While in the midst of a global pandemic, many local entrepreneurs are receiving aid through the Howell County CARES Small Business Relief grant program. To date over 20 businesses have received funding from the grant with more than $230,000 flowing into the Howell County business economy, with more to come. Some recent recipients include: Glass Sword Cinema, Thrive Home Agency, and Palindrome Express, LLC. Previous recipients consist of local hair stylists, nail salons, restaurants, wineries, event centers and various others.
“This grant is for any business located in Howell County that has been impacted by COVID-19 and the state mandated shut down. Reimbursement is being granted for overhead expenses like rent and utilities that businesses paid during the shut-down as well as extra COVID-related expenditures. If your business was shut down or affected financially due to COVID-19, you would likely qualify,” stated Grant Administrator Autumn Shirley.
Ozarks Small Business Incubator (OzSBI) staff have been working closely with business owners to assist with them with the application process. OzSBI then presents final applications to the Howell County Commission for review. The Howell County Commission has been diligently reviewing applications in order to provide applicants with their awarded grant funding as soon as possible.
Applications are still open, but the deadline for the grant is quickly approaching. December 11th, 2020 is the final day to submit an application for consideration. To apply, applicants can call OzSBI at 417-256-9724 to visit with an administrator about the qualifications and needed documentation or can directly access the Howell County CARES Small Business Relief application online at https://ozsbi.com/hocomocares.
