B.I.D.A. Executive Director Selected as Top 25 Women in Business
Berwick Industrial Development Association (B.I.D.A.), a leader in economic development focusing on industrial development and manufacturing is excited to announce their Executive Director, Kelly O’Brien for her nomination and selection to the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business, published March 2021 in honor of women’s month.
Kelly O’Brien has been working in economic development for 15 years, with most efforts in the entrepreneurial arena. Ms. O’Brien, in her role with B.I.D.A. has focused her efforts on the Northeast Central PA region in recruiting, retaining and developing business and industry of all sizes.
Since Ms. O’Brien joined the B.I.D.A. team, the organization has implemented a vocational scholarship for Berwick Area School District students that are extending their education in a vocational arts profession. B.I.D.A. is a founding partner and current facilitator of the Employer Round Table focus group (working with employers to identify and implement solutions for workforce development), created the virtual and physical manufacturing incubator (set to launch this year) with partners, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of NEPA, Community Strategies Group (CSG), Rural Business Innovation Corporation (RBI) and Wilkes University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), written and awarded grants for business retention and development, and closed on the purchase of the former Ingredion manufacturing facility in the B.I.D.A. Industrial Complex.
B.I.D.A. is proud to have Kelly O’Brien with this on their team and working with our economic development partners in the Northeast Central PA region to bring ideas to reality. B.I.D.A. would like to thank Ms. O’Brien for her service and ask the rest of the region to celebrate the women in your business and industry.
BloomCON Hak4Kidz
This year The Bloomsburg Children’s Museum is excited to partner with the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds and open the conference up to anyone who wants to attend. Hak4Kidz will be held on March 27th from 10 am-4 pm at the Bloomsburg Fairgrounds.
Ethical hackers, information security professionals, and educators will bring the benefits of white hat hacking to the children and young adults at the conference. The conference features, guest speakers, workshops, and STEM work stations. Attendees have a chance to win prizes, expand their knowledge, and explore the world of hacks!
General admission tickets are free to this event. There is a limited number of swag bag tickets which gets you general admission and a swag bag!
Add-on workshops ($2.00 additional charge) for the Hak4Kidz event! To participate in the workshops, you MUST have a ticket. You must show up to the workshop location 10min before your start time. No Refunds. No exchanges for a different time. The ticket is only good for the time you sign up for.
Workshops available are:
1. LEGO MANIACS (Stop Motion with Legos): It’s time to get your Lego freak on! Every Lego Maniac has an epic movie just wanting to burst out of their brain and into the world. This is the chance to make that happen! Learn Stop Motion Animation. You’ll build Lego sets, use Lego mini-fig characters, and learn how to make your vision into an actual animated clip. – 30min workshop.
2. Escape Room – MUMMY’S TOMB – “Fools! You dare to enter the tomb of your king, your god! Prove your mettle by finding and returning the scarab to its rightful place, or spend eternity with me! You have 15 minutes to leave and reseal this crypt, or the curse of Amun-Ra will be released upon the land!”The Valley of the Kings, Egypt’s fabled necropolis of ancient pharaohs contains many undiscovered secrets. As the fog from the chamber not opened in over 3,000 years starts to clear, you can’t believe your eyes—or your ears—as you hear an impossibly large sandstone block seal off the passage behind you. 15-minute workshop
3. Escape Room – TOP SECRET– You and your team break into a top-secret government research facility. Bioweapons intelligence suggests the experiments being conducted here could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands. Getting the exact coordinated wasn’t easy, and the timeline is tight. Can you break in, gather intel, and get out without being caught? 15-min workshop
Following the Super Bowl on February 7th, CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert featured a small book store in Boone, North Carolina as a way to support a business impacted by the pandemic. Following the piece, sales at Foggy Pine Books have tripled and the business has hired five additional employees to keep up with demand. The show is offering other small businesses the opportunity to be featured.
From PA Chamber of Business and Industry
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden signed a third round of COVID-19-related financial stimulus funding. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan includes $1,400 direct checks for individual taxpayers making $75,000 or less and families making $150,000 or less; and $350 billion to state and local governments across America. It also extends an existing $300 weekly unemployment benefits through Sept. 6 and provides a tax break on $10,000 in unemployment benefits.
Specific to Pennsylvania, the new law will provide more than $13.7 billion for state and local governments and direct payments to more than 5.5 million households. It will also extend federal unemployment insurance benefits to more than 480,000 Pennsylvanians.
The bill also includes an unprecedented expansion of the child tax credit that would provide $3,000 a year for each child ages 6 to 17, and $3,600 for each child under 6. According to a story in the Washington Post, this tax credit will be sent via direct deposit on a “periodic” basis as a way to offset costs families face day-to-day, instead of sending families one annual payment.
Other notable provisions in the new law include:
- Tens of billions of dollars for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing; increasing the size of the public health workforce and funding vaccine distribution and supply chains.
- Nearly $130 billion will be set aside to help K-12 schools reopen. That money would go to improving ventilation systems, reducing class sizes, buying personal protective equipment and implementing social distancing.
- Funding for colleges and other higher-education institutions will go toward financial aid grants to help students who have faced pandemic-related financial challenges.
- Child-care provider funds would be distributed through the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. The new package also sets aside $1 billion for the Head Start Program, which helps fund early education for young children from low-income families.
- It expands the Employee Retention Tax Credit for start-up companies and other businesses hit by the pandemic.
- Establishes a $10 billion infrastructure program to help local governments continue crucial capital projects.
- For education funding, the bill sets aside $1.25 billion for summer enrichment; $1.25 billion for after-school programs and $3 billion for education technology.
As COVID-19 cases have declined and vaccination rates are climbing, Governor Tom Wolf today announced the lifting of some targeted restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, as well as increased gathering limits.
Effective April 4, restaurants may resume bar service; alcohol service will be allowed without the purchase of food; the curfew for removing alcoholic drinks from tables will be lifted; and indoor dining capacity will be raised to 75 percent for those restaurants that are currently self-certified and those that undergo the self-certification process, which involves agreeing to strictly comply to all public health safety guidelines and orders, including the cleaning and mitigation protocols and other operational requirements contained in the Governor and Secretary of Health’s mitigation and enforcement orders issued on November 23, 2020, as amended. Those restaurants that do not self-certify may raise capacity to 50 percent. Outdoor dining, curbside pick-up and takeout are still encouraged.
Requirements such as mask-wearing, and social distancing, including 6 feet between diners, also still apply.
Capacity for other businesses also will be increased effective April 4, including moving personal services facilities, gyms and entertainment facilities (casinos, theatres, malls) to 75 percent occupancy.
The governor also announced revised maximum occupancy limits for indoor events to allow for 25% of maximum occupancy, regardless of venue size, and maximum occupancy limits for outdoor events to allow for 50% of maximum occupancy, regardless of venue size. Maximum occupancy is permitted only if attendees and workers are able to comply with the 6-foot physical distancing requirement.
The Shuttered Venue Operators (SVO) Grant program was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020. The program includes $15 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance.
Eligible applicants may qualify for SVO Grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.
Eligible entities include:
- Live venue operators or promoters
- Theatrical producers
- Live performing arts organization operators
- Relevant museum operators, zoos and aquariums who meet specific criteria
- Motion picture theater operators
- Talent representatives, and
- Each business entity owned by an eligible entity that also meets the eligibility requirements
Other requirements of note:
- Must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020
- Venue or promoter must not have applied for or received a PPP loan on or after December 27, 2020
Grant amount will be either:
- For an eligible entity in operation on January 1, 2019, grants will be for an amount equal to 45% of their 2019 gross earned revenue OR $10 million, whichever is less.
- For an eligible entity that began operation after January 1, 2019, grants will be for the average monthly gross earned revenue for each full month you were in operation during 2019 multiplied by six (6) OR $10 million, whichever is less.
How to apply
SBA is in the process of setting up the grant program and is not yet accepting applications. Those who have suffered the greatest economic loss will be the first applications processed under the following schedule:
Note: On January 20, 2021, SBA updated the proposed plan for issuing Shuttered Venue Operators Grants during the first and second priority periods. To clarify, priority awardees will not need to satisfy the small employer set-aside. During the first 59 days of opening the SVO Grants, SBA will reserve no less than $2 billion of program funding for grants to entities that have no more than 50 employees.
First Priority 1st 14 days of grant awards | Entities that suffered a 90% or greater revenue loss between April 2020 through December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Second Priority Next 14 days of grant awards | Entities that suffered a 70% or greater revenue loss between April 2020 through December 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. |
Third Priority Beginning 28 days after First & Second Priority Awards are made | Entities that suffered a 25% or greater earned revenue loss between one quarter of 2019 and the corresponding quarter of 2020. |
Supplemental Funding Available after all Priority Periods have passed | Recipients of First, Second, and Third Priority round awards who suffered a 70% or greater revenue loss for the most recent calendar quarter (as of 04-01-21 or later) |
Allowable use of funds
Funds may be used for specific expenses, which include:
- Payroll costs
- Rent payments
- Utility payments
- Scheduled mortgage payments (not including prepayment of principal)
- Scheduled debt payments (not including prepayment of principal) on any indebtedness incurred in the ordinary course of business prior to 02-15-20)
- Worker protection expenditures
- Payments to independent contractors (not to exceed $100K in annual compensation per contractor)
- Other ordinary and necessary business expenses, including maintenance costs
- Administrative costs (incl. fees and licensing)
- State and local taxes and fees
- Operating leases in effect as of 02-15-20
- Insurance payments
- Advertising, production transportation, and capital expenditures related to producing a theatrical or live performing arts production. (May not be primary use of funds.)
Grantees may not use award funds to:
- Buy real estate
- Make payments on loans originated after 02-15-20
- Make investments or loans
- Make contributions or other payments to, or on behalf of, political parties, political committees, or candidates for election
- Any other use prohibited by the Administrator
Grantee Recordkeeping
Grantees will be required to maintain documentation demonstrating their compliance with the eligibility and other requirements of the SVO Grant program. They must retain employment records for four years following their receipt of a grant and retain all other records for three years.
Application and additional guidelines will be posted when available.
Supplemental documents:
- Shuttered Venue Operators Grants Frequently Asked Questions (revised 03-12-21)
- Eligibility requirements (published 03-05-21)
- Preliminary application checklist (revised 03-11-21)
- Cross program eligibility on SBA coronavirus relief options
It’s not too late to get health insurance or change plans!
On February 15, the Federal and State Marketplaces began accepting applications for Individual and Family health insurance coverage under the COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period (SEP).
This enrollment period is scheduled to last until May 15, 2021.
Most Health Insurance Companies will accept off-exchange applications as well for those not needing or wanting to go through the marketplace. Because everyone is impacted by COVID-19 in some way, anyone who is not covered by an employer sponsored plan is eligible to purchase a new plan.
My Benefit Advisor offers expert help & guidance in choosing health insurance coverage whether purchasing on or off the marketplace.
The Columbia-Montour Chamber of Commerce offers its members access to My Benefit Advisor as a solution for employee benefits, including voluntary offerings. For more information about My Benefit Advisor, visit our website at cmcc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Jim Pitts at (800) 377-3539.
A $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill – the third stimulus bill passed since the pandemic took hold in the U.S. last March – passed the U.S. Senate in a party-line vote over the weekend, and today passed in the U.S. House. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the relief plan on Friday, March 12th.
The “American Rescue Plan” includes up to $1,400 in stimulus checked for individual taxpayers making $75,000 or less; or joint filers making $160,000 or less. After a flurry of negotiations during a marathon 25-hour session –that for Democrats was focused on gaining the support of the caucus’s conservative member, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV – agreement was reached to extend $300 weekly unemployment compensation benefits to Americans who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic through September 6. The legislation also includes an extension of federal unemployment benefits.
Other key elements of the Senate-passed bill include:
- $350 billion for state and local governments
- A multi-billion-dollar investment in COVID testing and contact tracing; increasing the size of the public health workforce and funding vaccine distribution and supply chains
- An expansion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit for start-up companies and other businesses hit by the pandemic
- A $10 billion infrastructure program to help local governments continue crucial capital projects
- For education funding, the bill includes $1.25 billion for summer enrichment; $1.25 billion for after-school programs and $3 billion for education technology
Notably, a provision originally sought by the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats to include a $15 federal minimum wage rate in the legislation was abandoned. This development occurred after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the chamber could not pass the wage increase under the budget reconciliation process that allows for a simple majority vote.
Bloomsburg Announces 2021 Grantround
Community Giving Foundation: Bloomsburg is pleased to announce grant opportunities for local nonprofit organizations serving the greater Bloomsburg area. Grants will be awarded from the Bloomsburg Unrestricted Fund and the Hartman / Robbins / Stroup Fund. Approximately $10,000 is available through this competitive grant round.
Only 501(c)(3) nonprofit and governmental organizations are eligible to apply and 100% of requested funding from the above noted funds must be invested within Bloomsburg and surrounding areas. Individuals are not eligible to apply.
Grant applications must be completed and submitted through a web-based program. Click here to access the grant application and details.
Grant requests must be submitted online by 11:59pm on May 27, 2021.
2021 Grantround Announced for Youth in Philanthropy
Students from Benton, Berwick, Central Columbia, Columbia-Montour Area Vo-Tech, Danville, Midd-West, Millville, Northwest, Selinsgrove, Shikellamy, and Warrior Run High Schools are serving as youth grantmakers through the Foundation’s Youth in Philanthropy program. More than 130 students participate in the program and each school has the responsibility of granting up to $5,000 to youth-related projects.
Grant applications must be completed and submitted through a web-based program. Each school group has their own service area, funding priority areas, and application. Applicants may apply to more than one school. To access the application process, select “Grant Site Login” here.
Grant requests must be submitted online by 11:59pm on March 25, 2021. For grant-related questions, please contact Christine Orlando, Senior Program Officer, at 570-752-3930 ext. 2 or corlando@csgiving.org.
Providence Engineering Hires Vaughn Silar as Senior Consultant
Providence Engineering is pleased to announce that Vaughn Silar has joined the firm as a Senior Consultant.
With more than 30 years of experience in the AEC industry, Vaughn has earned a reputation for building successful businesses and delivering exceptional service to many clients throughout the United States. His commitment to the AEC industry, especially in Central PA, has garnered many longstanding relationships.
In his role as Senior Consultant, Vaughn will work closely with the Leadership and Project Management teams at Providence. He will provide high-level strategy as well as guidance on day-to-day operations. Vaughn’s hiring comes as Providence continues to implement its strategic growth plan, while staying focused on client satisfaction and operational simplicity.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to join Providence” says Silar. “This is a great firm that has contributed to many successful projects throughout the Mid-Atlantic. I believe we are poised to expand market share and I look forward to helping clarify strategic goals and enhance operational efficiency.”
Established in 1992, Providence Engineering is committed to providing constructible, affordable and timely structural engineering design and analysis services. We also provide many facets of construction compliance and delegated design services to the building industry. Our dependable, innovative solutions have earned the trust of architects, owners, contractors and those we are privileged to call our clients.
Yes, You Can! Be an Influencer in 2021 and Beyond! Learning to Lead at any Level
SHRMA’s March 16 virtual program, features Kim Nash, from Thriv. Kim will be presenting Yes, You Can! Be an Influencer in 2021 and Beyond! Learning to Lead at any Level. Leadership is about influence! During this engaging presentation we will explore ways to be influencers in our organizations regardless of our position. For years, HR professionals have strived for a “seat at the table.” However, if we want to shape our world, we need to do more than have a “seat at the table,” we need to be influencers and take initiatives to lead our organizations boldly into the future. Let’s step out of our comfort zone and take risks! Focusing on the SHRM competencies of Leadership & Navigation, Communication, and Consultation we will identify practical ways to be influencers and shape our organizations.
- Demonstrate leadership by seeking opportunities to align HR strategy with organizational strategy to advance the organization mission.
- Identify practical ways to build credibility and partner with internal and external stakeholders.
- Build confidence, be bold, and step out of our comfort zones to bring value to all stakeholders.
- Through effective communication, inspire stakeholders at all levels about HR strategies and initiatives.
Shaping our world means we need to be an active participant not a spectator! As a spectator, we sit in our comfort zone and watch others lead and inspire. Let’s be bold, have courage and step up to the challenge and make a difference in our organizations and world by being an influencer.
This session has been submitted for recertification credits with HRCI and SHRM.
The presentation slides will be available on the SHRMA website after the session concludes.
***This program is free for SHRMA members. NON-SHRMA members will be charged a $15 per program fee for virtual programs. Another reason to renew your annual membership with our chapter! Please get your renewal membership submitted right away.***
To register for the March 16, 2021 SHRMA program, please click here.
From McKonly & Asbury, CPAs & Business Advisors
The IRS recently released Notice 2021-20 regarding the Employee Retention Credit. For the most part, it mimics the FAQs that have been up for months. However, there are some additional details from the original FAQs.
In 2020, employers could not take advantage of the ERC and PPP. Now, employers can utilize both. Previously, the most effective and efficient thing to do to get full PPP forgiveness was to utilize payroll over the entire 24-week covered period. Now that employers can take both the PPP and the ERC (just not on the same payroll), everything changed. Now employers will want to minimize payroll and get full forgiveness. That frees up max payroll for ERC. The most recent guidance stipulates that any payroll costs on the application for forgiveness are already spoken for – meaning no ERC – but only to the extent that they were needed for forgiveness. So, if a business had a $75k PPP loan, and included $100k of payroll costs on the forgiveness application as a buffer, only $75k is ineligible. Also, if there are other eligible costs on the application, they can offset how much payroll is already spoken for.
Next big area is how to claim the credit. Employers will need to amend all 2020 941s, splitting out payroll costs by quarter and refiling 941s.
The final item of consequence was the introduction of a “nominal” portion of business and how to determine that. This relates to the at least partial suspension of business. The rules state that one way to qualify for the ERC is if a business was at least partially shut down by a governmental mandate. The IRS is saying that if a business wasn’t completely shut down, the partial shut down must affect a portion of your business that is more than “nominal” (10% of revenue, or 10% of hours). Most businesses aren’t neatly organized into revenue and hours one way vs another way, so a shut down of one or the other isn’t always easy to quantify. An clear example is the restaurant industry and the shut down or limitation of indoor dining. Clearly, indoor dining is more than a nominal portion of a restaurant’s business. Tracking for a service provider is not as clear cut.
The team at McKonly & Asbury is eager to work with any employer that needs assistance. Visit their ERC page and someone will be in contact.
A new COVID relief grant for eligible hospitality industry businesses opens for applications March 15, 2021.
Businesses are urged to apply as soon as possible for the COVID-19 Hospitality Industry Recovery Program (CHIRP) grants since funds may be quickly exhausted.
Businesses can apply at the Community Giving Foundation’s website at www.csgiving.org from March 15 until the funds are exhausted or June 15, 2021.
Grants will range from $5,000 to $50,000 and the funds will alleviate revenue losses and pay eligible operating expenses due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Eligible hospitality industry businesses include hotels, restaurants, bars, and taverns. These businesses must fall within eligible industry codes which include the Accommodations subsector NAICS code (721) or Food Services and Drinking Places subsector (722) found here:: https://www.naics.com/search/
Eligibility includes, but is not limited to, having fewer than 300 full-time employees; a net worth that does not exceed $15 million; a 25% reduction in gross receipts in 2020 compared to 2019; and be located within Centre, Clinton, Columbia, Juniata, Lycoming, Mifflin, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder, or Union counties.
Priority will be given to businesses that did not already receive COVID relief funds; that were subject to closure following the disaster emergency declared by Gov. Tom Wolf on March 6, 2020; and had more than a 50% reduction in gross receipts from March 31, 2020 to Dec. 31, 2020 compared to the same time period in 2019. For a full listing of eligibility requirements and prioritization guidelines, visit www.csgiving.org.
The grant program was created from Act 1 of 2021, which was passed Feb. 5. Statewide, it provides $145 million in funding assistance to the hospitality industry businesses adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic through the state Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).
For more information, contact SEDA-COG Grants Manager Betsy Lockwood at 570-522-7265 or elockwood@seda-cog.org.