From trail mix to power washing to dog training, 32 Gary business entrepreneurs picked up checks Wednesday from the city’s pot of American Rescue Plan Act federal funding to stimulate small businesses.
Gary received $80 million in ARPA funding, a 2021 measure passed by Congress to boost the economy after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, the city council earmarked $2 million for small business grants.
City officials distributed 21 checks worth $10,000 each and 11 checks of $7,500 each for a total of $292,500 during a news conference at city hall.
“Small business is the backbone of the local economy,” said Mayor Eddie Melton. “The spirit of entrepreneurship is a guiding force in our community. Their dedication and hard work will not only fuel growth in Gary, but Northwest Indiana as well.”
Melton said the ARPA funding process began under his predecessor Jerome Prince’s administration.
Applicants were screened and assessed at Indiana University Northwest where they attended a class.
Emanuel Christmas received $7,500 for his start-up, CGA Power Washing.
“One of my close friends gave me the idea for this,” he said. He plans to offer residential power washing on siding, driveways, fences and walkways.
“This means a lot. At the end of the day, I didn’t have the capital to start it on my own,” he said.
Angel Knight received $10,000 for her existing business, Trail My Mix, which she’s run for about 15 years. She offers a dozen different blends of gourmet trail mix, including a no-salt blend.
A single mom, Knight said the small business income enabled her to put her children through college.
She sells her trail mix online and frequents farmers’ markets and other events. “I have more nuts and more berries and it’s fresh,” she said.
She said she will use part of her check to teach students about marketing this year at the West Side Leadership Academy.
She’ll also attend former WNBA player and coach Bridget Pettis’ basketball camp March 26-30 at East Chicago Central High School.
Another $10,000 check winner, Lisa Bennett, said she moved back to Gary from New York to take care of an aging parent. She left a career as a consultant for Fortune 500 companies as a transformational director.
She plans to use her funding for Fearless Coaching LLC to share her corporate knowledge.
“Small businesses don’t have processes. They’re not efficient,” she said. “My job is to bring that skill set here.”
Lindsey Wright III plans to open Wright Way Kennel LLC.
“My business is to bring health and wellness to animals here in Gary,” he said. “Our dog pound here is filled. If you train an animal, it’s very unlikely it will end up in the pound.
“We not only train dogs, we make sure the owners are trained.”
Carole Carlson is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
