Home Local News DURHAM PROPOSES MORE SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

DURHAM PROPOSES MORE SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

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The director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority says her agency has been largely focused on big business expansion projects, but Debi Durham says that’s about to change.

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Durham isn’t ready to say how large she’d like the fund to be, but she’s asked the state’s bankers if they’ll manage the loans for businesses in Iowa’s rural communities.

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Earlier this month, Durham’s agency distributed 24 million dollars in state grants to hundreds of small businesses — but nearly 14,000 business owners had applied.

As she announced the grants that had been awarded, Durham called small businesses the backbone of Iowa communities.

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Beyond the addition of a small business loan fund to the state economic agency’s portfolio, Durham plans to ask lawmakers to financially support other programs aimed at Iowa’s small business sector.

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The 2020 Iowa legislative session is currently suspended, but lawmakers must reconvene at some point to at least debate and pass a spending plan for the 12-month state budgeting year that begins July 1st.

Radio Iowa