The Carbon County Commissioners were visited by Economic Development and Tourism Director Shanny Wilson and Community Economic Development Chair Layne Miller during their Wednesday evening meeting.
The purpose of their visit was to present the third cycle of the Rural County Grant funding to the commission. Wilson stated that they were excited to announce that they had 27 applications. There was $200,000 worth of funding from the Governor’s Office of Economic Opportunity and with that, they were able to help a lot of businesses.
Some of the businesses that were granted funding this time around were the Southeast Utah Association of Local Governments, Bill’s Home Furnishings, Meaningful Mindz, West Coast Show Support and Flawless Sheeting, though there were more that were funded.
Miller said that the thing that he appreciated the most about the program is that it allowed the county to assist many different businesses. He stated that it is a thrill to work with others on the committee to give away money.
“Part of what I enjoy is that the members of the board all have their own expertise,” Miller shared.
When the businesses were informed of the funding, Miller said they heard tears, exclamations of joy and more. He credited this as a great program and stated that it was a thrill for him to speak with the commissioners about it.
In approving these grants, one of the biggest things the board looks for is if it will make a difference in the business and to the area. They also review how many employees they will be able to hire due to the funding, what kind of increased assets will be coming back to the area and other criteria of that matter.