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New business opportunities for Beecher  Share
Colleen Callahan, Illinois state director for rural development, has announced that federal RD funding is now available to spur business development and job creation in Beecher. Businesses, non-profits and public entities in the community are now eligible for five of the agency's grant and low-cost financing programs. Callahan made the announcement at Beecher Village Hall when she met with Village President Paul Lohmann, Village Administrator Robert Barber and Village Economic Development Coordinator Marcy Meyer on Friday, September 11. ''We are very excited to offer Beecher new tools to help them support a dynamic business environment,'' said Callahan. ''Beecher is a community with a lot of charm, commercial opportunities, and a future filled with possibilities. We are pleased to add our business programs to the list of tools they will have to ensure Beecher's future as a wonderful place to live and work.'' The agency's business programs are designed to work in partnership with the private sector, local units of government and community-based organizations to provide financial assistance and business planning. The programs support projects that create or preserve quality jobs. The funds are often leveraged with those of other public and private credit source lenders to meet business and credit needs. Eligible applicants include individuals, corporations, partnerships, cooperatives, public bodies, nonprofit corporations, and private companies.
The five programs offer a variety of financial support including loan guarantees for businesses, grants for public entities and non-profits to support business development, loan guarantees and grants to help businesses become more energy efficient, and zero interest loans available through a partnership with local rural utility organizations. ''The announcement today is important for business owners, but it is equally important for the residents of Beecher,'' said Callahan. ''When a town's business climate improves, so does the tax base that supports local services.'' The 2008 Farm Bill revised the definition of ''rural,'' which affected the eligibility of certain communities for Rural Development's business resources. Beecher had been ineligible because of its proximity to Chicago. The change allows cities and towns with populations under 50,000 that are separated from an urban area by at least two census tracts to be eligible for the five Rural Development business programs. More information on USDA Rural Development's business programs is available on the web at www.rurdev.usda.gov/il or by calling the Ottawa office at 815-433-0551 ext. 4. Dawn Wolf is a reporter for Russell Publications.
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