The Highlights

• REOPENED PPP, EIDL, and Other Help for Small Businesses
• Small Business Quarantined Employee Grant
• Millcreek City Hall Planning Open House 
• Finding Inspiration: Utah Small Businesses that Pivoted, Reinvented, & Persevered to Weather the Pandemic
• Are Your Employees Wearing Their Mask Correctly?
• Call for Donations!
• #LoveYourWatershed-Win Prizes!
• Taking on Cleanup?
• Feature Your Business on the Millcreek Business Council Instagram
• Apply to be the Next Millcreek Business Council Business of the Month
• Business Resources

  ---

REOPENED PPP, EIDL, and Other Help for Small Businesses

With the passage of the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits and Venues Act the SBA has reopened the original Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan on January 11. If you already received the first PPP loan, and have spent it all on qualifying expenses, you can apply for the PPP round 2. 

Requirements for the PPP Round 2

"The brand new “Second Draw” program is for small businesses, non-profits, sole proprietors, and independent contractors who have exhausted their initial PPP loan. The program will make new loans through March 31, 2021 or until the new funding is exhausted. 

Eligibility: You are eligible for a second draw loan if you have exhausted your first PPP loan and  

1. you have no more than 300 employees, and  
2. you have experienced a greater than 25% reduction in gross receipts during the first, second, third, or fourth quarter in 2020 relative to the same quarter in 2019. 

Entities with significant ties to China are ineligible for a second draw loan. 

Loan Amount: The maximum loan amount is the average monthly payroll costs for the entity during the 12 months prior to the loan or, at the election of the borrower, 2019 multiplied by 2.5 (or 3.5 for employers in the accommodation and food service industry). 
Seasonal employers utilize average monthly payroll costs for a 12-week period between February 15, 2019 and February 15, 2020.  

A loan may not exceed $2 million." Read more from the US Chamber of Commerce here.  

Utah Business Webinar on the Second PPP Loan:

Monday, January 11^th – 5:00 p.m.  Join Dan Hemmert from GOED, Miles Hansen from World Trade Center Utah and Small Business Administration reps Marla Trollan and John Gygi for a webinar to talk about PPP (round two) and other new stimulus programs. You can watch the webinar on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessutah or YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Ombh9mGzeKq_KzKyA1oeA.  

Small Business Quarantined Employee Grant

The $2 million Small Business Quarantined Employee Grant uses federal CARES Act funds as part of Utah’s response to the coronavirus pandemic. It provides reimbursement to small business employers who pay employees to stay home during quarantine or isolation for a maximum of 40 hours per week for a period of up to two calendar weeks.

One of the easiest ways to protect a business as well as slow the spread of COVID-19 is to ask sick employees to stay home. Many employees are nervous to take time off if they are sick for fear of losing their job or income while they get better. Employees may also hesitate to tell their employer if someone in their home has tested positive for COVID-19 or if they have come in close contact with someone who has tested positive.

This grant will help make that choice easier by allowing employers with less than 50 employees to continue to pay quarantined or isolated employees and then be reimbursed through the grant.

To be eligible businesses must have:

• Less than 50 employees in Utah.
• One or more employees receiving notice that the employee must quarantine or isolate due to positive COVID-19 test or exposure to someone who has tested positive.
• Continued to pay out regular wages to an employee(s) while the employee was in quarantine/isolation.

To apply go to: https://laborcommission.utah.gov/small-business-quarantined-employee-grant/

Millcreek City Hall Planning Open House

Finding Inspiration: Utah Small Businesses That Pivoted, Reinvented, & Persevered to Weather The Pandemic 

The past year was brutal for many Utah small businesses. While some small businesses sadly ceased to exist, many businesses made it through, and some have even thrived against all odds. How did they do it? What made the difference? What can we learn from these businesses to apply to our own businesses in 2021?

We invite you to lunch and learn with us for the first Wasatch Business Series event of 2021. Register now for “Finding Inspiration: Utah Small Business that Pivoted, Reinvented, & Persevered to Weather the Pandemic ”
T
his collaborative virtual event will held via Zoom on Thursday, January 21st, 2021 from 12:00pm-1:30pm.

You’ll hear from local business owners that have saved and even grown their businesses by:

• Pivoting to a new business model
• Introducing a new product line/service
• Partnering/joining forces with another business
• Investing in new infrastructure/methods to deliver products and services
• Perseverance and savvy maneuvering

• Emily Potts, General Manager - Sugar House Coffee
• Ezralea Robbins, Owner - Mountainside Spa
• Jill Johnson, Owner & CEO - The Paint Mixer
• Brian McOmie, Owner - Your Favorite Bartender Co.
• Jim Herrin, Director - Salt Lake Region Small Business Development Center

• Utah Independent Business Coalition
• Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce
• Holladay Chamber of Commerce
• Sugar House Chamber of Commerce
• South Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce
• Millcreek Business Council
• Murray Area Chamber of Commerce
• Cottonwood Heights Business Association

Are Your Employees Wearing Their Mask Correctly?

Many businesses are doing a fantastic job in implementing and following CDC COVID -19 procedures. However, some employees and customers at these businesses are not wearing their masks correctly. Millcreek has had several calls regarding employees and customers, particularly teens, who are not wearing their masks correctly at work or when patronizing a business. One complaint stated that the employee was wearing a crocheted mask, which doesn't protect the employee or those around the employee. 

Please, take a moment to review proper mask protocol with your employees as they set the example for customers. We are all in this together! 

Business Resources 

Millcreek Business Resources Page:

Click here Business Resources for COVID-19 or copy and paste the link below to learn more about business resources for COVID-19. 

https://millcreek.us/394/COVID-19-Business-Resources