Seven small businesses starting up in, relocating to or expanding in Rome will receive $95,000 in economic development funding through a partnership between Mohawk Valley EDGE and the Rome Invests in Startups and Expansions (RISE) Program, Mayor Jeffrey Lanigan announced Feb. 18.
The beneficiaries include a café, a cigar lounge, a liquor store, a beauty salon, a Caribbean restaurant, a records management firm and a child are facility.
RISE is a new program focused on job creation, small business growth and the revitalization of Rome’s downtown and neighborhood commercial corridors.
“Small businesses are the backbone of Rome’s economy,” said Mayor Jeffrey M. Lanigan in a statement. “When we help existing businesses expand and attract new businesses to invest here, we create jobs, strengthen our commercial districts, and keep our local economy growing. Programs like RISE ensure that Rome remains a city where entrepreneurs can succeed and families can build their future.”
Businesses receiving RISE funding must commit to creating or retaining at least one full-time, permanent job for an individual from a low-or-moderate-income household; the business owner can e that person. Recipients also take part in business skills training focused on financial management, operations and workforce development.
Who received RISE funding?
Here are the businesses awarded RISE funding:
These awards demonstrate the strength of the partnership between Mohawk Valley EDGE and the City of Rome,” said Shawna Papale, president of Mohawk Valley EDGE.
“From the Griffiss Business and Technology Park to the Chobani Processing Center, we’ve seen how strategic collaboration drives economic growth,” she said in a statement. “The RISE program continues that momentum by supporting businesses that create jobs and contribute to vibrant, walkable business districts.”
RISE is funded through the city’s Community Development Block Grant Program — a federal program overseen by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — and administered by the city’s Department of Community & Economic Development.
This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: New Rome/MV EDGE program funds seven new/expanding small businesses
Reporting by Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch / Observer-Dispatch
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