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.
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.
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ENGAGE! Funds Presented
“NEPA is honored to work with the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, NEPA Moves and COLTS to provide funding to support transit to work programming that seeks to eliminate transportation barriers. Through the creativity of our multi-partner team, NEPA provided 4 grants, totaling $16,250, to aid the NEPA MOVES initiative,” according to Jeffrey Box, President & CEO of NEPA Alliance. Funding was provided by the PA Department of Community & Economic Development’s ENGAGE! Program which is the Commonwealth’s Business Retention & Expansion Program.
On November 17th, NEPA, in partnership with the Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce, presented a check to NEPA Moves and COLTS for the continuation of bus service to the Jessup Industrial Park.
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Pictured from left: Jeffrey K. Box, President & CEO, NEPA Alliance; Bruce Reddock, Economic Development Specialist, The Greater Scranton Chamber of Commerce; Vivian Williams, Community Initiatives Coordinator, Scranton Area Community Foundation; Robert J. Fiume, Executive Director, County of Lackawanna Transit System (COLTS); and Steve Zaricki, Research & Information Manager, NEPA Alliance. |
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Lackawanna County Get Connected Program Needs Businesses
Attention Lackawanna County Businesses! Do you need an increased online presence due to the pandemic? The Lackawanna County Department of Planning & Economic Development is in a partnership with Northeastern Pennsylvania Alliance (NEPA) to launch the Get Connected program to assist businesses within the County with the development of e-commerce platforms. Twenty-five (25) eligible firms will receive e-commerce technical assistance. For additional information and to apply, click here.
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This month’s membership spotlight is M&T Bank. We recently spoke with Phil Johnson, Regional President, to learn more about the company.
For more than 160 years, M&T has helped people and businesses manage their money and make sound financial decisions, so they can live better today and realize their goals for tomorrow. Whether you're buying a home, building a business, or broadening your career, M&T works to serve customers and clients in communities throughout Pennsylvania as well as New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington, D.C.
M&T provide banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and commercial financial services through more than 750 branches, 1,800 ATMs, and a variety of online and mobile services.
M&T believes that they are only as successful as the communities they serve. That’s why they offer financial products and services as well as charitable contributions and community outreach that they believe help improve the lives of people in our communities.
Mr. Johnson further stated, “Banking is a relationship business, and we believe our membership with NEPA allows us to create new relationships and strengthen existing ones.”
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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.
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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 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
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Guaranteed Fixed Interest Rate
*Eligibility Criteria Apply*
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Webinar
What Do I Need to Do Now to Prepare for CMMC?
Thursday, December 17th from 10am.
The Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) may seem like a confusing subject. Join us for a one
hour webinar dedicated to the topic of CMMC and what you need to do to prepare for it. This webinar will
also cover the new DoD interim rule and how that will affect your certification.
What has become clear since the initial release of CMMC in January, 2020 is this new DoD requirement will be a special challenge for small businesses. Most small businesses have limited IT resources, little or no
experience with cybersecurity, and significant gaps in current systems and business practices compared to the stringent CMMC requirements. This, in spite of related DoD cybersecurity regulations that have been in defense contracts since 2017 (i.e. DFARS 252.204.7012 and NIST SP 800-171).
Join Us to Learn:
- What is CMMC?
- Where did CMMC come from?
- What is the DFARS Interim Rule?
- How does CMMC apply to me?
- What is the difference between CMMC Level 1 and Level 3?
- What is the CMMC timeline?
- What is the cost for CMMC?
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Steps on How to Do Business with the Army
The Army awards billions of contracting dollars annually to support its mission. Historically, more than 20 percent of this total goes to small businesses. A strong small business industrial base is essential to supporting the Warfighter and accomplishing the Army mission.
The following steps on how to do business with the Army is an effort to support our regional businesses and to increase the number of small businesses capable of supporting the Army mission, thereby strengthening this industrial base.
STEP 1: Determine what you want to sell and your business size
It is very important that you first determine the exact product or service you wish to sell to the Army. There are different marketing strategies and customers within the Department for each product or service.
STEP 2: Register in the System for Award Management (SAM)
Contracting officers, contract specialists, small business specialists and others utilize SAM as a tool to identify small business concerns for potential prime contracts and subcontracts. A business needs to be registered and have an ACTIVE status in SAM to be awarded a contract by any federal agency. Whenever there is a change in your business status, it is necessary to update your company’s profile in SAM (e.g. Address – Banking – Points of Contacts).
The PTAC Team supports small businesses with their initial SAM registration, as well as maintaining their ACTIVE status and information updates.
STEP 3: Identify which Army organizations buy your product or service
Review the “ U.S. Army Buying Commands” page, which provides a brief description of what each major buying command purchases as well as a phone number for their small business office and a link to a list of small business professionals who can answer your questions about doing business with their command.
STEP 4: Identify current Army procurement opportunities
All federal business opportunities are posted on the Contract Opportunities on the System for Award Management (SAM) website. This is a single point of entry for federal government procurement and should be monitored daily.
STEP 5: Become familiar with contracting regulations and procedures
There are regulations applicable to contracts that are awarded by the Department of the Army and the Federal Government that you need to be familiar. Beware that they do change from time to time. Regulations applicable to the Army are:
The NEPA Alliance PTAC Team is available to support you as you work through the five steps outlined above. You can reach us at 570-655-5581 and select option 2.
Source: Army Office of Small Business Programs
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International Assistance News
What a year… Just like you, the NEPA International Program is looking forward to 2021. Please take a few minutes to complete the following survey regarding your international business training needs and look for more webinars in 2021.
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Upcoming Webinars
Tuesday, December 8
10:00 – 11:00 AM
Wednesday, December 9
9:00 – 10:30 AM
Hosted by Southern Alleghenies Planning & Development Commission
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PennDOT Requests Public Feedback on Transportation Funding
Comments Accepted Through December 17th
As part of its ongoing work to explore sustainable transportation options, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) is requesting public feedback for the PennDOT Pathways Program. Information is accessible at www.penndot.gov/funding and feedback will be accepted through December 17, 2020.
PennDOT currently faces an $8.1 billion gap in its annual highway and bridge transportation funding to keep the network in a state of good repair. Federal funding has remained essentially flat for several years despite rising inflation. Gas taxes, which comprise 74 percent of PennDOT's funding, have become increasingly unreliable.
Through the PennDOT Pathways program, the department is launching an extensive initiative to examine possible near- and long-term funding solutions and how they could potentially work in Pennsylvania. As part of this program, PennDOT recently launched an alternative funding Planning and Environmental Linkages (PEL) Study as part of the PennDOT Pathways program to explore options for funding the maintenance and improvement of Pennsylvania's highways and bridges.
PennDOT encourages the public to review the information presented on its online engagement platform and to provide comments. Online comments can be submitted directly from the website at www.penndot.gov/funding or through the below methods:
- Email: PennDOTPathways@pa.gov
- Phone: 717-325-6129
- Mail: PA Department of Transportation, Keystone Building, 400 North St., Fifth Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17120
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Local Technical Assistance Program (LTAP)
Drop-In Sessions
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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.
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Did you know that the Pennsylvania State Data Center recently updated their Detailed Population Estimates Dashboard? Users can now access state and county data from 2010 to 2019 on total population, population change, and detailed characteristics like gender, age, race, and Hispanic origin. To access the Dashboard, click here.
For additional information, contact Steve Zaricki at 570-891-4671 or 866-758-1929.
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"This institution is an equal opportunity employer." |
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