Through a suite of services, the BLOOM Business Empowerment Center will include opportunities for loans for small businesses. Contact our team with the inquiry form to set up a meeting and learn more! Visit YCEApa.org/Bloom

The mission of Welcoming Workplaces is to drive opportunities to support the diversity of talent in the workplace and advance shared prosperity based on four strategic focus areas:

• Talent Attraction
• Talent Retention
• Policies and Procedures
• Knowledge Sharing

WBCO October Luncheon - 11/8 @ 11:30 am

Be sure to register for the next Luncheon on Tuesday, November 8: The Commitment to Continuous Learning and Relationship Building - ATHENA Leadership Model.

Join us at Heritage Hills Resort (2700 Mt. Rose Avenue, York, PA 17402) for this luncheon. Registration, networking, and lunch will begin at 11:30am with the program running from 12:00pm to 1:00pm.

Members can register for the luncheon at no cost. Guests can attend for $35.

To register to attend, CLICK HERE.

BLOOM Business Series: "Authentic & Inspiring Storefronts" - Wednesday, November 16 at 12 pm via Zoom

Successful downtowns offer attractive, authentic and inviting storefronts designed to draw customers to enter a business and participate in the life of the street and business district. This session will feature facade enhancement design strategies to incentivize the transformation of your downtown one building at a time. Using case studies, design principles and discussion, the session will highlight a range of best practices that can apply to the storefronts, blank walls and buildings of your business district.

Thank you to our presenting sponsor, PNC for making this series possible! BLOOM Business Series events are FREE to attend and open to the public, though RSVPs are required.

For more information and to register, CLICK HERE.

City of York: COVID 19 Grant Program - OPEN for Small Businesses!

The City of York Department of Economic and Community Development (DECD) will launch round three of the Small Business COVID-19 Grant Program on Monday, October 24, 2022.

Grant funds of $5,000 will be awarded to eligible for-profit small businesses located within the City of York, who are struggling financially because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funds used for COVID-19 relief are federally allocated through the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and must be used for eligible CDBG-related costs such as utilities and rent or mortgage payments.

Applications will be accepted beginning October 24, 2022, through November 30, 2022, or until all grant funds are expended.

For eligibility and more information, CLICK HERE.
To view the informational flyer, CLICK HERE.

Small Business State Filing System Changes!

The PENN File online business filing system will be replaced by the Department of State’s new system, Business Filing Services (BFS). BFS is tentatively scheduled to go live on October 24, 2022.

Like PENN File, BFS will be used to submit new business filings, file updates, and search/purchase existing records (e.g., formation documents, UCC documents, subsistence certificates, etc.). Once live, you can access the new system by logging into the Business Hub at hub.business.pa.gov and clicking the link to the Department of State’s Business Filing Services.  

If you have additional questions or concerns, please reach out to the Department of State at 717-787-1057 or by email at business.state@pa.gov.

Grow with Google Series - October 27 - 10 to 11 am

Use YouTube to Grow Your Business - Let's talk about YouTube! 

Are you thinking of creating a YouTube Channel? Are you currently using YouTube for your business? Not sure how to get started or how to build your channel? This is the webinar for you.

Get best practices for creating a YouTube Channel and compelling video content that promotes your products and services and drives engagement with your brand.  

In this workshop, we’ll discuss best practices for:

• Why you should have a YouTube channel
• How to set up a YouTube channel
• What's important to fill out when uploading a video
• Making good creative, and how to target and measure the results

Penn State York Launchbox: Fall 2022 Speaker & Networking Series

The Happy Valley LaunchBox Fall Speaker Series has begun! Our Fall Speaker Series includes 3 great topics with experts who will provide you with actionable advice on various matters (see details below). Our goal is to inspire you to turn your idea into a viable business with the support of LaunchBox. Whether you are a community member, alumni, student, or none of the above, all are welcome!

How it works: All talks are held downtown at the Happy Valley LaunchBox and include: 

• 35-40-minute actionable advice and best practices 
• 10-minute open Q&A 
• 1-on-1 time to ask questions  
• Free lunch 

Oct. 31st, 12:00 – 1:30 pm | Building Business Relationships  

Nov. 7th, 12:00 – 1:30 pm | Craft Your Pitch 

Nov. 14th, 12:00 – 1:30 pm | Overhaul Your Digital Image  

For descriptions, list of speakers and more information, CLICK HERE.

Susquehanna SCORE Virtual Small Business Networking Roundtable

Discussion group of business owners facilitated by a Certified SCORE mentor. Business owners and startups can share their business challenges and opportunities with one another. Topics range from basic business to marketing ideas.

There is no cost to join, but register using the links below:

• October 25 at 6:00pm
• November 1 at 8:00am

YCAL Career Exploration Programs

York County Alliance for Learning has launched the application for their On Site Career Exploration Programs, connecting students to businesses in any of the sixteen career clusters.

Students and families can review the program and application details HERE.

Fearless Strivers Grant - Mastercard and Fearless Fund are partnering to create the Fearless Strivers Grant, dedicated to supporting Black women-owned small businesses. According to their website, Black women-owned businesses receive less than 1% of venture capital funding, despite the fact that these businesses are large parts of economic growth. To give back to these businesses, the Fearless Strivers Grant will provide eleven small businesses with $10,000 grants, one-on-one mentorship and digital tools to help foster growth. Applications are open through the end of the year, closing on December 31, 2022.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Small Business Readiness for Resiliency (R4R) Program - The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation and FedEx have teamed up to create the Small Business Readiness for Resiliency (R4R) Program, which helps small businesses put plans in place to prepare for disaster and provides immediate emergency funding when necessary. Grants will be distributed between now and June 2023.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

WellnessLiving #StandwithStudios Grant Program was created to support boutique fitness and wellness businesses with the resources they need to take their business to the next level and continue to positively impact their communities. Grant resources include: $2,500 – $5,000 in funding per studio, Photo shoot and feature article, and Coaching sessions with an industry expert among other benefits. The last day to submit an application is December 15, 2022. 

For more information, CLICK HERE.

First Strides Grant Program for Women Owned Businesses - Ten recipients of the First Strides Grant will receive a $10,000 grant and one year of coaching services through IFundWomen. The application is open now until December 31. 

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Fresh Start Business Grant - For start up entrepreneurs, microgrants up to $2,500. There are two deadlines: September 30 and December 31.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

Keep Communities Flowing Grant by American Water Charitable Foundation - Now accepting applications for STEM-focused curricular and extracurricular programs to provide underserved students access to high-quality learning they need to succeed. Programs with opportunity for American Water employee engagement will be prioritized. Application closes December 30, 2022.

For more information, CLICK HERE.

YoCo MED Week and BLOOM Graduation Mixer

Last week was the BLOOM Business Empowerment Center’s inaugural Minority Enterprise Development Week and included several resources and networking events for minority business owners, as well as proclamations recognizing the contributions minority-owned enterprises provide to our thriving economy and declaring the week of October 17-21, 2022 as the County of York’s and City of York’s Minority Enterprise Development Week.

In addition to the proclamations, a WeCo district business walk, a workshop on How to do Business in PA, and a Business Series Webinar on Navigating Certification & Procurement Opportunities, part of #YoCoMEDWeek, included the BLOOM Graduation & Local Sourcing Connections Mixer to celebrate graduates of this year’s BLOOM Small Business Classes and the John A. Lambert Hospitality Training Program.

The 2022 BLOOM Small Business Classes were offered in partnership with Crispus Attucks, Susquehanna SCORE, the Shippensburg Small Business Development Center, York NAACP, and sponsored by Fulton Bank and Gold Sponsor Met-Ed. These classes consisted of the Spring 101: The Alphabet Soup of Having a Small Business cohort, the Summer cohort 101 in Spanish, and the most recently wrapped up 201: Small Business Growth and Maintenance cohort.  

Thatiana Montañez Baez and her mother, Vilma Baez, graduated from both the 2022 BLOOM Small Business Classes and the John A. Lambert Hospitality Program. When asked to share a few words about the business classes, Thatiana said she couldn’t thank everyone enough for the connections and resources shared throughout the weeks that helped her and her mom develop their business plan.

The John A. Lambert Hospitality Training Program, named after renowned Yorktowne Employee John A. Lambert who provided incredible guest service at the hotel for over 60 years, was in partnership with Crispus Attucks, York College of Pennsylvania, GF Hotels & Resorts, and the York County Industrial Development Authority and made possible with funding from the Women’s Giving Circle and the Rotary Club of York. The program was offered at no cost and nearly 100 certificates in various aspects of hospitality from the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute were awarded to 53 graduates.

For more information on future BLOOM Business Empowerment Center’s Small Business Classes and additional workforce trainings, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter and stay up to date on our Facebook page.