Gary L Herman
November 1, 2021 – The Alexander County Economic Development Corporation (ACEDC) was recently awarded a $25,000 Hometown Revitalization Grant from Duke Energy to assist small businesses in Alexander County that were impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Duke Energy is proud to award this grant to the Alexander County EDC to help support small businesses in Alexander County,” said Robin Nicholson, Government and Community Relations District Manager for Duke Energy. “We understand that the pandemic caused business owners to pivot so they could continue to operate their businesses successfully. We are glad to be a part of the solution to assist the small business community.”
Based on the criteria established by Duke Energy, the ACEDC opened the application process for the one-time emergency grants to businesses physically located in Alexander County. Alexander County businesses with 50 employees or less which have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic were eligible to participate in the application process. Projects must have been completed after March 2020.
Eleven grant applications were received by the October 22 deadline. Of those eleven, five of the grants were from the Bethlehem community, four from Taylorsville, and one each from the Vashti and Wittenburg communities. The total project costs associated with the applications was $141,346.
Each recipient received $2,250 to supplement their specific project to enhance their business operations to survive during the pandemic.
Recipients of the ACEDC-Duke Energy Hometown Revitalization Grant were: Alexander Christian Academy, Bethlehem ACE Hardware, Bethlehem Dental Care, Brushy Mountain Brews, Burger Basket, Friendship Upholstery Company, Fueled Streetside Coffee, Linney’s Mill, Mexico Viejo, Paul Robert Chair Inc., and The Vault.
“We are so fortunate to have an excellent partnership with Duke Energy, and are excited to have received this grant,” said David Icenhour, Executive Director of the Alexander County EDC. “The last year and a half has been a very difficult time for our small business community, and this grant program is one way that we can provide much-needed assistance. We are happy to be able to award a grant to all eleven businesses that applied from across Alexander County.”