Guide for Minnesota Small Businesses Who Need Help

March 31, 2020 | Economic DevelopmentOver the past few weeks, several state and federal programs have been built to assist small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Different programs make sense for different businesses, so we’re providing this summary guide to help small businesses quickly see which programs might be right for their situation.
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SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) – all Minnesota small businesses should apply for these!

• Summary of Program: Low interest, long term Economic Injury Disaster Loans for up to $2 million: The first payment is deferred for 12 months. The application has been simplified and can be completed 100% online through our improved web portal at www.sba.gov/disaster. These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75% and the loans can be extended over 30 years. 
  
  
• Why this might make sense for you: The SBA EIDL can be used to maintain payroll, provide paid sick leave, meet increased costs, make rent or mortgage payments, as well as repay unmet expenses and obligations.
  
  
• SBA EIDL Grants - Businesses applying for an EIDL loan can request up to $10,000 be disbursed immediately. The amount need not be repaid, regardless of the loan decision. The form to apply for an advance is part of the new EIDL application. If you have already applied for an EIDL Loan and wish to apply for the advance, please fill out the new, streamlined application.

• Why this might make sense to you: This advance may be available even if your EIDL application was declined or is still pending, and will be forgiven.

• If you need assistance with applying for the SBA EIDL loan or requesting the related grant – see the SBA District website for trainings or call an SBDC center.

SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)

• Summary of Program: The SBA PPP is a new federal $350 billion loan program at SBA for small businesses, self-employed people, and gig workers to help them from going under due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If employers maintain payroll, the loans would be forgiven.

• Why this might make sense for you: If a self-employed person needs compensation or a business or nonprofit needs funds for employee compensation, including: salaries, wages, commissions, or similar compensation; cash tips or equivalents; vacation, parental, family, medical, or sick leave; payment required for providing group health care benefits (including insurance premiums); payment of retirement benefits; and payroll taxes. Funding may also be used for payment of interest on mortgage obligations, rent, utilities, and interest on pre-existing debt obligations

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program

• Summary of Program: Congress authorized a new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program that covers those who do not qualify for regular Unemployment Insurance benefits, such as independent contractors and self-employed people. The program was authorized but must be created by the states, so Minnesota must build out this program before it can be implemented. More information will be available soon, however it could be several weeks before payments begin.
  
  
• Why this might make sense for you: If you are an independent contractor or self-employed person who would not typically be eligible for unemployment benefits, but you have lost income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Minnesota Small Business Emergency Loan Program

• Summary of Program: Minnesota Small Business Emergency Loans are made through an approved lender – you can find FAQs, application materials and lenders on the DEED website. These loans are for $2,500 to $35,000 and at a 0% interest rate. There is a total of $30 million available for this program.

• Why this might make sense for you: If you are affected by Executive Orders 20-04 and 20-08, this program could provide a 0% loan to help you meet expenses.

Minnesota Small Business Loan Guarantee Program

• Summary of Program: This program provides a 80% loan guarantee for loans up to $250,000 made by a qualified economic development lender within this program. Details for business are not yet on DEED’s website but DEED and agency partners are reaching out to lenders to make them aware of this new program – look for more details soon. This program is intended to incent the private market to make loans to small businesses and provides the guarantee for those loan dollars. The state is providing a loan guarantee of $10 million which is likely to leverage between $20 and $25 million in lending by private banks.

• Why this might make sense for you: Your lender will consider your situation and may require this guarantee in order to lend money to your business.

Unemployment Insurance Shared Work Program

• Summary of Program: The Shared Work program offers an alternative to layoffs for employers facing a temporary downturn in business. Administered by DEED’s Unemployment Insurance Division, the program allows employers to divide available hours of work among a group of employees instead of implementing a full layoff. These employees may then receive partial unemployment insurance benefits while working reduced hours. The purpose of Shared Work is to avoid a layoff, not to subsidize wages.

• Why this might make sense for you: Shared Work can help employers avoid the difficulties that can go along with a layoff. If employees keep working during a temporary slowdown, employers can more quickly gear up when business conditions improve. Learn more about the Shared Work Program on our Unemployment Insurance Division's website

So given these options, where should you start?1. First, we recommend is contacting your insurance company. You may have access to benefits you’ve paid into through your policy that could be helpful during this time.
2. Next, call your bank. Your banker will have advice for you on:

• Their own resources
• Any SBA programs they have access to
• They may refer you to local lending programs such as those available through non-profits (like the Small Business Emergency Loan Program) or loan programs available in certain cities or counties across Minnesota

3. If you’ve been denied credit by a bank or the SBA, you should call any of the approved lenders for the Small Business Emergency Loan Program that serve your geography.
4. If you do not use a bank and/or do not have insurance on your business:

• You can call any of DEED approved lenders for the Small Business Emergency Loan Program for possible access to the program and other resources available through our lending partners.
• You may also call a lender in the Small Business Loan Guarantee program, when those lenders are identified. Please note that these lenders are likely banks or local development organizations who have underwriting criteria.
• You could call your city or county to see if they have a revolving loan fund that is available to your business. Please note that not many cities in the metro area have these revolving loan funds and those that do will have underwriting criteria.

Visit the COVID-19 Information for Employers and Businesses page on the DEED website for more resources related to business assistance, Unemployment Insurance and FAQs.

Permalink: http://mn.gov/deed/newscenter/press-releases/index.jsp?id=1045-425890
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12 Uniquely Simple Ideas to Spread Some Holiday Cheer (Taken from: becomingminimalist.com)
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1. Handwrite a letter. The handwritten letter has become a lost art in our world. During the holiday season, the handwritten letter has been replaced by the mass produced-family-photo-card-purchased-on-Shutterfly. And in a world where handwritten letters have been forgotten, their uniqueness and value increases dramatically. So find yourself 10 minutes, a stamp, and an envelope. Choose an old friend with a current street address and put some of your thoughts of appreciation on paper. You’ll be glad you did. And it will be the best piece of mail your friend receives this holiday season.
2. FaceTime/Skype an old friend. Technology has entirely changed our lives. In my lifetime alone, the idea of video conferencing with a friend has gone from far-fetched science fiction to cultural norm. Use it to your advantage by connecting face-to-face with an old friend or a friend halfway around the world. It doesn’t need to be too long, just lengthy enough to wish them a happy holiday and maybe compare how much the children have grown.
3. Buy coffee for a stranger. Next time you roll through the drive-thru of your local coffee shop, offer to pay for yourself and the person behind you (if they have already ordered, the cashier should have their bill handy). Or better yet, a little trick I learned from a friend is to leave a $20 bill with the cashier after you pay and ask him/her to pay for the following customers until the $20 runs out. Either way, coupled with their favorite beverage, this pleasant surprise is guaranteed to brighten someone’s day.
4. Smile and joke with your next cashier. The hustle and bustle and stress-filled shopping days leading up to Christmas results in plenty of customer-frustration. Parking lots are crowded, shelves are empty, aisles are full, and check-out lines are long. During these days in retail, even the simplest of smiles from a customer is too rare and fleeting. Next time you reach the front of the check-out line, make the most of your interaction by smiling, engaging, and flashing a little humor.
5. Leave a nice tip. Rare is the waiter or waitress getting wealthy at their job serving food to patrons. Most of the servers I know are working the shift just trying to make the ends meet for themselves and their family. An extra $20 added to their nightly tip will certainly bring some extra holiday cheer—especially during a busy time of the year when they’d rather be home with their family.
6. Buy movie tickets for a family in your neighborhood. Know somebody on your block who has fallen into some difficult financial times? How ’bout putting some movie gift cards in an envelope and leaving it on their doorstep? Time with family is always good. And some holiday entertainment may be just the distraction they need to experience a little extra cheer.
7. Ask your religious friend about the story behind the season. Christians, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims, and other religions all celebrate important dates and remembrances during the month of December. The next time you are at a holiday party, ask your spiritual friend the story behind their religion’s celebration. Almost certainly, their eyes will light up that somebody expressed interest in something so important to them. And whether you choose to believe the story or not, you will become better informed about another culture’s understanding of the season. Win-win.
8. Invite someone over for dinner. For any number of reasons, there are many people alone during the holidays. If you know someone alone this season, open your house to them for a meal. Rather than infringing on your holiday traditions, it may just become one of your favorites.
9. Send a gift of food/coffee. There are countless inexpensive, clutter-free gift ideas that can be shipped nearly anywhere in the world. With minimal expense and just a few mouse clicks, you can easily send an edible gift to show someone your appreciation for them. For example, a good friend just gifted me a membership to Mistobox. Needless to say, its arrival is virtually guaranteed to spread some holiday cheer into my coffee mug.
10. Shovel your neighbor’s driveway. I learned it from my dad years ago. Now granted, with the prevalence of snowblowers nowadays, this early morning surprise may be a little less appreciated than in years past. But if you can bring a little cheer to your neighbor’s face on a cold, snowy morning during the holiday season, your good deed will not go unnoticed—and will likely get mentioned by the recipient as soon as they arrive at work. And when it does, it will sound something like this, “You’ll never guess what my neighbor did for me this morning…”
11. Bring in a warm breakfast for your office. Doughnuts are great. I mean, everybody loves the guy who brings in doughnuts. But to take it even one step further this holiday season, bring in something warm for your officemates to eat. If the timing is right, you can bring in something homemade. But I once had a boss unexpectedly bring in 25 various breakfast sandwiches from McDonalds and place them on the counter for the office staff. Certainly, it cost him a lot more than a dozen doughnuts. But I still talk about those breakfast sandwiches even 5 years later.
12. Go ahead, sing along. Whether in your car, in the office, or in the store, you know the songs. They get played every year. And quite frankly, some of them are pretty darn catchy. So go ahead, sing along when you get the chance. It’ll brighten your mood and almost certainly the mood of the person next to you as well. Even if singing isn’t your strongest talent, you can always hum along. Remember, cheerfulness is contagious.
We probably can’t change the entire world with these simple ideas. But we can still intentionally seek to add life and cheer to the people around us. And as a result, make this season a little more wonderful.

​Good Afternoon!
 
My name is Sarah and I work with the show American Pickers on the History Channel. I just left you a voicemail and as promised, here is some more information! Our show is excited to be coming back to Minnesota this coming October and we're looking for leads throughout the state, specifically interesting characters with interesting items and lots of them! We would love to spread the word in your area! The way we find people and collections for our show is through spreading the word far and wide so that people know we’re coming to town.
 
In case you’re able to share this for us, I'm attaching a brief synopsis of the show, as well as a flyer and some photos that you are welcome to share. Please keep in mind, we are looking for different, unusual, and unique items too – something we’ve never seen before and with an interesting story!
 
Feel free to share this with your community, with individuals, social media, etc. Please make sure people who are interested reach out to us on our phone number 1-855-OLD-RUST (653-7878), or our email, which is [email protected].
 
We also have Facebook: @GOTAPICK and you can share our Facebook post by clicking here.                                                                                                
Also, please note that Mike and Frank only pick private collections so NO stores, malls, flea markets, museums, auctions, businesses or anything open to the public. 
 
Please let me know if you’re able to share for us! If you are able to announce this throughout the month of September that would be amazing! My contact info is below, don't hesitate to call me with any questions. Thank you so much for your time and help!
 
Best,
Sarah Perkins
Casting Associate
Cineflix  | cineflix.com 
T: 646 561 8390  
55 Broad Street, 21st Floor
New York, NY, 10004, USA

                                          Excerpt taken from www.history.com​






St. Patrick’s Day takes place each year on March 17, the traditional religious feast day of Saint Patrick.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration

• Corned beef and cabbage is a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dish. 
• Irish soda bread gets its name and distinctive character from the use of baking soda rather than yeast as a leavening agent.
• Lime green chrysanthemums are often requested for St. Patrick’s Day parades and celebrations.
  
  

St. Patrick’s Day Parade

• The first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place in the United States on March 17, 1762, when Irish soldiers serving in the English military marched through New York City.
• More than 100 St. Patrick’s Day parades are held across the United States. New York City and Boston are home to the largest celebrations.
• At the annual New York City St. Patrick’s Day parade, participants march up 5th Avenue from 44th Street to 86th Street. Each year, between 150,000 and 250,000 marchers take part in the parade, which does not allow automobiles or floats.
  
  

Places to Spend St. Patrick’s Day

• There are seven places in the United States named after the shamrock, the floral emblem of Ireland including Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock, Texas; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; and Shamrock, Oklahoma.
• Sixteen U.S. places share the name of Ireland’s capital, Dublin. With 44,541 residents, Dublin, California, is the largest of the nice, followed by Dublin, Ohio, with 39,310.
• Other towns with the luck of the Irish include Emerald Isle, North Carolina and Irishtown, Illinois.

2019 CALENDAR OF EVENTS

February: 
9th: Festival of the Falling Snowflakes – Dog Sled races, Chili cook off, bonfire (Saturday)
 
April: 
13th:  Easter Festivities @ Library: Easter bunny, egg hunt (Saturday)
 
May:
TBD:  First National Bank – Plant Day (Friday)
26th:  Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast (Sunday)
 
June: 
TBD: Garden Club’s annual perennial flower sale (Saturday)
15th: Library Open House & book sale (Saturday)
 
July:             
5th & 6th: Bigfoot days: Pancake Breakfast, Family Picnic, Bingo, BBQ Contest, 5K run and more!

​August: 
9th & 10th:  Remer's 72nd Annual Harvest Festival: TBD
 
September:   
1st:   Fireman’s Pancake Breakfast (Sunday)
12th-28th:   Fall has it all. 
14th& 15th:  Bigfoot Music Festival (Saturday & Sunday)
14th: Library – Author talk & book sale 
 
October:   
6th:  Fireman’s Annual “Outdoorsman Night” (Saturday)   
15th:  Annual Chamber Dinner (Tuesday) 
31st : Haunted House
31st : Trunk or Treat – School parking lot (Thursday)
 
November: 
34th : Turkey Bingo (Sunday)
 
December: 
TBD:   First National Bank Christmas Open House (Friday)
7th:   Santa comes to the Library (Saturday)
13th: Christmas Crawl (Friday)
17th: Chamber's Christmas potluck & monthly meeting