The SCEDC was pleased to be able to bring back the 9th Grade Career Manufacturing Showcase after putting it on hold in 2020. The 8th Annual Showcase was held on Friday, October 1 at Terra State Community College with nearly 800 Sandusky County students. Thank you to Bellevue, Clyde, Fremont Ross, Gibsonburg, Lakota, and St. Joe’s schools for allowing your students to participate! 

Special thank you to ABC Inoac, Amcor – Fremont, Autokiniton, Century Die, Crown Battery, Freeman Company, Heinz, Motion Controls, Sandco Industries, Style Crest, Terra State Community College, Toledo Electrical JATC, and Vanguard Career and Technical Center for promoting manufacturing and your companies!
JFS - Refusal to Return to Work Policy and Form
Having issues at your business with community members not showing up for interviews, orientations, or first day on the job?

Did you know that you can report these cases to Job and Family Services and alert unemployment that they are not following their Return to Work policies?

For more information about the Return to Work Policy, Click Here.
To view the Eligibility Notice/Refusal to Return to Work Form, Click Here.
Attention Small Business Owners
Are you a Minority, Women, Veteran, or LGBTQ+ Business Owner in Sandusky County? Email Andrea to be added to a list of Sandusky County businesses available for the public to print and support.
Township Stimulus Program
ODOT’s Office of Local Programs, registration is now open for the following free webinar session for October 12. This is specifically geared towards township funding for roadwork. We encourage trustees along with other local community organizations and municipalities to check out this webinar in order to leverage additional roadwork funding for our townships. 

Government Contracting Series
Doing Business with the Federal Bureau of Prisons

Thursday, October 28, 2021
1:00pm–2:00pm ET

Join the Northern Ohio SBA District Office and the Procurement Technical Assistance Center to learn more about doing business with the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
 
This presentation will include topics such as:
·        What is Federal Bureau of Prisons?
·        What goods and services do they procure?
And much more! 
National Hispanic Heritage Month
Save the date! The SBA will host an online panel discussion for Hispanic Heritage Month on October 14, 2021, at 12:00 p.m. ET. Additional details including the registration link will be available soon. 
SBA Administrator Guzman, the fourth Latina Administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration, and the highest-ranking Latina serving in President Biden’s Cabinet, also released a statement to commemorate Hispanic Heritage Month.

Boots to Business Reboot
OWNING A VETERAN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS:
Veterans have the character, discipline and skills needed to succeed as small business owners and entrepreneurs. Wondering what it takes and how you can prepare? Enroll in Boots to Business Reboot.

ABOUT BOOTS TO BUSINESS REBOOT:
Boots to Business Reboot is a two-step training program that provides participants an overview of business ownership as a career vocation, an outline and knowledge on the components of a business plan, a practical exercise in opportunity recognition, and an introduction to available public and private sector resources.

Step one is the Introduction to Entrepreneurship course eligible to Veterans of all eras, service members (including members of the National Guard and Reserve) and their spouses. This course is instructed by SBA and its partners, who are skilled business advisors.
 
Step two is one of the online follow-on courses instructed by a consortium of professors and skilled business advisors from the SBA Network. If you’ve already attended an in-person Boots to Business or Reboot class, visit https://sbavets.force.com/ to sign up for one of the online B2B follow-on courses.

Made In Ohio
The Ohio Department of Development and TourismOhio launched a new webpage to highlight products made in Ohio. The Made in Ohio page lists nearly 800 companies in categories such as apparel, snack foods, coffee, décor, and furniture.
 
“We work every day to support Ohio’s business community, especially our small businesses,” said Lydia Mihalik, director of Development. “The new Made in Ohio webpage is an extension of our ‘support local’ campaign and highlights many great products made right here in Ohio.”
 
Development and TourismOhio cultivated the listings and included businesses that make or manufacture products in the state of Ohio and have a storefront and/or website where their products are sold. Listings link directly to the company website so customers can purchase the products directly from the company. For more information on how to have a company listed on the site, visit Ohio.org/MadeinOhio
Grant Programs Available to Help Businesses
Millions of dollars remain available in four new grant programs that target businesses that have suffered significant losses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
The Ohio Department of Development is administering the grants. To apply, businesses can visit the For Businesses section at InvestingInOhiosFuture.Ohio.Gov. The site includes documents for each grant program’s terms and conditions, fact sheet, and frequently asked questions.
 
The programs are:
·    Food and Beverage Establishment Grant: This program provides grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and other food and drink businesses. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ loss of revenue in 2020.
·    Lodging Grant: This program provides grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to hotels, motels, and bed and breakfast operations. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ decline in occupancy rate in 2020.
·    Entertainment Venue Grant: This program provides grants of $10,000, $20,000, or $30,000 to theaters, music venues, spectator sports venues, museums, and other entertainment venues. The amount of individual grants to eligible businesses will be determined by the business’ loss of revenue in 2020.
·    New Small Business Grant: This program provides grants of $10,000 to small businesses that were established between Jan. 1, 2020, and Dec. 31, 2020.
 
Each program requires applicants to have an OH|ID. Register at OH|ID (ohid.ohio.gov) by creating an account with a username/password. For help with the process, click here.