Small businesses find support during pandemic

While the coronavirus pandemic slowed down a lot of business activity in recent months, it has not slowed small business or local efforts to help these businesses. "Small business activity for last year was really robust," said Dan Sheaffer, project specialist for Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development. The change in recent months was not in amount of activity but in the direction of the activity, he said. Also helping small businesses were revolving loans from the City of Findlay and Hancock County, federal CARES Act grants and the Small Business Development Center at Rhodes College. Hancock Regional Planning Commission administered some of the aid to businesses. "We were as busy as we ever were with small business, and COVID just added to that. Really not so much to put more on our shoulders, just took us in the office in a different direction," Sheaffer said. "We still worked on the same number of startups, actually an increase in (business) acquisitions." West End Tavern was one of the business that recently got a new owner, as did Findlay Sewing Center, on Tiffin Avenue. A few other examples of small business activity in 2020: Modcraft Brewing opened last fall on South Main Street. Baker's Café relocated from Sandusky Street to South Main Street. "These were all projects that were going on or started during COVID and trying to find a way through, providing with resources to do so," Sheaffer said. City and county revolving loan funds were extended to various small businesses. In addition, 32 federal CARES Act grants of $5,000 each were awarded to small businesses last year. "We worked with quite a few small businesses with (the) revolving loan fund," Sheaffer said. "We assisted them here in the office, doing that with (Hancock Regional Planning Commission)." Small retail stores and restaurants that had little or no e-commerce platform benefited from Findlay-Hancock County Economic Development's status as a satellite office of the Small Business Development Center at Rhodes State College. Rhodes State last fall received grant money, which then was used to help small Findlay businesses develop a more robust online presence, whether in web design or allowing a business's customers to order products or services online. "We were very happy to work with Rhodes State in doing that," Sheaffer said. Wilin: 419-427-8413 louwilin@thecourier.com