OCEAN CITY BUSINESSES APPROVED FOR RECOVERY GRANTS AND LOANS
Trenton, NJ – As a result of the state’s ongoing commitment to support small businesses impacted by Superstorm Sandy, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) today announced the recent approval of Stronger NJ Business Grants to several Ocean City businesses, including Johnnie B. Goode Ice Cream Parlor, Ireland Imports, Cousin’s Restaurant, The Bookateria Two, and DeLanzo Chiropractic Center.
To date, the EDA has approved over $1.2 million in grants to 28 businesses in Ocean City.
“We are very pleased to extend this support to impacted businesses in Ocean City and, we remain committed to getting help to all eligible businesses that have applied for Stronger NJ Business Grants and Loans,” said EDA Chief Executive Officer Michele Brown. “As part of this effort, EDA was in Ocean City today to help businesses finalize their applications and move the process forward.”
The EDA is inviting applicants to one-on-one meetings with business advisors in their respective communities to assist impacted businesses with the completion of their applications. This will help expedite the process and ensure that additional burdens are not placed on the businesses. The EDA expects to hold workshops twice per week throughout May and into June.
Applicants are contacted via telephone prior to the workshops to schedule appointments and are informed of any documentation or information needed to complete their application. Since last week, workshops have been held in Seaside Heights, Beach Haven, Sea Bright and Ocean City. Additional workshops are being scheduled in towns where a need is identified.
To date, over 470 impacted businesses in New Jersey have been approved for grants and loans totaling more than $50 million. Additionally, the EDA has recommended the approval of eleven municipalities for $10 million in Streetscape grants under the Stronger NJ Neighborhood and Community Revitalization (NCR) program, and provided $2.5 million in grants to five Community Development Financial Institutions offering recovery loans to Sandy-impacted small businesses.
The Stronger NJ programs are funded through New Jersey’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocation from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Similar to other Sandy relief grant programs, there are strict federal eligibility requirements to which the EDA and applicants must comply.
For more information on the Stronger NJ Business programs, visit http://application.njeda.com/strongernjbusiness or call EDA’s Sandy hotline at 1-855-SANDY-BZ (1-855-726-3929).
