- Extends the covered period for loan forgiveness from eight weeks after the date of loan disbursement to 24 weeks after the date of loan disbursement, providing substantially greater flexibility for borrowers to qualify for loan forgiveness. Borrowers who have already received PPP loans retain the option to use an eight-week covered period.
- Lowers the requirements that 75 percent of a borrower’s loan proceeds must be used for payroll costs and that 75 percent of the loan forgiveness amount must have been spent on payroll costs during the 24-week loan forgiveness covered period to 60 percent for each of these requirements. If a borrower uses less than 60 percent of the loan amount for payroll costs during the forgiveness covered period, the borrower will continue to be eligible for partial loan forgiveness, subject to at least 60 percent of the loan forgiveness amount having been used for payroll costs.
- Provides a safe harbor from reductions in loan forgiveness based on reductions in full-time equivalent employees for borrowers that are unable to return to the same level of business activity the business was operating at before February 15, 2020, due to compliance with requirements or guidance issued between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, related to worker or customer safety requirements related to COVID–19.
- Provides a safe harbor from reductions in loan forgiveness based on reductions in full-time equivalent employees, to provide protections for borrowers that are both unable to rehire individuals who were employees of the borrower on February 15, 2020, and unable to hire similarly qualified employees for unfilled positions by December 31, 2020.
- Increases to five years the maturity of PPP loans that are approved by SBA (based on the date SBA assigns a loan number) on or after June 5, 2020.
- Extends the deferral period for borrower payments of principal, interest, and fees on PPP loans to the date that SBA remits the borrower’s loan forgiveness amount to the lender (or, if the borrower does not apply for loan forgiveness, 10 months after the end of the borrower’s loan forgiveness covered period).
The Pennsylvania 30 Day Fund announced that it will deploy at least $100,000 for diverse small businesses who have suffered loss due to property damage and looting. The nonprofit organization provides $3000 forgivable loans to small businesses owners who complete a simple application and submit a video. The Fund launched on May 7, 2020, and has already funded over 70 companies, including 36 minority-owned small businesses, impacted by COVID-19.
“Our intention was always to help small businesses in Pennsylvania survive for 30 days as they create the plans and get the support they need to continue operating,” said Jeff Brown, Board member of the PA 30 Day Fund and CEO of the ShopRite chain of Brown Superstores. “We now see small business owners who are suffering from looting and violence, and those businesses are disproportionately owned by people of color. Our Board is determined to help them survive, and we have $100,000 we plan to distribute within the next week.”
The nonprofit PA 30 Day Fund is led by Cassandra Bailey, Slice Communications’ CEO; Jeff Bartos, President of ESB Holdings; Roger Braunfeld, partner at Royer Cooper Cohen Braunfeld; Jeff Brown, CEO of the ShopRite chain of Brown’s Superstores; Maia Comeau, public affairs consultant and CEO of Comeau and Company; Thomas Nerney, CEO of United States Liability Insurance Group; Richard Phillips, former Chairman and CEO of Pilot Freight Systems; and Mustafa Rashed, CEO of the government relations and communications firm Bellevue Strategies.
Working with other business leaders throughout the Commonwealth, the Fund’s goal is to help save as many Pennsylvania jobs as possible. Pennsylvania businesses that qualify for assistance from the Fund meet these requirements:
- Small businesses that employ three to 30 people;
- Based in Pennsylvania and have been operating for at least one year;
- Owned and operated by a Pennsylvania resident;
- Operate as a for-profit business.
“Over the past few days, the civil unrest that has led to rioting and damaging of small business across PA has been another hurdle that small businesses have to overcome,” said Mustafa Rashed, Board member of the PA 30 Day Fund. “We recognize this additional challenge and want to be able to support those businesses as the majority of the state resumes business operations.”
The funds disbursed to small businesses by the PA 30 Day Fund do not need to be repaid. If businesses who receive the Fund’s assistance do, at a later date, wish to “pay it forward” to another Pennsylvania small business in need of assistance, they may do so by directing those dollars back to the Fund, which will disburse the funding to another Pennsylvania business in need.
All donations collected by the PA 30 Day Fund are given to recipient businesses without offsets, administrative fees, or any other expenses. Donations and applications can be submitted here.
More than 435 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and the region. Increased membership allows the Chamber to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives. The Chamber welcomes PB&J Bar.
PB&J Bar, also knows as The Plant-Based and Juice Bar, is located on Mill Street in Danville. They offer breakfast, lunch, and food to go, providing healthier plant-based options and fresh juices and smoothies. To learn more about PB&J Bar visit their website and Facebook page.
The Columbia Montour Chamber’s Visionary Member Spotlight highlights First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. For nearly 120 years, the institution has been committed to serving customers and the communities in which they reside, providing a full range of banking, trust, and investment services for both individuals and businesses. The Bank is dedicated to remaining a hometown community bank for generations to come. Visit any of their 14 locations and ATMs. From savings and checking accounts, personal loans, mortgages (view the homepage for information), and commercial loans, visit their website or Facebook page to find out more.
Beyond their work in the financial sector, First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. has given much to our community. The company supports Chamber events as well as activities the community enjoys from their Teen Star program, to the Chamber’s Annual Meeting, and many other civic and non-profit causes.
The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce is proud to call First Columbia Bank & Trust Co. a member for many years. We look forward to serving them for many years to come.
The Chamber appreciates the ongoing support of all of our members, including our Visionary Members: Bloomsburg University, First Columbia Bank & Trust, Geisinger, Kawneer, PPL Electric Utilities, USG, & SEKISUI KYDEX
More than 435 businesses and organizations belong to the Chamber to receive benefits and support efforts to strengthen their businesses and the region. Increased membership allows the Chamber to offer additional programs and benefits, have a stronger voice in advocacy and be involved in more activities and initiatives. The Chamber welcomes Trivium Packaging.
Trivium Packaging operates close to 60 locations worldwide, including its manufacturing facility in Bloomsburg. They are a global food and specialty metal packaging producer offering a variety of shaping, decoration, embossing, debossing, and different opening solutions. To learn more about Trivium Packaging visit their website, or LinkedIn.
- Geisinger will be hosting Back to Business Town Hall- part two, on June 4th from 11 am-12 pm. This event will feature Dr. Stanley Martin, Infectious Diseases; Allison Hess, VP, Health & Wellness; Brion Lieberman, VP, Human Resources. Register for the event here.
This Virtual Meeting will be taped and added to their business resources landing page. On the landing page is a place for businesses to submit questions. The email will go to Geisinger’s Community Wellness staff and they will respond. Any questions that they answer will be published to the page.
Townhall Introductions:
Brion Lieberman is Vice President of Human Resources at Geisinger. He is responsible for leading employee relations, compensation, diversity and inclusion and organizational development. Brion joined Geisinger in 2007 and has served in various HR roles for both Geisinger’s clinical enterprise and insurance operation.
During his tenure, Geisinger’s employee base has grown tremendously to 30,000 plus employees, serving the health care needs of our patients and members throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Brion is passionate about creating an exceptional employee experience by making a difference for Geisinger’s employees on both an individual and organizational basis.
Dr. Martin is Geisinger’s director of the Division of Infectious Diseases. He’s a board-certified and fellowship-trained specialist in infectious diseases. His clinical interests include immunocompromised hosts, transplantation and infections related to mechanical circulatory support. His research interests include antimicrobial stewardship, population health and optimization of inpatient care.
Allison Hess is the Vice President of Health Innovations for Geisinger. She has been part of the Geisinger family for 13 years and is responsible for the oversight and implementation of health and wellness programs for Geisinger patients and insured members, employees and community members. She started her career in community health education/corporate wellness and has continued to expand to include community-based population health initiatives driven by data analysis and clinical outcome measurements.
She has been the recipient of several awards focused in various areas of health including health equity, worksite wellness and supply chain. She has also been recognized nationally for her work with the Fresh Food Farmacy program.
DRIVE, an economic development council of governments serving Columbia and Montour Counties announces an expansion of its wireless broadband network in Montour County.
The original pilot project launched in 2019 to reach underserved areas of the county as well as to create a wide area network for Montour County owned offices. Jennifer Wakeman, executive director, says new technology was deployed to reach further into Anthony and Derry Townships. “CBRS, or Citizen Band Radio Service, is a non-line of sight technology that reduces the effect of trees and other obstructions.”
With the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, more residents began working from home and found their service to be inadequate. Wakeman says DRIVE moved quickly to deploy CBRS. “We had been exploring the availability and cost to add CBRS to our network prior to the coronavirus outbreak. With the jump in remote workers in early March, we reached out to our contractor, Conxx and they were able to bring CBRS online in three weeks.”
Geisinger supplied $300,000 in a forgivable loan for the original project and agreed that unused funds could be utilized for this expansion. “We were thrilled that Geisinger stepped up to the plate to help us reach more users in Montour County,” says Wakeman.
CBRS could allow for network expansion into more rural, forested areas of Columbia County according to Wakeman. “We learned a lot with our initial build out and are constantly looking at options to expand our service into underserved areas in Columbia County.”
The fixed base wireless network can provide fiber speeds to areas that do not currently have adequate access to broadband service. Additional information about the DRIVE Network and how to get service can be found online.
In response to the heightened needs of area nonprofit organizations and its mission to enhance the quality of life in the region, the Central Susquehanna Community Foundation is pleased to announce a second grantround available for Disaster Relief Funding. Established in 2011, the purpose of the Foundation’s Disaster Relief Fund is to support nonprofit organizations affected by disasters in Lower-Luzerne, Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties. The grantround is designed as a flexible response to provide relief for a variety of unexpected costs. The Foundation is specifically interested in helping organizations maintain their operations and respond to increased demand from clients during this critical time.
While many CSCF funds have contributed to these Disaster Relief efforts, the grantround can create an even bigger impact with contributions from community members. To join the Foundation in this initiative, visit here to make a secure online donation.
Grant requests ranging from $500-10,000 are currently being accepted. Additional funding may be considered on an individual basis. This is the second grantround from the Disaster Relief Fund in 2020. The grant application has been updated. If your organization applied in the first grantround in April and wishes to apply again, you must submit a new application for this grantround.
Only 501(c)(3) nonprofit and government organizations are eligible to apply and the requested funding must be invested within the CSCF service area of Lower-Luzerne, Columbia, Montour, Northumberland, Snyder and Union Counties. Individuals are not eligible to apply. To discuss your organization’s eligibility, please contact the Foundation.
Grant applications must be completed and submitted through a web-based program. Interested applicants can access the grantround guidelines and applications by visiting www.csgiving.org.
Grant requests must be submitted online by 11:59 pm on Tuesday, June 16, 2020.
For grant-related questions, please contact Christine Orlando, CSCF Senior Program Officer, at 570-752-3930 ext. 2, or corlando@csgiving.org.
In Pennsylvania and across the country, child care is identified as one of the top barriers to employment. In the changing landscape of workforce development, businesses want to better understand how child care affects their bottom line and Pennsylvania’s edge in the national and global marketplace. The effects of COVID-19 mitigation mandates have created new challenges for an already economically fragile childcare system. As childcare and the workforce struggle to regain their interdependent stability, public and private actions are imperative.
The Pennsylvania Early Learning Investment Commission in partnership with the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation will be discussing these issues at the 2020 Early Learning Economic Summit. The event will be held via webinar from 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. on Monday, June 8th. The Summit offers a shared learning opportunity for business leaders and policy makers to:
- Learn recent Pennsylvania research on child care’s economic implications
- Understand the challenges working and recently furloughed families face
- Explore concrete recommendations designed for public-private action
- Discover private-sector, best practices supporting the childcare system
- Acquire tools for business assessment of workforce child care needs
On Tuesday, June 9, 2020, the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” (WSCM) student video program will conclude its seventh season with the “Best of PA” Statewide Awards Event. Due to the unprecedented challenges presented by social distancing, this year’s event will stream ‘live from home’ on YouTube, and will include 22 teams competing for first, second and third place awards.
A five judge panel, representing eastern, central and western Pennsylvania, viewed 22 entries, representing 13 regional contests across Pennsylvania, to select the statewide award recipients.
“We are so proud of the students and so excited we will still be able to celebrate the Best of PA videos, even with all that is going on,” said Karen Buck, Manager of Workforce Initiatives Manufacturers Resource Center (MRC). “The continued success of the What’s So Cool program validates its value to both STEM and STEAM education and really highlights the necessity for these initiatives, both statewide and nationwide, to help plan for a robust economic future.”
The “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Student Video Contest, which originated in the Lehigh Valley and is the brainchild of MRC, has garnered over 3,000,000 combined votes by the public during regional online voting dates since its inception in 2013, and more than 50% of Pennsylvania school districts have participated in the program.
The WSCM Student Video Contest gives students the opportunity to interact with local manufacturers as they gain new perspectives about careers and technology, record their
experiences and present them in an educational and “cool” way through documentary video production. The “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” program includes a Pennsylvania Department of Education approved lesson plan that is in use across the Commonwealth. The contest was created to generate excitement that draws students toward considering manufacturing career paths to create a 21st century workforce.
This season’s original 16 participating regional contests in Pennsylvania were Berks Schuylkill, Central Susquehanna, Chester Delaware, Lehigh Valley, North Central, Northeast, Northern Tier, Northwest, Philadelphia Region, Pittsburgh Central, Pittsburgh East, Pittsburgh North, Pittsburgh South, PA Forest & Oil, South Central, and West Central.
Funding for the regional pilot contests is provided by the PA Department of Community & Economic Development. Funding for the statewide Awards show is provided by Platinum Sponsor: Nestlé Waters North America, Gold Sponsors: PA Manufacturing Extension Partnership and RETTEW, and Silver Sponsors: Catalyst Connection, MANTEC and Chester County Economic Development Council. Regional Program Partners: Catalyst Connection, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, Chester County Economic Development Council, Delaware Valley Industrial Resource Center, Innovative Manufacturers’ Center, Manufacturers Resource Center, MANTEC, North Central Workforce Development Board, Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission, Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center, NWIRC, and The Foundation of The Columbia Montour Chamber of Commerce.
For more information regarding the “What’s So Cool About Manufacturing?” Student Video Contest please visit: WhatsSoCool.org/BestofPA, www.WhatsSoCool.org, or follow on Twitter.