Town Hall – Putnam County Business Council

New York State COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program | REPLAY of the COVID-19 Vaccine & Wellness Roundtable for Employers

Sun, 13 Jun 2021 16:04:27 +0000

New York State COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program

The application portal for the $800 million New York State COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program is now open and accepting applications.

https://nysmallbusinessrecovery.com/

Governor Cuomo’s press release on the program is available here; it also highlights legislation expected to be finalized today that would exempt these grants from NYS income-based taxes. https://tinyurl.com/dhbezn57

Program requirements and application instruction are all online. Eligible small businesses are defined as:

Those with 100 or fewer employees, organized under the laws of New York State, is independently owned and operated, and not dominant in its field.
Eligible “for-profit independent arts and cultural organizations” are independently operated live-performance venues, promoters, production companies, or performance-related businesses located in New York State with 100 or fewer employees, excluding seasonal employees.

Eligibility requirements include:

Entities must have begun operation on or before March 1, 2019 and continue to be in operation as of the date of application (may be shuttered due to COVID restrictions), have to show a reduction in gross receipts of at least 25% from 2019 to 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic or compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols which resulted in business modifications, interruptions, or closures.

Show gross receipts between $25,000 and $500,000 for 2019 and 2020, and a positive net profit for 2019.

They must not have qualified for assistance programs under the federal American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 or other available federal COVID-19 economic recovery or business assistance grant programs above certain thresholds (received more than $100,000 of a PPP grant or loan).

Grant amounts range from $5,000 to $50,000 based on the entity’s annual gross receipts.

Interested businesses are urged to submit applications as soon as possible, due to limited funding. This is not a “first come, first serve” program. Instead, applications will be evaluated based on business attributes set by the legislature, and priority will be given to socially and economically disadvantaged business owners including, but not limited to, minority and women-owned business enterprises, service-disabled veteran-owned businesses, and veteran-owned businesses, or businesses located in communities that were economically distressed prior to March 1, 2020.

All program information, including a program FAQ, detailed information on application requirements, and other program information is available here. https://nysmallbusinessrecovery.com/

REGISTER for the NYS Covid-19 Small Business Recovery Grant Program – June 16, 2021 11:00 AM

Join us for a webinar on the NYS Covid-19 Small Business Recovery Grant Program!

DATE: WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 2021

TIME: 11:00 AM

REPLAY of the COVID-19 Vaccine & Wellness Roundtable for Employers

In case you missed it, here is the replay of the COVID-19 Vaccine & Wellness Roundtable for Employers presented on June 8, 2021.

If you attended, or are just watching for the first time now, we hope you will reach out to us with any questions you might have.

This presentation is hosted by Marj Ciucci, Senior Benefits Consultant with Lawley and Clare Hunter, Clinical Account Executive with Lawley-Arxcel.

Topics discussed include:

Vaccine hesitancy | CLICK HERE for Dr. Parkerson’s presentation, “What is Vaccine Confidence?” | CLICK HERE for pandemic information
An update on the COVID-19 vaccine as of June 2021 | 00.02.08
Employer strategies | 00.25.44
Employee/employer vaccine discussion | Employer strategies related to mental health | 00.47.20

VIEW webinar HERE

Please Join us for the Putnam County Business Council’s Nonprofit Committee In-person Event | June 21, 2021 7:45 AM

Wed, 09 Jun 2021 16:03:06 +0000

Please Join us for the Putnam County Business Council’s Nonprofit Committee In-person Event | June 21, 2021 7:45 AM

Join us for Putnam County Business Council’s Nonprofit Committee In-person Event!

DATE: TUESDAY, JUNE 21, 2021

TIME: 7:45 AM

REPLAY of the PCBC Legislative Priorities “Town Hall” | Paid Leave Tax Credit for Vaccines

Fri, 30 Apr 2021 16:24:32 +0000

REPLAY of the PCBC Legislative Priorities “Town Hall”

Thank you to those of you who joined us for the PCBC Legislative Priorities “Town Hall” yesterday.

For those of you who could not join us, here is your chance to view the replay

Please click the image below to view.

Paid Leave Tax Credit for Vaccines

A new federal tax credit to give employees of small and medium-sized businesses paid leave to receive a COVID-19 vaccine is now available.

As part of that effort, President Biden is calling on every employer in America to offer full pay to their employees for any time off needed to get vaccinated and for any time it takes to recover from the after-effects of vaccination. He will announce a paid leave tax credit that will offset the cost for employers with fewer than 500 employees to provide full pay for any time their employees need to get a COVID-19 vaccination or recover from that vaccination.

Employers with less than 500 employees can claim up to $511 per day & per employee to receive a vaccine.

This tax credit is a part of the $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.

Click here to read the details of the Tax Credit

Mass Vaccination Sites Now Allowing Walk-In Vaccinations for 60 Years of Age and Older

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that beginning Friday, April 23, 16 mass vaccination sites will accept walk-in appointments for individuals age 60 and older. New York State will set aside a vaccine allocation to facilitate this expanded vaccination access. There may be a wait for those opting to walk-in at some sites depending on demand. Additionally, all proof of identity and insurance information, if applicable, will be needed.

Click here to read the full guidance

Restaurant Revitalization Grant Fund Information | Re-evaluation of a Targeted EIDL Advance application

Fri, 23 Apr 2021 15:32:48 +0000

Restaurant Revitalization Grant Fund Replay and Information

The US SBA is targeting April to launch a phased rollout of the $28.6 billion Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF). The American Rescue Plan Act, P.L. 117-2, created the RRF to provide restaurants with grants – not loans – potentially equal to pandemic-related revenue losses, up to $10 million per entity, or $5 million per physical location for a certain periods during the pandemic. Restaurants and bars have been among the hardest hit businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic and this program is targeted specifically for them.

Click the video below for the replay of the Webinar held on Wednesday, April 21st.

Please Click HERE to view and download more information.

Re-evaluation of a Targeted EIDL Advance application

Effective immediately, applicants can send a request for reevaluation of a Targeted EIDL Advance application that was declined to the following email address: TargetedAdvanceReevaluation@sba.gov

Applicants should follow these instructions when requesting a reevaluation:

Send email to TargetedAdvanceReevaluation@sba.gov
Use subject line “Reevaluation Request for [insert your 10-digit application number]”
Be sure to include in the body of the email identifying information for the application including application number, business name, business address, business owner name(s), and phone number.

Important: Please also include an explanation and any documentation that addresses the reason for the decline, if available. SBA will contact applicants if additional documentation is required to complete our review.

REGISTER For The PCBC Legislative Priorities “Town Hall” – Thursday, April 29th @ 7:30AM

Thank you very much for your help and assistance in the past for your work with the Putnam County Business Council serving on the task force for “Re-opening Putnam County safely”. Your time is valuable and we appreciate your input and time.

Because of your leadership we would like to invite you to participate in the PCBCs “Legislative Priorities” Meeting. We plan to have a “town hall” style meeting sharing the input we have from our membership survey along with the legislative items we’ve identified over the last year. Attached is a draft of that document for your review. We would love your input prior to the event as well as to add to the discussion. The plan is to present the draft of priorities at the meeting and to gather feedback and additional input from our membership as well as local business owners.

We hope you find this an informative and interactive meeting that will continue the push for the success of the business community in Putnam County. Below is the registration information – we hope you can join us!

DATE: Thursday, 29th April

TIME: 07:30 AM

Please click below to REGISTER

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting

REGISTER for the Preliminary Overview of the Restaurant Revitalization Grant Fund – Wednesday April 21st @ 8:30 AM | Commercial Real Estate and The Potential Marijuana Impact

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 16:50:02 +0000

REGISTER for the Preliminary Overview of the Restaurant Revitalization Grant Fund

Join us for a Preliminary Overview of the Restaurant Revitalization Grant Fund

While the information is still early and subject to change this webinar will be looking at how and what we will likely need to prepare to apply, what sort of information will be required and how the RFF may interact with PPP (First or Second Draw) and EIDL or other programs our bars and restaurants may have utilized.

DATE: Wednesday, April 21st

TIME: 8:30 AM

Join us via Zoom or Playback on Facebook/Website

www.putnamcountybusinesscouncil.com

Click Below to Register

Commercial Real Estate and The Potential Marijuana Impact

According to the National Association of Realtors the demand for industrial space and land will remain strong compared to other types of properties. The trends of working from home, the want and need to get outdoors and have a place to breathe, and the continuing expansion of E-Commerce will continue to be the primary drivers of the commercial real estate market. Multi-family dwellings are still in demand even with investors worried about the ability of renters to pay rent. Hospitality and lodging will continue to suffer until the Vaccine starts to make a difference, travel increases, and in-person business begins to resume.

The legalization of Marijuana will be an interesting development for The commercial Real Estate industry. Another recent survey by the National Association of Realtors indicates that “states where medical and recreational marijuana have been legalized for more than three years have seen more increases in demand for commercial properties.” As the NAR report indicates, 42% of those states have seen an increase in demand for warehouses while managing a 27% increase in demand for storefronts and a 21% increase in demand for land.

Many fear the Impact on the residential community as a whole. Years after the legalization of marijuana in California, that same NAR report found that ”60% of Realtors reported no change in property values while 8% reported a slight increase, and 4% reported a significant increase. Between 8-27% of members polled did see a decrease in residential property values near dispensaries, but these results do not comprise the majority opinion.” While property value and demand are only one way to measure the impact of the legalization of marijuana on a community, it seems to be an important one.

A very interesting move by New York State is allowing the municipalities instead of the county to decide if the Town/Village/City will participate with the program. Putnam County has made it very clear that it does not support the legalization of marijuana so it will be interesting to see what the local leaders decide. New York will set a 9 percent sales tax on cannabis plus an additional 4% county and local tax. If a municipality opts in, will the county still collect its portion of the sales tax?

Jennifer Maher

Founding Chairwoman of the Putnam County Business Council

COO J. Philip Real Estate

info@putnamcountybusinesscouncil.com

REGISTER For The PCBC Legislative Priorities “Town Hall” – Thursday, April 29th @ 7:30AM

DATE: Thursday, 29th April

TIME: 07:30 AM

Please click below to REGISTER

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting

REGISTER For The PCBC Legislative Priorities “Town Hall” – Thursday, April 29th @ 8:00AM

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 16:37:39 +0000

DATE: Thursday, 29th April

TIME: 08:00 AM

Please click below to REGISTER

Breaking News – SBA Paycheck Protection Program Announce Re-Opening

Fri, 08 Jan 2021 17:18:41 +0000

Breaking News – SBA Paycheck Protection Program Announce Re-Opening

Paycheck Protection Program will be re-opening for First Draw PPP loans on Monday, January 11th for community financial institutions, such as CDFI’s, and Wednesday January 13th for Second Draw PPP loans. Other lenders will be able to accept applications at some date shortly thereafter.

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), in consultation with the U.S. Treasury Department, announced today that the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) will re-open the week of January 11 for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers. To promote access to capital, initially only community financial institutions will be able to make First Draw PPP Loans on Monday, January 11, and Second Draw PPP Loans on Wednesday, January 13. The PPP will open to all participating lenders shortly thereafter. Updated PPP guidance outlining Program changes to enhance its effectiveness and accessibility was released on January 6 in accordance with the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Non-Profits, and Venues Act.

This round of the PPP continues to prioritize millions of Americans employed by small businesses by authorizing up to $284 billion toward job retention and certain other expenses through March 31, 2021, and by allowing certain existing PPP borrowers to apply for a Second Draw PPP Loan.

“The historically successful Paycheck Protection Program served as an economic lifeline to millions of small businesses and their employees when they needed it most,” said SBA Administrator Jovita Carranza. “Today’s guidance builds on the success of the program and adapts to the changing needs of small business owners by providing targeted relief and a simpler forgiveness process to ensure their path to recovery.”

“The Paycheck Protection Program has successfully provided 5.2 million loans worth $525 billion to America’s small businesses, supporting more than 51 million jobs,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “This updated guidance enhances the PPP’s targeted relief to small businesses most impacted by COVID-19. We are committed to implementing this round of PPP quickly to continue supporting American small businesses and their workers.”

Key PPP updates include:

PPP borrowers can set their PPP loan’s covered period to be any length between 8 and 24 weeks to best meet their business needs;
PPP loans will cover additional expenses, including operations expenditures, property damage costs, supplier costs, and worker protection expenditures;
The Program’s eligibility is expanded to include 501(c)(6)s, housing cooperatives, direct marketing organizations, among other types of organizations;
The PPP provides greater flexibility for seasonal employees;
Certain existing PPP borrowers can request to modify their First Draw PPP Loan amount; and
Certain existing PPP borrowers are now eligible to apply for a Second Draw PPP Loan.

A borrower is generally eligible for a Second Draw PPP Loan if the borrower:

Previously received a First Draw PPP Loan and will or has used the full amount only for authorized uses;
Has no more than 300 employees; and
Can demonstrate at least a 25% reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.

The new guidance released includes:

PPP Guidance from SBA Administrator Carranza on Accessing Capital for Minority, Underserved, Veteran, and Women-owned Business Concerns;

Interim Final Rule on Paycheck Protection Program as Amended by Economic Aid Act;

Interim Final Rule on Second Draw PPP Loans.

For more information on SBA’s assistance to small businesses, visit sba.gov/ppp or treasury.gov/cares.

Minority, Women-Owned Businesses Get First Bid on New PPP Loans

Community lenders serving minority and women-owned businesses will have exclusive access to a new pot of Paycheck Protection Program loans for at least two days when the next round of money becomes available, according to new rules from the Small Businesses Administration.

The guidance, released late Wednesday, says the SBA will put its focus on ensuring that under-served businesses can tap the latest round of funding, including matching loan inquiries to small lenders, dedicating hours to assisting small PPP participants and getting more community development financial institutions to sign up as PPP lenders.

The guidance seeks to address several criticisms of the first rounds of PPP funding: largely that small, vulnerable businesses were unable to get assistance because larger business claimed the funds before small firms could get to it. The program had previously encouraged banks to give priority to big loans over small ones.

Click HERE to read the full article

Restaurant Recovery Fund

Restaurants can apply to the Restaurant Recovery Fund starting Monday, January 11, 2021.

To be eligible a restaurant must:

Be full-service restaurants (NAICS code 722511), or establishments engaged in providing food services and meals prepared on-premises to patrons who traditionally order and are served while seated (i.e., waiter/waitress service), including on-premises food and drinking establishments licensed through the State Liquor Authority (SLA). Establishments providing take out or grab and go food services due to COVID-19 restrictions are also eligible.
Franchises are not eligible;
Have no more than $3 million in 2019 revenue;
Be located in New York State;
Have been in operation on or before March 1, 2019;
Certify and demonstrate that they have experienced financial hardship due to COVID-19
Agree to comply with all applicable New York State and local reopening guidance and
COVID-19 health and safety policies, including the New York Forward reopening guidance and Cluster Action Initiative guidance, as well as SLA and DOH regulations.

The online grant portal may close temporarily should the number of applications exceed funding availability. If grant funding remains available due to the exclusion of ineligible applications, the online grant portal will be reopened following an announcement by the Empire State Development.

To apply, applicants will need the following required documents:

Current Government-issued photo ID for every owner of 20% or more
2019 Federal Business Tax Returns
2020 Year-to-Date Income Statement
Copy of SLA License
List and proof of eligible reimbursable COVID-19 response related expenses incurred since 9/1/2020 (If a capital expense please include receipts for equipment, labor and/or construction)

The application process opens on Monday January 11 2021

Eligibility, & Application Information Apply Here

New Legislators’ Town Hall

As we continue to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, we will begin 2021 in “virtual mode,” and we will be turning our longstanding premier network event, the 2021 Legislators’ Reception, to a New Legislators’ Town Hall.

DATE: Thursday, January 28

TIME: 2:00 to 3:00 pm

This event will be the first in a series of new legislator forums.

This January there will be a lot of new faces in the State Legislature, with fourteen newly elected Senators and thirty new Assembly members, and we are working to introduce The Business Council to these new legislators.

This is a great opportunity to speak with the individuals responsible for helping New York State recover from the coronavirus pandemic. These new lawmakers will make decisions on how to best address the state’s multiple billion dollar budget deficit and how to help businesses as they attempt to recover from a turbulent 2020.

Biden Taps Isabel Guzman to Lead Small Business Administration

President-elect Joe Biden has chosen Isabel Guzman, a California economic development official, to lead the Small Business Administration, according to people familiar with the matter.

Ms. Guzman was a senior official at the SBA during the Obama administration, serving as deputy chief of staff. In 2019, she became the director of California’s Office of the Small Business Advocate, where she helped implement a grant program for businesses affected by the pandemic.

If confirmed, Ms. Guzman would lead an agency that is best known for its loan programs to provide small firms with capital and has more recently helped businesses affected by the pandemic. Many of the agency’s loan programs rely on partnerships with banks and other financial institutions, which issue the loans and receive an SBA guarantee.

Click HERE to read the full article

Phase 3 — We Made It! | Replay of Town Hall | A Message from the Chairwoman & Additional News and Updates

Tue, 23 Jun 2020 17:29:20 +0000

Phase 3 — We Made It!

We hosted our second Virtual Town Hall this past week to give Phase 3 businesses an opportunity to air their needs and concerns about reopening. Twenty-eight businesses and community leaders joined the event to share their input with the PCBC Reopen Putnam Safely Task Force.

The vibe “in the room” was calm and productive, compared to our first Town Hall, where stress was high and confidence was low. We take this as a positive sign that the business community is settling into Reopening Putnam County Safely.

Questions regarding guidelines for fitness centers, social distancing, not for profits, as well as success stories, peppered the conversations. We hope you will take time to view the replay of the Town Hall below.

We are looking forward to supporting your continued resiliency and recovery as we move successfully from Phase 3 to Phase 4.

Message From the Chairwoman – A Business Viewpoint

Moving Forward — How the Putnam IDA has been Quietly Building the County’s Tax Base

With Phase 3 around the corner and the COVID news cycle slowing down a bit (for the moment), I thought I would switch gears. I reached out to Bill Nulk who serves on the Putnam County Industrial Development Agency Board to give us an update on the IDA. I received the whole history, which I found very interesting.

In 1987 the Putnam County Board of Supervisors requested the NY State Legislature authorize an Industrial Development Agency for Putnam County. It was authorized in July 1987. Then, in 1996, the Putnam County Industrial Development Agency (PCIDA) passed a resolution authorizing a Universal Tax Exempt Policy (UTEP), which continues to be in effect today. This UTEP, approved by the 28 taxing authorities in Putnam County, allows the various tax abatements and exemptions authorized under NYS General Municipal Law, Article 18-A

The Putnam IDA has had several successes helping to bring good, valuable businesses to Putnam County over the years. In January 2016, however, after several years of national economic difficulty, the PCIDA Board resigned due to lack of funding. In May of 2016, the Putnam Legislature, with the support of the County Executive, appointed a new Board for the IDA and they were able to return to agency compliance by September of 2017.

The current PCIDA Board consists of Chairman Bill Nulk, Steve Baranowski, Joe Downey, Serena Tamagna Hawes, Michael Karlsson and Ed Cooke.

The PCIDA “inherited” several projects from the preceding Board that needed to be completed before they could focus on new development. These projects included Ace Endico, which moved from Elmsford to Putnam; redevelopment of the Butterfield Hospital in Cold Spring; Fox Ridge Hotel in Southeast; Fryer Systems in Patterson; Materion-Broad Reach in Patterson; and Seven Sutton Place in Southeast.

In addition to the Putnam County Legislature and the County Executive, Law Department and the County run Department of Economic Development, since the return to full compliance in 2017, the PCIDA has established strong working relationships with the Putnam County Economic Development Corp., Putnam County Tourism, and the Putnam County Business Council to achieve success on the following recent projects.

Expansion of Ace Endico in Southeast.

In September 2017, PCIDA extended additional benefits for a 75,000 sq. ft. expansion to its existing 125,000 sq. ft. facility. The project retained the existing 310 jobs and promised an additional 75. Today, Ace Endico employs almost 500 people. It has also continued to prove itself as a wonderful community neighbor by increasing its food sales at the retail level and its support of local food banks during the COVID-19 crisis.

Conversion of the Fox Ridge Hotel to the Comfort Inn Hotel (in Southeast)

This project took over the failed Fox Ridge Hotel project, saving it from foreclosure. With PCIDA benefits it was able to revise the proposed project into a national franchise Comfort Inn Hotel. Unfortunately, it received its Certificate of Occupancy just five days before it had to close down in compliance with the COVID-19 PAUSE. However, they immediately offered their hospitality services to the County Health Department and the Bureau of Emergency Services to accommodate essential workers who were working around the clock. They look forward to hosting tourists and the many families that have been looking for accommodations for visiting relatives and friends.

The Gleneida Distillery (in Carmel)

The PC IDA benefits are an integral part of the $44 million project that will bring an international distiller to a long underutilized property in Carmel. It will also offer an additional benefit as tourism stops along the County Bike Path.

In the following weeks, I will be featuring the role and contributions of the Economic Development Corporation and Putnam County Tourism.

Be safe, be kind, be productive.

Jennifer Maher

Chairwoman

Putnam County Business Council

REGISTER for the next Putnam Countywide Virtual Networking Event

DATE: Thursday July, 2nd

TIME: 7 PM

As we continue to Re-Open our goal is to keep your business going and keep you engaged with fellow business professionals, exchange ideas and promote your brand without leaving the comfort of your home or office!

Meet new contacts and connect at this virtual networking reception!

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED — Register BELOW before we reach capacity!

PPP EZ Application – Step-by-Step Instructions for Maximizing PPP Loan Forgiveness REGISTER for the webinar replay

The SBA has released the new PPP Loan Forgiveness Application Form 3508EZ, which is designed to streamline PPP forgiveness for certain businesses. While applying for forgiveness may still seem overwhelming – even with this simper form – the EZ form requires fewer calculations and less documentation. Join NFIB’s weekly webinar with Beth Milito and Holly Wade as they walk through the EZ form together and answer frequently asked questions.

The new PPP loan forgiveness applications reflect changes to the PPP made by the Paycheck Protection Flexibility Act of 2020, P.L. 116-142, which became law June 5. The applications and instructions are available in the links below:

• Revised PPP Loan Forgiveness Applicatio n

• EZ PPP Loan Forgiveness Application

Register Now and we’ll email you an on-demand version!