The application window on a second round of grants to help Stafford County business owners is closing fast.
“We’re going to go until we run out of money,” said John Holden, the county’s economic development director.
Holden and the county’s Economic Development Authority, a quasi-county government agency that makes its money on the interest of loans it gives to area business owners and on the fees on bonds the sale of county-owned land, started taking grant applications at 9 a.m. Monday.
As of 3 p.m., it has received 50 requests for funding from its Small Business Coronavirus Disaster Fund, from businesses across the county, all asking for amounts training from $2,000 for companies with one to five employees, $5,000 for business with five to 25 employees, and up to $7,500 for companies with up to 50 workers.
To submit an application and qualify for funding, the business cannot be a chain or franchise, has to have been in operation in the county for the past 12 months, be current on all local taxes, and justify the need for the money and how the pandemic has adversely affected the business. Recipients of the cash must use it for payroll.
A total of $200,000 will be awarded to businesses in this second round of funding.
In the first round, which had a focus on giving cash to business owners to keep employees on the payroll, the EDA awarded another $250,000 to more than 40 county businesses.
- Coles Sports Chiropractic
- Personal Selling Power
- Stafford Early Autism Services
- Rock Hill Honey Bee Farms
- Patty Sullivan Recon, Inc.
- J&J Upholstery and Drapery
- Fabric J.Mathew Company
- Car Web
- The Grounds Coffeehouse
- Little Fish Swimming
- Barley Naked Brewing Company
- Potomac Point Winery
- Vinnys Grill and Pizzeria
- Carter Cleaning Growen Restaurant Inc (Buffalo Mo’s)
- Development Construction Services, Inc
- Merestone Land Surveying
- BANG! Music
- Wow 1 Day Painting
- The Log Cabin Restaurant
- Fields Family Eyecare
- KOA Martial Arts
- Globe & Laurel Restaurant
- El Jimador Azteca
- Amy’s Café
- RockIT Repairs
- Cavalier Family Skating Center
- Edwards Utility Mapping Corp
- Highmark Brewery
- Communication Specialist
- CC Plus Inc
- Brass Bullet Coffee of VA (Ricks Roasters)
- Bethesdacare-Houseofmercy, LLC
One Stafford County business owner, Dr. Ben Litalien, who runs a consulting firm that helps franchisees, took issue with chain businesses being locked out of the second round of grant funding.
“The franchisee has a license to use the franchisors’ trademark/brand and must follow certain operational guidelines. Otherwise, they are free to hire, train and manage their own staff and to operate their small business as they deem appropriate,” penned LItalien in an email to county officials obtained by Potomac Local News. “It is clearly discriminatory to exclude “franchise businesses” from any small business program.”
EDA Chairman Joel Griffin said franchises are an essential part of the business landscape in the county, but adds they were intentionally excluded so that the EDA could give as much help as possible to independent mom and pop-shops — most of which operate without corporate support or guidance. The EDA also wanted to guard against funds going to a franchise location that works outside of the county.
“Franchisees could ask for relief, for instance, for monthly rent payment to the franchisor,” said Griffin. “We wanted to make sure the limited funds we had went to the business owners that we have here in the county.”
For businesses that don’t qualify for a grant, the EDA is also offering loans between $5,000 and $15,000 to help small business owners struggling in the coronavirus recession. Those loans have a 36-month amortization period, six months of deferred interest, and could be interest-free if the loan is repaid in full in 24 months, said Holden.
