Hello CHERYL,

The goal of my newsletter is to keep our board members and stakeholders up-to-date on SCED activities. We will feature project updates, share success stories, provide key SCED facts, and delve into noteworthy economic development events. Let me know if you'd like to hear about a specific topic.

SCED Website Update

We have been busy updating our website with Economic Development Insights and Grant Opportunities for the region. Economic Development Insights highlights solutions to common challenges faced by regional economies and gain a deeper knowledge of economic development strategies. These informative reads aim to elevate your understanding and empower you to make informed decisions for sustainable growth.

The Grant Opportunities page supports SCED's commitment to supporting our partner agencies in accessing resources to further their missions. On this page, you’ll find a curated list of grant opportunities available from federal, state, and philanthropic sources.

California Jobs First (formerly CERF)

As the federally designated Economic Development District for Modoc, Shasta, Siskiyou, and Trinity Counties, we want to inform you of the latest opportunities related to the California Jobs First, formerly Community Economic Resilience Fund (CERF) initiative. As you may recall, this statewide initiative provided a $600 million fund to build a sustainable and equitable economy across California, with a focus on supporting new strategies to diversify local economies and develop industries that create high-quality, broadly accessible jobs for all Californians in the transition to a carbon-neutral economy. California Jobs First aims to ensure that the state’s economy works for all California residents, particularly those historically marginalized. We invite you to learn more at https://bit.ly/3TRTvAj.

A Collaborative and Inclusive Approach: The North State Planning and Development Collective (NSPDC) at California State University, Chico, and the Sierra Institute for Community and Environment jointly serve as our Convenors for the North State Region. The North State’s 10-county region includes Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Tehama, and Trinity counties. Our Convenors have worked to organize a broad group of stakeholders to help guide the process that ultimately identifies shovel-ready, or almost shovel-ready, projects that could receive funding from California Jobs First Catalyst funding. The regional stakeholder groups are tasked to review eligible projects, confirm that they align with the goals of the California Jobs First initiative, and follow a fair and equitable process to select a project or projects to be funded.

The Opportunity: This is where we are reaching out to you, our local partners, to help identify regional and local projects that could benefit from additional funding. Please take this opportunity to be sure that projects you would like to be considered for funding have been included in the regional portal. The portal can be accessed here: North State Project Portal.

We are currently working with the NSPDC and Sierra Institute to conduct ongoing outreach to identify additional groups or individuals who should also be engaged in this discussion. Please let us know if you are aware of local and regional stakeholders who may not currently be participating and should be. 

Schools Work Together to Address Teacher Housing Shortage

The lack of affordable housing is an issue across Michigan. That issue has become especially severe in northwestern lower Michigan, where the lack of affordable housing is stopping prospective teachers and school staff from taking or keeping jobs in communities in the region.

To change the situation, a group of local schools has banded together to form an educational consortium, the Grand Traverse County Housing for Educators. The aim is to help create housing developments and affordable living options to attract and retain teachers and staff.

“Teachers are one of our many occupations that are affected,” says Yarrow Brown, who is director of Housing North, a nonprofit housing advocacy organization that was tapped to help conduct a housing study in the region. “In Northwest Michigan, we are in what we call a housing crisis, and it’s been happening for 20 years now. It sort of came to a head about five or six years ago.”  

Continue reading here . . .

SCED Loan Corner

The Small Business Administration (SBA) 504 loan program is a financing option to help small businesses acquire fixed assets such as real estate or equipment. It's structured to provide long-term, fixed-rate financing while requiring a lower down payment from the borrower than conventional loans.

The SBA 504 program can be used to purchase existing land and building, ground-up construction, acquire land and buildings with remodeling, and refinance an existing owner-occupied commercial real estate loan.

Sierra sends a monthly SBA 504 rate newsletter to our lending partners. Please click here to get added to her newsletter.

SCED Board Meeting Schedule - Reserve the Dates

• May 16, 2024 - Noon - Redding City Hall
• August 15, 2024 - Noon - Redding City Hall
• December 5, 2024 - Noon - Redding City Hall
• February 2025 - TBD

News and Notes

• Please plan on attending May's board meeting as we'll be going over our budget and Ric Leutwyler will be conducting a strategic planning session. It will be a great meeting to familiarize the board with what is happening at SCED. Feel free to reach out if you want to meet before the board meeting.
• I am attending the CALED meeting in Santa Rosa this week. Testerday's breakout sessions discussed Buy Local campaigns and Transforming Your Approach to Homelessness. Today's sessions include Leadership, Collaboration, & Preparedness, Revolutionizing Economic Development through Cutting-Edge Marketing Strategizes & Innovative Digital Tools, and Why Economic Developers Need to Think Like Software Developers. We wrap up on Friday with Rural Workforce Trends, Leadership Discussions on Economic Development Evolution, and Small Business, Capital, and Local Impact.
• There is a loan committee today, and Sierra will be presenting an SBA 504 refinance project.

Ryan's Ramblings

This month marks my 19th year at SCED (17 1/2 as Loan Program Manager and 1 1/2 as Executive Director), a milestone that brings a rush of memories. I remember getting the job offer while I was on a walk with my two-month-old son. That tiny bundle is taller, stronger, and smarter than his dad.

Bob and Loree will always have a special place in my heart as they were so incredibly patient and helpful guiding me along the economic development path. Equally deserving of recognition are Cheryl, Jamie, and Sierra, who work to improve SCED and the region every day.

I consider myself fortunate to be part of a team dedicated to enhancing our region's economic development, all while being surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of our surroundings and the inspiring individuals who call this place home.

Ryan

P.S. - Schedule a meeting with Ryan here.

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