallbusi ness) for near real-time updates on their initiatives.
 
The NEPA Alliance PTAC would like to personally thank Congressman Cartwright for bringing this event to our clients and small businesses through the region and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
 
If you need any additional support to be able to work in the Federal Government Contracting space, please contact the NEPA Alliance PTAC Team at: 1-866-758-1929 Option 2 to speak with a PTAC Counselor.
Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) Drop-In Sessions
LTAP The NEPA Alliance has partnered with PennDOT to offer the Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP) training series in all seven NEPA counties.  Due to COVID-19 meeting concerns, LTAP has suspended in-person LTAP classes until further notice.

Instead, LTAP is offering classes virtually through the end of the year.  To view the current virtual class listings and register for a class, visit the LTAP website.

LTAP is also offering a series of monthly LTAP Virtual Drop-ins centered on various safety and maintenance topics. These sessions are not virtual classes; they are informal hour-long live sessions focused on networking and sharing information with other municipal roadway personnel. 

Information about the virtual drop-in sessions can be found on the LTAP website under the Bulletin Board section here. 

For more information, contact Kate McMahon, kmcmahon@nepa-alliance.org.
Did You Know...
Did You Know
Did you know that the U.S. Census Bureau and Federal Reserve recently completed a study about parents juggling work and child care during the pandemic? To view an article about the study, click here.

For additional information, contact Steve Zaricki at 570-891-4671 or 866-758-1929 ext. 258.
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