In This Issue

• Spotlight: Celebrating Manufacturing and National Hispanic Heritage Months
• Success Story: Swift Factory Food Hub Incubator and Manufacturing Facility Helps to Revitalize Hartford’s North End
• Highlight: Port of Brownsville in Texas Receives $1.8 Million to Make Infrastructure Improvements that are Expected to Help Create Over 700 Manufacturing-Related Jobs

Spotlight: Celebrating Manufacturing and National Hispanic Heritage Months

EDA is supporting these efforts by investing in locally developed, manufacturing-focused economic development strategies that create jobs for more Americans and teach the vital skills needed to grow and sustain the industry. For example, EDA funds a national network of 11 Trade Adjustment Assistance Centers (TAACSs) to help strengthen American companies that have lost domestic sales and employment due to foreign imports of similar goods and services. The 11 TAACs work with individual firms to develop a deep understanding of their unique competitive positions and, based on this understanding, help build and implement competitiveness strategies customized for each particular firm. Check out some examples of how TAACs are working with manufacturers in their regions to help them grow and thrive.

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Success Story: Swift Factory Food Hub Incubator and Manufacturing Facility Helps to Revitalize Hartford’s North End

When Hartford, Connecticut’s Swift Factory closed its doors in 2005, the city lost a large business anchor. M. Swift & Sons, a leading source of gold leafing for state capitol buildings and historic landmarks across the country, was housed in the Swift Factory for 120 years. It employed many citizens in Hartford’s struggling north end neighborhood. In 2017, EDA awarded $2.8 million to non-profit company Community Solutions, Inc to revitalize the vacant industrial building.

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Highlight: Port of Brownsville in Texas Receives $1.8 Million to Make Infrastructure Improvements that are Expected to Help Create Over 700 Manufacturing-Related Jobs

Last month, the Port of Brownsville, Texas received a $1.8 million EDA investment to make infrastructure improvements. The Port is an important pillar of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Region of Texas. It is a deep-water seaport, which provides linkage between the road networks of nearby Mexico and the Gulf Intracoastal Waterway of Texas. The investment will improve and expand marine delivery and shipment operations to attract new companies to the region. The project is expected to create 700 jobs over the next five years and spur $3 million in private investment.

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Reminder: Fiscal Year 2018 Disaster Supplemental Funding Still Available

EDA has available $587 million for disaster recovery grants in communities experiencing economic distress or other economic harm resulting from Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria and wildfires and other federally declared natural disasters occurring in calendar year 2017. Please visit EDA’s Disaster Supplemental Funding page for more.

TAAF Annual Report

Read about the Trade Adjustment Assistance for Firms 2017 Annual Report.

EDA's University Center (UC) Economic Development Program

The UC program makes the resources of universities available to the economic development community. EDA announced the grantees under the 2017 UC competition in our Denver and Austin regions.

Scam Alert

EDA has become aware of a telephone/email scam in which the perpetrator claims that the victim has won an EDA award and needs to provide personal information and a processing fee to claim it. Please note that EDA does not provide grants to individuals and does not ask individuals to disclose personal information. In addition, EDA does not require applicants to submit a processing or other fee. EDA grants can only be obtained by following procedures described in the Notices of Funding Opportunities. If you believe you have been the victim of one of these scams, or for more information, please read the following notice.

Group hopes to beef up medical manufacturing Mankato Free Press (10/10/18)

Refinery training facility the result of $1.6M grant for LSCPA
CBS 6 KFDM (10/8/18)

Stearns downtown will be revitalized with $1.1M Abandoned Mine Lands grant
The Lane Report (10/4/18)

$5.3 million grant to help revitalize Katahdin region mill site
Bangor Daily News (9/2718)

KCC to celebration project completion with Tuesday ceremony
Herald and News (9/27/18)

FedEx freight facility to open in Mercedes, creating 125 jobs
Valley Morning Star (9/20/18)