The City of Bowling Green's Revolving Loan Fund provides loans to businesses for start-ups and expansions, resulting in more jobs for low- and moderate-income persons.

The City of Bowling Green’s Business Revolving Loan Fund, an implementation of the CDBG block grant program, has recently been modified by lowering the interest rate to 0% to encourage businesses within City Limits to apply. The purpose of the loans is to enhance local businesses and promote job growth targeting low-and moderate-income wage earners. For each $35,000 borrowed, the business must commit to generating one new job. Terms of the loans range from 3-5 years, and special terms are available for businesses located in the Downtown Special Improvement District.

“We feel that offering a zero percent loan to encourage job creation for low- and moderate-income individuals will help strengthen our community and provide a new source of funding for business growth.  Our goal is to work in tandem with financial institutions to offer a variety of loans that will grow our local businesses and make Bowling Green a better place to live and work.” Says Martha Woelke, Community Development Administrator.

Contact the Community Development Department at 419-354-6203, or visit the City’s website: www.bgohio.org, for additional details.

Lt. Governor Jon Husted, who serves as director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, announced the results of November’s round of TechCred, in which 349 employers were approved for funding, providing the opportunity for Ohioans to earn 4,466 tech-focused credentials. This most recent round marks the 17th application period of the program with manufacturing topping the list of industries applying for tech-infused credentials.

With these approvals, a total of 2,173 Ohio employers have been approved for funding through the TechCred program, supporting the earning of 57,233 tech-focused credentials by employees.

This program helps businesses address their workforce needs by upskilling current and prospective employees. Businesses of all sizes, from any industry, are eligible for up to $30,000 per round and up to $180,000 per year.

The 18th application round is now open until 3 p.m. Jan. 31. For more information and to apply, visit TechCred.Ohio.gov.

Applications will open every other month in 2023:
• March 1-31
• May 1-31
• July 3-31
• September 1-29
• November 1-30

To read more, click here.

Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, who serves as Director of the Governor’s Office of Workforce Transformation, today announced that 12 training providers located throughout the state will receive a total of $2.58 million in awards through the Individual Microcredential Assistance Program (IMAP). This program helps Ohioans who are low-income, partially unemployed, or totally unemployed participate in a training program and earn a technology-focused credential at no cost to them.

The selected training providers, which include four-year universities, career centers, and private businesses, will be reimbursed up to $3,000 per earned technology-focused credential.

"We continue to see a growing number of Ohioans find rewarding careers as a result of earning new tech skills through IMAP,” said Lt. Governor Jon Husted. “In many cases, credentials rather than degrees are what employers are looking for when making hiring decisions—credentials are the currency of the modern economy.”

IMAP offers a variety of credentials to help Ohioans choose a career path just for them. Training will be offered both in-person and online, making it easy to learn from anywhere in the state.

Training providers include:

• Ashland University
• Gallia-Jackson-Vinton JVSD (Buckeye Hills Career Center)
• Global Lynx, Inc.
• Goodwill Industries of Central Ohio, Inc.
• Hocking College
• Miami Valley Career Technology Center
• My Career IT, LLC.
• National Center for Urban Solutions, Inc.
• Ohio Valley Construction Education Foundation
• Pickaway-Ross County JVSD
• Washington County Career Center
• We Can Code It, LLC.

“Credentials offered through IMAP can put Ohioans on the path to a better quality of life,” said Lydia Mihalik, Director of the Ohio Department of Development. “This training positions people for good-paying jobs in high-demand fields.”

“This program is another example of the all-of-the-above approach that Ohio takes to educating our students and making our workforce even stronger,” said Ohio Department of Higher Education Chancellor Randy Gardner. “Our colleges, universities, and career technical centers are among the many partners in this collaborative effort.”

Ohioans interested in earning a credential or learning more about the program can visit the IMAP website at: Workforce.Ohio.gov/IMAP.

ECDI is a statewide non-profit organization that helps small businesses succeed. In addition to Small Business Loans, they also provide Entrepreneur Training, and Business Mentoring. If you'd like to learn more or want to apply, reach out to April Welch at awelch@ecdi.org or 419-574-9476.

The JobsOhio Small Business Grant was developed to provide additional financial support for qualified projects in designated communities and/or for businesses owned by eligible populations across the state. Check your eligibility here!

Bowling Green Economic Development would like you to be aware of a special 0% interest loan available to merchants.  Loan amounts will be for $2,000 to $10,000 – First 6 month are payment-free, followed by 12 monthly repayment installments.  If you would like the application emailed to you or if you have any questions, contact the Bowling Green Economic Development office at 419-353-3591 or email kthompson@bowlinggreen-oh.com.

For a limited time, Efficiency Smart will reward small businesses with an increased incentive for purchasing qualifying LED bulbs or fixtures from a designated local supplier or contractor. Standard incentives still apply for all other qualifying purchases. Contact Efficiency Smart at 877-889-3777 to get started.

The Ohio BWC Division of Safety & Hygiene puts out monthly safety updates to keep your business informed. You can view this month's edition online.

Ohio.org supports our state’s tourism industry to drive economic prosperity throughout Ohio. We feel that this website would offer a place for many of our Investors to advertise their business and/or events. The website is not only used by tourists, but also by locals and is open to big and small businesses, restaurants, artists, retailers, events and more. The best thing about this website is that it is FREE! We encourage you to take some time to see if you think your business would benefit from this free online advertising opportunity.

If your business is selected to be published on the website, please let us know so that we can share that information with our other Investors.