Grafton County Economic Development Council

Welcome!

We are a regional economic development corporation serving Grafton County, New Hampshire,  and its  39 municipalities.   By maintaining contact and communication with a wide variety of public and private partners we are well positioned to act as a catalyst for change in Grafton County.

Grafton County is the second largest of New Hampshire's ten counties, covering 1,747 square miles in the west-central part of the state.  Grafton has four Labor Market Areas with business clusters ranging from biotech to wood manufacturing.  

If you own a business and are having difficulties, please contact us.  Likewise, if you are interested in relocating or expanding a business into Grafton County, we want to help!

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Note to all Grafton County Businesses affected by Hurricane Irene ! 

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) encourages businesses of all sizes and private, nonprofit organizations affected by the severe storms and flooding from August 26 through September 6 to apply for disaster loans. Home business and vacation rental owners need to be aware they are also eligible for disaster loans from the SBA. 

The disaster declaration for New Hampshire covers the counties of Carroll and Grafton, which are eligible for both physical damage and economic injury disaster loans from the SBA. In addition small businesses and some private nonprofit organizations in the following adjacent counties are eligible to apply for SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL): Belknap, Coos, Merrimack, Strafford and Sullivan. 

Interest rates are as low as 3 percent for nonprofit organizations and 4 percent for businesses with terms up to 30 years. Loan amounts and terms are set by the SBA and are based on each applicant’s financial condition. 

SBA disaster loans are for uninsured losses. Business owners should not wait for insurance settlements before applying for SBA disaster loans. The SBA will consider making a loan for the total loss up to its loan limits, provided the borrower agrees to use insurance proceeds to reduce or repay their loan.

Types of Business Loans:

· Businesses and private nonprofit organizations of any size may borrow up to $2 million to repair or replace disaster damaged or destroyed real estate, machinery and equipment, inventory and other business assets. The SBA may increase a loan up to 20 percent of the total amount of disaster damage to real estate and/or leasehold improvements, as verified by SBA, to make improvements that lessen the risk of property damage by future disasters of the same kind. 

 · For small businesses, small agricultural cooperatives, small businesses engaged in aquaculture and most private non-profit organizations of all sizes, the SBA offers EIDL to help meet working capital needs caused by the disaster. EIDL assistance is available regardless of whether the business suffered any physical property damage. 

 Your first step is to call the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) at 1-800-621-FEMA (3362). If you use TTY, call 1-800-462-7585. If you use 711-Relay or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362 or online at www.disasterassistance.gov

The filing deadline to return applications for physical property damage is November 7, 2011. The deadline to return economic injury applications is June 7, 2012.

The US Small Business Administration has opened a Business Recovery Center at the Witherell Recreation Center, 1 Taylor Street in Lebanon, NH 03766. The hours of operation are Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Business Recovery Center will close on Thursday, October 13, at the close of business.

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The GCEDC is an equal opportunity employer, lender, and service provider.

Grafton County Economic Development Council ®2012
PO Box 178 | Plymouth, New Hampshire 03264
(603) 536-2011 or toll free at 1-888-535-0002