HCC – July 2020 Newsletter

Wednesday,

July 8, 2020

11:30 AM- 1:00 PM CDT

Learn how to prepare successful bid estimates and proposals for large commercial and institutional construction projects.

Project Managers and Pre-Construction professionals from the Walsh Group and Archer Western Construction, who take hundreds of bids a year from all construction trades, will show you how to:

Webinar Series

Grow With Google

Thursday,

July 9 & 16, 2020

11:00 AM- 12:00 PM CDT

SMALL BUSINESS & ENTREPRENEUR HIGHLIGHT

Common Cookery is a curated digital marketplace that connects diaspora eaters to featured specialty restaurants and food creatives, who provide family-style and individual meal prep options for easy scheduling and pickup. This innovative small business in Houston, is co-founded by Moses Iku, and is based on a unique philosophy that describes food as a journey. Their goal is to help every foodie in Houston to enjoy culinary delights from across the globe. Their mission is to spotlight local restaurants who specialize in a diverse international menu and create a marketplace for all of us to learn about different cultures through food.

What makes them different from DoorDash, UberEats or any other food delivery service? They are not only a digital platform for food delivery, but also have an innovative business model where they have created cloud kitchens in Houston. These cloud kitchens allow chefs with diverse culinary backgrounds to use the kitchens to create and prepare their menus. This also allows for the restaurants to avoid the enormous costs of running brick and mortar restaurants, and that want to expand to other locations around the city.

The reason they have chosen to establish this business is to elevate rich but under represented cultures of food by providing an ecosystem for creators of international cuisine to connect to new markets where foodies can experience international delights and thrive.

To learn more about their startup, please visit them: www.commoncookery.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/common-cookery

IG: @commoncookery

Twitter: @CommonCookery

Bon Appetit!

Los seminarios web en español

6 de Julio – 10 de Julio:

Descripción general del programa PPP y EIDL de SBA

7 de Julio – 11am

Or join by phone:

US: +1 346 248 7799 or +1 253 215 8782

Perdón de préstamo PPP

Este seminario los guiará a través del

proceso de solicitar el perdón del préstamo PPP.

9 de Julio – 11am

Meeting ID: 986 7281 7679

One tap mobile

+13462487799

98672817679# US (Houston)

Conozca los recursos de la SBA en Houston!-

Conozca qué servicios y programas están disponibles

a través de la Administración de Pequeñas Empresas.

10 de Julio – 11:00am CDT

Meeting ID: 973 5747 7638

One tap mobile

+12532158782

97357477638# US

The $30 Million Grant Program to Assist Small Businesses Impacted by COVID-19 Program will launch July 13, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. and will remain open for ten (10) days, thru July 22, 2020. More detailed information regarding eligibility requirements, how to access the application online and over the phone, and what residents will need to prepare for the application, will be released in the coming week. Below is their press release:

Harris County, Texas – June 30, 2020, County Judge Lina Hidalgo and each of the Harris County commissioners voted unanimously to approve the Small Business Recovery Fund (SBRF) program, a $30,000,000 grant program established to assist struggling small businesses who have been unable to obtain financial assistance from other COVID-19 relief programs.

The program will provide eligible businesses a grant of up to $25,000 to help cover payroll costs, rent, accounts payable and other operating expenses. The SBRF targets businesses with 30 or fewer employees and is designed to assist the most vulnerable Harris County small- and micro-enterprises impacted by the pandemic with mounting financial burdens.

“The impact of this crisis on small businesses has been devastating. We can’t afford to lose a source of jobs, innovation and the enterprising spirit our region is known for,” Judge Hidalgo said. “These grants will help business owners stay afloat as Harris County continues to fight the COVID-19 crisis.”

The Program will launch July 13, 2020, at 8:00 a.m. and will remain open for ten (10) days, thru July 22, 2020. More detailed information regarding eligibility requirements, how to access the application online and over the phone, and what residents will need to prepare for the application, will be released in the coming week.

“As the overwhelming demand for the forgivable loan program that I championed shows, far too many of our small businesses are struggling in a big way right now. Small businesses are the lifeblood of our economy and have historically lifted up our community,” said Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia. “As we face some of the most difficult challenges in a generation, it’s time for county government to continue our support of local small businesses. I thank my fellow commissioners for voting in favor of the $30 million fund, and I have confidence that HBDI will do an excellent job with the expedient and efficient administration of these funds. Small businesses truly are the backbone of our economy, and this program shows that we have their backs!

Earlier in March, Harris County provided $10 million under a small business relief program (LEAP) which was able to provide assistance to approximately 400 small businesses. With nearly 500,000 businesses located in Harris County, the SBRF represents an effort to provide additional funding to a broader range of businesses suffering from the devastating impact of the novel coronavirus. Priority will be given to applicants that have not received prior assistance from the federally funded PPP Loan Program or other COVID-19 small business relief programs, including the Harris County LEAP program.

“The effects of COVID-19 on our friends and neighbors throughout Harris County are immense and widespread – on our health, our families, our medical community and our economy,” said Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Jack Cagle. “Harris County’s response to this pandemic must recognize the need to address all these issues. With federal funding from the CARES Act, the Small Business Relief Fund is designed to help alleviate some of the stresses on small businesses throughout Harris County. I encourage those eligible to take advantage of this program.”

A local Community Development Financial Institution, Houston Business Development, Inc., which specializes in administering government funded small business lending programs, will work closely with the county in launching and administering the SBRF program.

“Helping small businesses survive the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic directly helps the working men and women employed by those small businesses,” said Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis. “The need in our region is immense, but we will support as many of our vulnerable businesses as possible, fairly and transparently, so that the thousands of families who rely on small businesses continue to have the ability to pay their rent, feed their families, and make ends meet.”

Those in need of immediate assistance are encouraged to call 211 Texas/United Way helpline to find an organization in your geographic region that can serve you.

The HCC Foundation team are also fervently working to provide financial support to address our students’ emerging needs; therefore, they’ve created a grant of $50,000 to HCC’s Swoop to the Rescue Student Emergency Fund.

This fund is designed to provide a stopgap source of financial support to help students avoid dropping out due to unexpected financial barriers. Swoop to the Rescue provides one-time grants to help students with urgent requests related to issues such as healthcare, childcare, housing, and transportation. Undoubtedly, this fund will be critical to our economically vulnerable students and will need to be replenished in the coming weeks and months. See more details here.

At the same time, the Foundation’s Board of Directors broadened scholarship restrictions to allow current-year awards to pay for tuition, fees, and supplies (rather than books). Scholarships can now be used to fund laptop purchases and internet access.

The Foundation Board also authorized that additional awards can be made to our current year scholarship students of up to $1,000 to make those purchases if needed.