Specialty Roller and Machine, located in Berwick, plans to have forklift driver training and / or testing done, on site soon for three (3) of their employees. They would like to extend an invitation to local companies/organizations/etc. who are in need of forklift driver training and / or testing for their employee(s).

Once a common date & time is agreed upon, the training and testing will be scheduled. 

If interested, please contact Joe Canfield at (803) 960-1592 and his email address is jcanfield@specialtyroller.com.

From McKonly & Asbury, LLP

On Thursday, March 11, 2021, President Biden signed into law the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021. While much of the attention on this law has centered on additional direct stimulus payments to individuals, extension of unemployment benefits and other tax credit matters such as increases in the child tax credit, a few key critical elements significantly impact the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL). A summary of these changes is noted below:

Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Loans

 The American Rescue Plan Act significantly increases access to PPP loans for 501(c)(3) and (6) organizations. Previously, all 501(c)(3) and (6) organizations with employee counts greater than 500 for 501 (c)(3) or 300 for 501 (c)(6), were impacted by the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) affiliation rules in regard to access to a first round PPP loan. The affiliation rules outlined by the SBA stated:

“Concerns and entities are affiliates of each other when one controls or has the power to control the other, or a third party or parties controls or has the power to control both. It does not matter whether control is exercised, so long as the power to control exists. Affiliation under any of the circumstances described below is sufficient to establish affiliation for applicants for the Paycheck Protection Program.”

Control, for purposes of the affiliation rules, focused on 1.) Affiliation based on common ownership; 2.) Affiliation arising under stock options, convertible securities, and agreements to merge; 3.) Affiliation based on management; or 4.) Affiliation based on identity of interest. For a number of 501(c)(3) and (6) organizations, the affiliation rules around common management and identity of interest impacted their ability to apply for PPP loan round one funding. Well, good news! The American Rescue Plan Act now lifts the “affiliation rules” for 501(c)(3) and (6) organizations. More specifically, the legislation allows an organization’s headcount to be considered “per physical location” rather than in-total and across all locations. As such, a 501(c)(3) with more than 500 employees and/or a 501(c)(6) with more than 300 employees – but at multiple locations – are now eligible for PPP.

Also, just announced, the application deadline for PPP loans has been extended from March 31 to May 31. This 60 day extension also provides an additional 30 days for the SBA to finish processing applications received by May 31.

Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)

On March 12, 2021, the SBA announced that borrowers have until 2022 to meet their obligations under the EIDL program. The SBA announced that the first due date for repayment of EIDL’s made in 2020 will be extended from 12 months to 24 months from the date of the note. For loans made in 2021, the first payment due date is extended from 12 months to 18 months from the date of the note. Borrowers will resume their regular payment schedule with the payment immediately preceding March 31, 2022, unless the borrower voluntarily continues to make payments while on deferment. It is important to note that interest will continue to accrue on the outstanding balance of the loan throughout the duration of the deferment.

Other Key Changes to Business Credit Programs

• Employee Retention Credit (ERC) is extended to December 31, 2021. Previously, the ERC ended on June 30, 2021. The American Rescue Plan Act now allows for an additional 6 months of the ERC on qualifying payroll costs at a credit percentage of 70% on qualified payroll capped at $10,000 per employee per quarter. Gross revenue reduction and/or partial or full shutdown requirements must be met to qualify for the ERC.

• Paid Leave Credit is extended to September 20, 2021, and increases the credit to $12,000 (up from $10,000) per employee.

We are here to assist businesses and non-profits with all questions related to PPP, EIDL and ERC. If at any time you need assistance, please visit our COVID-19 Resource Center to access these specific support pages.

If you have any questions regarding this article, or how our team can help, contact David B. Blain, CPA, CVA, Partner and Director of Entrepreneurial Services for McKonly & Asbury and leader of the firm’s PPP Consulting Services at dblain@macpas.com.

From PA CareerLink Columbia/Montour Counties

Is your organization struggling with recruitment and retention?  Do your employees need help understanding their potential for growth within your organization?  Do you see the value in connecting with local students to raise awareness about career pathways in Central PA? 

If you are thinking YES to any of these questions, we hope you can join the virtual session Building Career Trees® to Support Local Workforce Pathways scheduled for Friday, March 26th from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, via zoom. Sending a representative from your business will connect you to a network of educators and community partners working to raise awareness of existing career pathways.

This free, virtual event will introduce your business to Mark Perna, an international speaker and bestselling author who also serves as CEO of TFS Results, a strategic consulting firm at the forefront of the national paradigm shift in education and workforce development. Participants will hear from Mark regarding what businesses can do to promote career awareness in their region and be introduced to his groundbreaking Career Tree^® concept and software. Learn more about Career Tree^® and find examples here.

The morning will kick off with a keynote address from Mark Perna, followed by an introduction to and training on his Career Tree^® online platform, to which all participants will receive complimentary access for three years. The morning session will build the “why” behind the use of Career Trees^® in career development and be grounded in local, high-priority occupations (HPOs).

The afternoon will then utilize small-group breakout work to create Career Trees^® in a variety of industry pathways, based on HPOs, with your input as a local business. Those in attendance will have access to the Career Tree^® platform, the Career Trees^® that are created, and a library of Career Trees^® that can be used and edited specifically for your business. Your business-specific Career Trees^® can help incumbent workers see potential career ladders and pathways within the company, and be used as a recruitment and retention tool for entry-level workers to see their potential for growth within the organization.

Businesses can register by emailing interest to Chris Herman: cherman@csiu.org. Please include the names and emails of those wishing to attend.

 Please register by 8:00am on Thursday March 25th. A Zoom link will be sent prior to the event. 

If you have any questions about participation, please reach out to Alice Justice (alice.justice60@gmail.com) or Chris Herman at (cherman@csiu.org). 

This opportunity is being provided thanks to the contributions of Central PA Workforce Development Corporation, Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit, Williamsport Area School District, and Central Columbia School District through grants awarded by the PA Dept. of Labor & Industry.

B.I.D.A. Executive Director Selected as Top 25 Women in Business 

Berwick Industrial Development Association (B.I.D.A.), a leader in economic development focusing on industrial development and manufacturing is excited to announce their Executive Director, Kelly O’Brien for her nomination and selection to the Northeast Pennsylvania Business Journal’s Top 25 Women in Business, published March 2021 in honor of women’s month. 

Kelly O’Brien has been working in economic development for 15 years, with most efforts in the entrepreneurial arena. Ms. O’Brien, in her role with B.I.D.A. has focused her efforts on the Northeast Central PA region in recruiting, retaining and developing business and industry of all sizes. 

Since Ms. O’Brien joined the B.I.D.A. team, the organization has implemented a vocational scholarship for Berwick Area School District students that are extending their education in a vocational arts profession. B.I.D.A. is a founding partner and current facilitator of the Employer Round Table focus group (working with employers to identify and implement solutions for workforce development), created the virtual and physical manufacturing incubator (set to launch this year) with partners, Ben Franklin Technology Partners of NEPA, Community Strategies Group (CSG), Rural Business Innovation Corporation (RBI) and Wilkes University’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC), written and awarded grants for business retention and development, and closed on the purchase of the former Ingredion manufacturing facility in the B.I.D.A. Industrial Complex. 

B.I.D.A. is proud to have Kelly O’Brien with this on their team and working with our economic development partners in the Northeast Central PA region to bring ideas to reality. B.I.D.A. would like to thank Ms. O’Brien for her service and ask the rest of the region to celebrate the women in your business and industry. 

BloomCON Hak4Kidz

Following the Super Bowl on February 7^th, CBS’s The Late Show with Stephen Colbert featured a small book store in Boone, North Carolina as a way to support a business impacted by the pandemic. Following the piece, sales at Foggy Pine Books have tripled and the business has hired five additional employees to keep up with demand. The show is offering other small businesses the opportunity to be featured.

Additional information is on YouTube and on CBS’s website.

From PA Chamber of Business and Industry

In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, President Joe Biden signed a third round of COVID-19-related financial stimulus funding. The $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan includes $1,400 direct checks for individual taxpayers making $75,000 or less and families making $150,000 or less; and $350 billion to state and local governments across America. It also extends an existing $300 weekly unemployment benefits through Sept. 6 and provides a tax break on $10,000 in unemployment benefits.

Specific to Pennsylvania, the new law will provide more than $13.7 billion for state and local governments and direct payments to more than 5.5 million households. It will also extend federal unemployment insurance benefits to more than 480,000 Pennsylvanians.

The bill also includes an unprecedented expansion of the child tax credit that would provide $3,000 a year for each child ages 6 to 17, and $3,600 for each child under 6. According to a story in the Washington Post, this tax credit will be sent via direct deposit on a “periodic” basis as a way to offset costs families face day-to-day, instead of sending families one annual payment.

Other notable provisions in the new law include:

• Tens of billions of dollars for COVID-19 testing and contact tracing; increasing the size of the public health workforce and funding vaccine distribution and supply chains.
• Nearly $130 billion will be set aside to help K-12 schools reopen. That money would go to improving ventilation systems, reducing class sizes, buying personal protective equipment and implementing social distancing.
• Funding for colleges and other higher-education institutions will go toward financial aid grants to help students who have faced pandemic-related financial challenges.
• Child-care provider funds would be distributed through the Child Care and Development Block Grant program. The new package also sets aside $1 billion for the Head Start Program, which helps fund early education for young children from low-income families.
• It expands the Employee Retention Tax Credit for start-up companies and other businesses hit by the pandemic.
• Establishes a $10 billion infrastructure program to help local governments continue crucial capital projects.
• For education funding, the bill sets aside $1.25 billion for summer enrichment; $1.25 billion for after-school programs and $3 billion for education technology.

As COVID-19 cases have declined and vaccination rates are climbing, Governor Tom Wolf today announced the lifting of some targeted restrictions on restaurants and other businesses, as well as increased gathering limits.

Effective April 4, restaurants may resume bar service; alcohol service will be allowed without the purchase of food; the curfew for removing alcoholic drinks from tables will be lifted; and indoor dining capacity will be raised to 75 percent for those restaurants that are currently self-certified and those that undergo the self-certification process, which involves agreeing to strictly comply to all public health safety guidelines and orders, including the cleaning and mitigation protocols and other operational requirements contained in the Governor and Secretary of Health’s mitigation and enforcement orders issued on November 23, 2020, as amended. Those restaurants that do not self-certify may raise capacity to 50 percent. Outdoor dining, curbside pick-up and takeout are still encouraged.

Requirements such as mask-wearing, and social distancing, including 6 feet between diners, also still apply.

Capacity for other businesses also will be increased effective April 4, including moving personal services facilities, gyms and entertainment facilities (casinos, theatres, malls) to 75 percent occupancy.

The governor also announced revised maximum occupancy limits for indoor events to allow for 25% of maximum occupancy, regardless of venue size, and maximum occupancy limits for outdoor events to allow for 50% of maximum occupancy, regardless of venue size. Maximum occupancy is permitted only if attendees and workers are able to comply with the 6-foot physical distancing requirement.

The Shuttered Venue Operators (SVO) Grant program was established by the Economic Aid to Hard-Hit Small Businesses, Nonprofits, and Venues Act, signed into law on December 27, 2020. The program includes $15 billion in grants to shuttered venues, to be administered by the SBA’s Office of Disaster Assistance.

Eligible applicants may qualify for SVO Grants equal to 45% of their gross earned revenue, with the maximum amount available for a single grant award of $10 million. $2 billion is reserved for eligible applications with up to 50 full-time employees.

Eligible entities include:

• Live venue operators or promoters
• Theatrical producers
• Live performing arts organization operators
• Relevant museum operators, zoos and aquariums who meet specific criteria
• Motion picture theater operators
• Talent representatives, and
• Each business entity owned by an eligible entity that also meets the eligibility requirements

Other requirements of note:

• Must have been in operation as of February 29, 2020
• Venue or promoter must not have applied for or received a PPP loan on or after December 27, 2020

It’s not too late to get health insurance or change plans!

On February 15, the Federal and State Marketplaces began accepting applications for Individual and Family health insurance coverage under the COVID-19 Special Enrollment Period (SEP).

This enrollment period is scheduled to last until May 15, 2021.

Most Health Insurance Companies will accept off-exchange applications as well for those not needing or wanting to go through the marketplace. Because everyone is impacted by COVID-19 in some way, anyone who is not covered by an employer sponsored plan is eligible to purchase a new plan.

My Benefit Advisor offers expert help & guidance in choosing health insurance coverage whether purchasing on or off the marketplace.

The Columbia-Montour Chamber of Commerce offers its members access to My Benefit Advisor as a solution for employee benefits, including voluntary offerings. For more information about My Benefit Advisor, visit our website at cmcc.mybenefitadvisor.com or contact Jim Pitts at (800) 377-3539.

A $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill – the third stimulus bill passed since the pandemic took hold in the U.S. last March – passed the U.S. Senate in a party-line vote over the weekend, and today passed in the U.S. House. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the relief plan on Friday, March 12th.

The “American Rescue Plan” includes up to $1,400 in stimulus checked for individual taxpayers making $75,000 or less; or joint filers making $160,000 or less. After a flurry of negotiations during a marathon 25-hour session –that for Democrats was focused on gaining the support of the caucus’s conservative member, U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV – agreement was reached to extend $300 weekly unemployment compensation benefits to Americans who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic through September 6.  The legislation also includes an extension of federal unemployment benefits.

Other key elements of the Senate-passed bill include:

• $350 billion for state and local governments
• A multi-billion-dollar investment in COVID testing and contact tracing; increasing the size of the public health workforce and funding vaccine distribution and supply chains
• An expansion of the Employee Retention Tax Credit for start-up companies and other businesses hit by the pandemic
• A $10 billion infrastructure program to help local governments continue crucial capital projects
• For education funding, the bill includes $1.25 billion for summer enrichment; $1.25 billion for after-school programs and $3 billion for education technology

Notably, a provision originally sought by the Biden administration and Congressional Democrats to include a $15 federal minimum wage rate in the legislation was abandoned. This development occurred after the Senate parliamentarian ruled that the chamber could not pass the wage increase under the budget reconciliation process that allows for a simple majority vote.