July News from the Franklin County CDC

Greetings from the Franklin County CDC

Hello, Franklin County CDC Community!

If you are new to our newsletter, welcome!

The Franklin County CDC ended our fiscal year on June 30, and it was a busy one.

We made more loans than ever before to local ventures, and thanks to funding from the state, we were able to continue making small but meaningful grants to businesses. We provided business assistance to hundreds of businesses, and the Western Mass Food Processing Center continued to produce unique and delicious products for about 60 food businesses.

Throughout the year, we continued to change how we did things and who we served, based on our heightened focus on equity and racial justice.

Looking ahead, we are excited about the Racial Justice Reflective Journey program (see information below), the doubling of the Pioneer Valley Grows Investment Fund (from $2.5 million to $5 million), and continuing to serve the needs of small businesses throughout western Massachusetts. In the wake of weather emergencies, we are working with regional nonprofits, state agencies, and philanthropic organizations to deliver relief to farms (see more below).

We are extremely grateful to all our donors and are humbled that you trust in us, as together we provide opportunities for entrepreneurs, strengthen our local businesses, and improve our regional economy.

Sincerely,

John Waite

Executive Director

Weather Disaster Resources Available

The photos and video of flooded fields and washed out roads since July 10 have been heart-rending. For each photo we see, we know people's lives have been upended. But there are resources available for those impacted by these floods and by earlier weather events. The landscape of available resources is changing rapidly.

Yesterday, the Franklin County CDC participated in a statewide meeting with state officials and private philanthropists. A special fund is being developed to get grants out farms that had losses. More information will be available soon for people that want to donate, and for people that want to apply for the funds.

In the meantime, here are some other resources.

CISA (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture), in partnership with the Franklin County CDC and the Pioneer Valley Grows Investment Fund, is reopening its revolving Emergency Farm Fund to aid local farms affected by a series of weather disasters: the two separate freezes that damaged peach, blueberry, and other fruit crops, and the recent flooding that has caused severe crop losses throughout the region.

The Fund, established in response to Tropical Storm Irene in 2011, is managed by CISA, and loans are administered jointly by CISA and the Franklin County CDC. The Loan Review Committee includes people with a variety of agricultural backgrounds, including farmers, CISA and FCCDC staff, and representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources, and Equity Trust.

Find information and apply for zero-interest loans up to $25,000 at CISA's website.

See the resources from the agriculture agencies of Massachusetts and Vermont for flood-impacted farms.

CISA also has a comprehensive list of resources for farmers, plus links to individual farm fundraising pages, as does Myers Produce's Instagram bio.

If your business has been impacted by flooding and you are not a farm, we are here to support you. If your cashflow has been affected and you need financing, we can help. Please be in touch.

Photo in header of Bar-Way Farm in Deerfield is by Paul Franz and appeared in the Greenfield Recorder.

Wrapping Up the

Wholesale Readiness Program

Earlier this year, we wrapped up our first ever Wholesale Readiness Program, a new program for food entrepreneurs who are growing their specialty food businesses and increasing sales to stores around the region. The program was partially funded by a Local Food Promotion Program Grant from the USDA's Agriculture Marketing Service.

This first cohort included 23 business owners from around New England, including makers of naturally fermented kombucha, raw milk cheeses, fire cider, wing sauce, biscotti, plant-based cheese, Indian meal kits and so much more!

Participants were introduced to a variety of industry experts and mentors to discuss relevant topics, including marketing, cost of goods analysis and pricing, and building relationships with stores buyers. We concluded our 3-month program with a visit to the Worcester Public Market to visit with Tina Zlody, Director of the Market Pantry, and to share some beers and good food at the Wachusett Brew Yard. We can't wait to see what the coming year brings for these incredible entrepreneurs!

Photos by Kate Minifie, Food Entrepreneurship Program Manager

Pitch Contest Drives Entrepreneurship

Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center was packed with supporters of nine entrepreneurs in three categories for the final Take the Floor Pitch Contest in late June. The winner in each category won $3,000 from Franklin First Federal Credit Union to move their idea to the next level.

Creative Champion:

Augustine Lilly, Pixxie & Co. (center)

Food/Beverage/Agriculture Champion:

Nalini Goodial, Kitchen Wizardry (left)

Small Business Champion:

Eli Vaillancourt, Filthy Kicks (right)

The Franklin County CDC's Kate Minifie was a judge on the panel with Common Capital's Raymond Lanza-Weil, Franklin County Chamber of Commerce's Jessye Deane, and Linda Goodnow from M&T Bank.

Big kudos and gratitude to Franklin County CDC Board Member Max Fripp for his jovial hosting and for organizing this important event!

Thank you to all who donated!

Thanks to you, we met our fiscal year's fundraising goal!

That means more entrepreneurs and business owners have the support they need to start or grow!

Every day we are working to ensure entrepreneurs have what they need to keep our shared economy strong. You are our partner in this. Thank you to everyone who made a donation.

If you didn't make a donation, but would like to, it's not too late! Click the button below to give securely online, or send a check to 324 Wells Street, Greenfield, MA 01301.

Did you know? When you make a donation of $1,000 or more, you receive 50% of your gift back as a tax credit through the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program. It's the state's way of supporting the work Community Development Corporations do for our region. Learn more about the CITC at the MACDC website—and donate below!

Email John Waite or Kate Lawless for details.

Donate securely here

Revealing the

Racial Justice Reflective Journey

We invite you to join us on August 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. at Greenfield Community College's Dining Room as we reveal the Racial Justice Reflective Journey, a program that aims to personalize race in a professional space. The Franklin County CDC developed the Reflective Journey to guide businesses through a process that informs and invites reflection about how race plays out at work and helps employers begin a conversation in an accepting way. The event features the Performance Project’s First Generation Ensemble. All are welcome!

We're Growing—and Hiring!

The Franklin County CDC is growing! Please share these job opportunities with your network! They are also listed on our website for ease of sharing.

Business Assistance Manager

Are you an experienced business advisor who wants to make a difference in western Massachusetts by working directly with entrepreneurs to help start, stabilize, and grow their ventures?

Read the full job description with instructions on how to apply.

Community Lending Assistant

We are looking for an individual interested in supporting small businesses and community lending. The Community Lending Assistant is a part-time position (22.5/week) to support the Lending Program to ensure positive experiences for borrowers. This is a wonderful opportunity for someone interested in Community Economic Development.

See our full job description with instructions on how to apply.

Business West Article

Calls Out Franklin County

Business West shined a spotlight on Franklin County in a June article, Franklin County Thrives Through Connection. The story explores many facets of life in the county and quoted area leaders.

One quote that stood out to us is from the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Jessye Deane: "Collaboration is really the only way forward for us. I think Franklin County has always used partnership and collaboration as a special sauce, and I think that served us well during the pandemic. And part of the chamber’s job is to continue to fuel those collaborations and help make those connections.” We couldn't agree more!

In the photo above, which appears in the Business West article, are, from left, new Greenfield Business Association Director Hannah Rechtschaffen (welcome Hannah!), Franklin County CDC Executive Director John Waite, and outgoing Marketing Manager of the Franklin County Chamber of Commerce Lisa Davol.

We wish Lisa all the best in her next chapter, as she moves on after 10 years at the Chamber, and a successful career in creative placemaking and promoting arts and culture! It's been a pleasure collaborating with you, Lisa.

Client Focus: Al-Nassir International Market

At independent grocery store Al-Nassir International Market in West Springfield, you can find imported goods, homemade prepared food, home products, and—after working with the Franklin County CDC—halal meats. Halal food is food that adheres to Islamic law, as defined in the Koran.

A stroll through the aisles provides shoppers with specialty and hard-to-find options ranging from shelf-stable date syrup and rose water to refrigerated items such as the thick yogurt-cheese, labneh. Freshly baked Turkish bread was coming out of the oven on the day we visited, and bags of store-made Iraqi bread were at the cash register, the ideal impulse buy.

Major Support from Greenfield's Lending Community

The lending community in Greenfield supported the Franklin County CDC in a big way as the fiscal year closed out. We appreciate donations from Greenfield Savings Bank and Greenfield Cooperative Bank. The sustained support will be directed to giving businesses of all types, and at all stages assistance and resources to start or grow their ventures.

“We appreciate these investments in our local economy,” said Franklin County CDC Executive Director John Waite. “When small businesses have the resources they need to thrive, the whole community benefits.”

CITC Funds Available

The Healey-Driscoll administration has once again recognized the Franklin County CDC as a Community Partner. We were pleased to be awarded a 2023 allocation of Community Investment Tax Credits (CITC) in the amount of $150,000 from the Massachusetts CITC Program.

The CITC presents a wonderful opportunity for Franklin County CDC donors by providing a 50% state tax rebate for donations of $1,000 or more. Individuals, businesses, nonprofits, and out-of-state residents can all take advantage of this program. New to the program and interested learning more? Read more about the CITC.

"We are grateful to the Healy-Driscoll administration for their support of this program and their confidence in the Franklin County CDC," said John Waite, Franklin County CDC Executive Director. "This program allows donors to leverage state funds to double their impact in the communities in which they live."

Western Mass Business Resources

While Franklin County is where we're based (and, yes, it's in our name), folks are sometimes surprised to learn that we serve all of western Massachusetts, with clients from as far away as Wilbraham in Hampden County, Athol in Worcester County, and North Adams in Berkshire County.

We got to greet some of our neighbors to the west during the Small Business Resource Expo in Dalton in June, organized by 1Berkshire. It was great to meet fellow lenders and service providers, as well as business owners from this beautiful part of our Commonwealth at the very cool venue the Stationery Factory.

To top it off, Franklin County CDC Communications Director Kate Lawless participated in an experiential learning activity that involved a group game of Barrel of Monkeys with Lisa Howard from Connect First Consulting. It was harder than it looks!

Photo by Lisa Howard

Brands We ❤️

Inspired by a recipe in the August issue of Bon Appetit for jerk shrimp with pineapple salad (pictured above, right), we reached out to Vincent Augmon (pictured above, left) and and Sharmayne McQuay, the proprietors of Unk's Island Blendz Jerk Seasoning, to find out more about who they are and why they created this distinctive sauce—a "fiery blend of fruits, herbs and spices culminating over 300 years of the Caribbean Islands and West Indies unique seasoning tradition," according to their website.

Q: What brought you to this business and why are you passionate about this product?

A: Growing up in diverse community setting allowed for an early introduction to a variety of cooking traditions that nurtured an affinity for exotic sauces, herbs, and spices.

Q: How has the Western Mass Food Processing Center of the Franklin County CDC helped you?

A: It has provided us much needed services, without the overwhelming demands of big corporate policy, that allowed us to successfully launch our company and offered us multiple opportunities to gain exposure through their various local and public endeavors.

Q: What are you looking forward to in the coming six months/year?

A: Increased online presence to help increase our online sales while, at the same time, learning to avoid those social media outlets that endorse, promote, and/or disseminate negative, biased propaganda.

Q: How can people find your product?

A: They may refer themselves to either of the following outlets:

Customers may also keep abreast of local events:

Local Trade Shows
Farmers Market
Festivals

Photo of Vincent Augmon by Tricia Wancko, Director of the Massachusetts Agriculture Innovation Center

The Hot Chocolate for the Run Starts Here

The Western Mass Food Processing Center crew will once again be making hundreds of gallons of real hot cocoa with ingredients donated by local businesses for this year's Hot Chocolate Run for Safe Passage on December 3—its 20th anniversary! We are proud to be involved with this wonderful and impactful event. Stay tuned for ways you can help!

Preparing for Family Time

Food Entrepreneurship Program Manager Kate Minifie is going on parental leave at the end of July.

Supporting food entrepreneurs in her absence will be Liz Buxton, Director of Operations for the Franklin County CDC's Western Mass Food Processing Center, and Tricia Wancko, Director of the Massachusetts Agriculture Innovation Center.

We'll miss Kate while she's away and wish her and her family a smooth transition and much joy! At a recent surprise baby shower, the Western Mass Food Processing Center crew crafted a throne for Kate, and Administrative Assistant Scott LaRochelle decorated the conference room with sweet animal cut-outs and giant letter blocks. MAAIC Director Tricia Wancko created a hilarious baby-themed Mad-Lib game and wooden letter blocks to decorate. To top it off, there were Kate's favorite carrot cake cupcakes with maple frosting from Sweet Lucy's Bakeshop!

Partner Offerings

Events

Berkshire Black Economic Council

Are you a Black business owner? You may identify as Black and own a business, but that does not mean you are officially certified as a Black Minority-owned business. On Friday, July 21, from 3 to 6 p.m., the Berkshire Black Economic Council (BBEC) is partnering with MassHire and the Supplier Diversity Office of Massachusetts to host a Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Educational Workshop at the Proprietor’s Lodge in Pittsfield, MA.

Job Opportunities

Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture

CISA is hiring a Food Access Program Manager. Find out more on their website.