Extension continues its online town hall and webinar series this week to assist small-business owners.
Wednesday’s town hall, with both an English and a Spanish session, will focus on the , being launched by the Nevada Association of Counties (NACO) Tuesday, Sept. 8, to assist small businesses in eight rural counties: Douglas, Elko, Lincoln, Lyon, Nye, Story, Washoe and White Pine. The program will help small businesses experiencing hardship due to COVID-19, and businesses must have been in business for at least six months prior to COVID-19 to be eligible. The grants can be used to help cover PPE; business retrofits; and operating expenses, including payroll and rent.
The Nevada Small Business Development Center will help businesses through the application process, and has hired three new small-business advisors, as well as a new lead business development advisor, Jamie Schwartz, to assist with the program.
The webinar, on Tuesday for English speakers and on Friday for Spanish speakers, will focus on managing cash flow and using cash flow reports. Tuesday’s session is offered in conjunction with the Pahrump Valley Chamber of Commerce’s series of quarterly business seminars.
Both the town hall and the webinar are free for interested participants across the state, and are part of a series of town halls and webinars for small businesses, “Coping With COVID-19,” being offered each week by Extension. The town halls begin with a presentation on a given topic, and then participants network with one another and drive the discussion. The webinars provide information on specific topics to help businesses plan strategically, adapt and succeed. Details on this week’s sessions are:
The town hall, “County Small Business Grant Program” is Wednesday, Sept. 2, at 9 a.m. for English speakers, and at 2 p.m. for Spanish speakers. Panelists include:
- From the Small Business Administration – Saul Ramos, deputy district director (9 a.m. session); and Alfredo Cedeño, outreach/marketing specialist (2 p.m. session)
- From Nevada Association of Counties – Dagny Stapleton, executive director (9 a.m. session)
- From the Nevada Small Business Development Center – Tony Salazar, small-business advisor
- From Extension – Willie Daugherty, program officer; JR Mendoza, community-based instructor; Reyna Mendez and Juan Salas, business development instructors; and Mike Bindrup, research associate
The webinar, "Cash Flow & Business Finance,” is at 5:30 p.m., Tuesday, Sept. 1 for English speakers; and at 11:30 a.m., Friday, Sept. 4 for Spanish speakers. Salas will discuss:
- The cash flow report and its sections
- Benefits and limitations of a cash flow report
- Improving cash flow during COVID-19
- How to be prepared for business financing applications
“It’s great that NACO has developed this new grant program to help small businesses, especially in rural communities, through this tough time,” said Buddy Borden economic development specialist with Extension’s Business Development Program. “Wednesday’s town hall will give business owners the nuts and bolts of the program, and Dagny from NACO will be there to answer questions.”
Both the town halls and the webinars usually run about an hour. To register:
- Register for the Sept. 1, 5:30 p.m., English-language webinar.
- Register for the Sept. 2, 9 a.m., English-language town hall.
- Register for the Sept. 2, 2 p.m., Spanish-language town hall.
- Register for the Sept. 4, 11:30 a.m., Spanish-language webinar.
For more information, go to the Extension Business Development Program website. There are also other resources at the website to assist businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. For more information, email Borden.
