9 & 10 News
May 20, 2021
Cherryland Electric Cooperative has awarded $50,000 to the Regional Resiliency Program, administered by Venture North Funding and Development to help small businesses recover from the Covid-19 pandemic.
“On behalf of small businesses that need financial help and encouragement, we want to again express our heartfelt appreciation to our friends at Cherryland,” said Laura Galbraith, President of Venture North. “Their compassion and wonderful donation to help businesses with nine or fewer employees during these extraordinarily times speaks volumes about the great company they are. Just as we are thankful for the progress toward a more normal time, so must we be mindful that small businesses, their owners and employees are suffering from being shut down, losing revenue and cash reserves and, in many cases, customers and suppliers.”
9 & 10 News
April 23, 2021
The program is through Venture North Funding and Development and help from the Consumers Energy Foundation.
More than $52,000 is currently available for the program.
Eligible businesses are those with 9 or fewer full time employees.
Venture North says they hope this grant helps small businesses that are continuing to struggle during the pandemic.
“When we are looking at business needs for the next few months, they need assistance with inventory purchases, they need to keep people on payroll until maybe their season starts to ramp back up again in june, july,” says Laura Galbraith, president of Venture North Funding & Development.
9 & 10 News
April 12, 2021
More COVID-19 relief funding for small businesses is on its way for Antrim County.
Venture North Funding and Development has opened its online application for grants up to $5,000 to help cover expenses.
Venture North says they’ve seen many mom and pop shops struggling during this time, and hope to allocate funds specifically for businesses with fewer than 10 employees. They say these funds could help keep businesses afloat before the busy summer months.
Grant applications are open for the next two weeks.
Photo(s) by Unsplash
Julienne Tomatoes (421 Howard St., Petoskey) is normally a dine-in casual deli cafe located in an 1897 building open for breakfast and lunch and known by everyone as “Makers of Good Food.”
The restaurant is grounded in the belief of owner Julie Adams that the path to success is great food, fresh baked goods, house-made soups and consistently superb service. They offer all fresh options like ham and brie sandwiches, locally grown beef, asiago cheese, and roasted red pepper all on grilled multi-grain bread and JT’s bountiful lasagna.
But COVID spares no one.
“We’re fighting tooth and nail for survival,” says Adams. “On March 17, I told our crew we’d only be open for pick up because of COVID. We then opened on June 2, cutting our capacity as directed to 50 percent. Then, at the end of August, I had to tell everyone we were shutting down. I was not going to expose our customers or employees to becoming sick. We have many elderly customers. For th
Galbraith
Scot Zimmerman, TCF Bank Regional President for NorthEast Michigan, inside the former Chemical Bank on Garfield in Traverse City in August 2020. The bank merged with TCF Bank in 2019. Record-Eagle file photo/Jan-Michael Stump
TRAVERSE CITY â TCF Bank capped off what has been a busy 2020 for the financial institution with a $30,000 award to Venture North Funding and Development.
According to a joint release, the award will be used for a small business grants, micro-loans and program administration. Venture North Executive Director Laura Galbraith said the $30,000 award âwas a great holiday surprise package.â
âVenture North is important to the 10-county Northwest Michigan region, especially to the small businesses that depend on their help during difficult times,â Scot Zimmerman, TCF Bank Regional President for NorthEast Michigan, said in the release. âWe are proud to award Venture North with this funding to s