With small businesses hurting throughout southwest Michigan due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Market Van Buren is doing what it can to help them. Director Zack Morris tells WSJM News the Michigan Economic Development Corporation did make $112,000 in grants available to businesses in Cass and Van Buren counties. However, it wasn’t nearly enough.
“Van Buren County only receive d$72,000 total, and Cass County received $40,000 total,” Morris said. “We had to take the lower end of it, which is $3,000 because we had over 200 inquiries for this money. So the need is great, the demand far exceeded the supply in this particular case.”
Morris says those funds have been distributed in the form of $3,000 grants to 37 businesses. The next thing he recommends businesses do is contact their regular lenders about getting Small Business Administration loans made available with the recent federal stimulus package. Market Van Buren also has a survey on its website that it’s asking business owners to fill out.
