Small Businesses Plan Transformational Growth with Inclusion Grant Support

Published on Tuesday, December 14, 2021 by Nicole Cornett, Managing Editor of Expansion Solutions Magazine

Cincinnati, OH –In the second and third quarter of 2021, 15 small businesses committed to adding 86 new jobs in Southwest Ohio with help from REDI Cincinnati and JobsOhio. These 15 businesses demonstrate the strength and resiliency of small business in the Cincinnati region. All 15 companies are growing due to several factors including generating new national customers, growth within their industry segments, and/or requiring new space for product creation or personnel. The inclusion grant program was established in 2020 by JobsOhio with the goal of supporting underrepresented owned businesses, including minority, veteran, and women-owned businesses, as well as disadvantaged communities.

Since the beginning of the inclusion grant program, REDI Cincinnati has worked with more than 38 companies in Southwest Ohio. Other organizations in the region, including the Minority Business Accelerator and the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber of Commerce, continue to be instrumental in connecting small businesses toopportunities like the JobsOhio Inclusion Grant.

Today’s announcement includes companies in the financial services, manufacturing, and food science industries that committed to creating 86 new jobs and retaining 220 existing jobs with the support of $635,000 in grant funds.

The Inclusion Grant program remains open to eligible companies in Southwest Ohio. To qualify, a company must be owned by an underrepresented population – which includes race, ethnicity, gender, veterans, and those with disabilities – or must be in a qualified distressed community as defined by the Economic Innovation Group. Grant funding can be applied towards eligible costs that include fixed asset investment in machinery and equipment, real estate investments, and training costs, among other items.

“Even as the end of the pandemic approaches, its effects on small businesses still linger, especially for businesses located in distressed communities or owned by underrepresented populations,” said Brandon Simmons, REDI Cincinnati vice president of project management. “It’s estimated that the number of working African American and women business owners across the country dropped by more than 40 percent and 25 percent at the beginning of the pandemic, respectively. I’m encouraged by the success of minority and women-owned businesses inSouthwest Ohio, which are benefitting from the JobsOhio Inclusion Grant program.

The grant is available for all five counties in Southwest Ohio in the Cincinnati region. The below 15 companieswere awarded JobsOhio’s Inclusion Grant in the second and third quarter of 2021.

For first-hand testimonials from our Inclusion Grant Recipients, visit this link.

About REDI Cincinnati

The Regional Economic Development Initiative (REDI) Cincinnati is the first point-of-contact for companies locating or growing in the 16-county region at the heart of southwest Ohio, northern Kentucky, and southeast Indiana. REDICincinnati is supported by top business leaders and community partners and staffed by a team of economic development experts who are uniting the Cincinnati region to compete globally. For more information visit REDICincinnati.com.

About JobsOhio

JobsOhio is a private nonprofit economic development corporation designed to drive job creation and new capital investment in Ohio through business attraction, retention, and expansion. The organization also works to seed talent production in its targeted industries and to attract talent to Ohio through Find Your Ohio. JobsOhio works with six regional partners across Ohio: Dayton Development Coalition, Ohio Southeast Economic Development, One Columbus, REDI Cincinnati, Regional Growth Partnership and Team NEO. Learn more at www.jobsohio.com. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.