The Southern Virginia Regional Alliance (SVRA) and Virginia’s Growth Alliance (VGA) have joined forces with a number of other collaborative partners to create a Bridge to Recovery program to support the GO Virginia Region 3 service area as it recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic.
GO Virginia State Board approved $925,000 for Bridge to Recovery to provide immediate and impactful support to businesses through the multiple recovery periods of the pandemic and bridge supply chain needs of companies with service providers.
“This is wonderful news for Region 3,” said chairman Randy Lail. “These projects relate to the impact that COVID-19 has had on businesses throughout our region, specifically the Bridge to Recovery project led by Southern Virginia Regional Alliance and Virginia’s Growth Alliance. These two regional economic development organizations span all of Region 3 and will bring needed resources to help businesses recover.” He adds, “These projects also illustrate the ability of GO Virginia to pivot quickly as circumstances change.”
Bridge to Recovery will create a network that enables businesses who need specific professional services or products due to COVID-19, to connect with businesses in the Region 3 footprint who have those services and products. Those with the alliances hope to make it an efficient way for businesses to find what they need to re-open or grow during this unusual economic situation.
The program’s vision is to ensure the support is immediate, that it deploys the GO Virginia contributions to work inside the region and that it makes a lasting impact on the businesses it supports. The funds will be leveraged by an organizational match with potential for public and private sector contributions and will provide support to businesses located within all localities in GO Virginia Region 3.
SVRA economic developers and partners formed the SoVa COVID-19 Task Force and VA economic developers and partners formed the SoVa COVID-19 Task Force and expanded to include chambers of commerce across the SVRA region in March. Virginia’s Growth Alliance joined the effort and, in April, expanded it across the eastern GO Virginia Region 3 territory. Region 3 territory consists of the cities of Danville and Martinsville and the counties of Amelia, Brunswick, Buckingham, Charlotte, Cumberland, Halifax, Henry, Lunenburg, Mecklenburg, Nottoway, Patrick, Pittsylvania, and Prince Edward. The Task Force has polled, surveyed and benchmarked data for existing industry needs and best practices among other regions and states. The Bridge to Recovery program supports a further assessment of supply chain needs for recovery as well as identification of suppliers. In addition, it provides funding for the company or service provider solutions and PPE needs.
The following businesses are invited to apply as a prequalified supplier:
- Suppliers of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)
- Companies who provide PPE conversions (construction and building projects for COVID-19)
- Service providers who help companies with COVID-19 issues (i.e. accounting, legal, human resources, deep cleans, etc.) Utilizing companies on this prequalified supplier listing will allow businesses to receive a cost match payment to suppliers of up to $20,000.
Apply online at www.SoVaBridgeToRecovery.com to be on the list of prequalified suppliers and to apply for funding to support COVID-19 recovery work for your business or contact Lgreen@SVRA.org or Jeff@vagrowth.com.