Local Grant Provides Discounts to Customers

The Shop in Heber Valley grant program benefits local customers and businesses.

The Shop in Heber Valley grant program was opened last week to businesses in Wasatch County. Not only will it help local businesses, but it benefits the general public as well. Businesses can apply for up to $5,000. These funds, however, must be used to reimburse huge discounts passed on to customers.

The grant is the result of the combined efforts of Wasatch County, Heber City, and Midway City. These government entities are utilizing their CARES Act funds for the grant. It is aimed at supporting Heber Valley businesses with economic hardships, as a result of the COVID pandemic.

According to Dallin Koecher, Director of Heber Valley Tourism and Economic Development, “We created this grant to help our businesses recover. The best way we thought we could do that would be to help share the load. If all of us are doing a little bit to help our businesses by shopping locally, then we’ll keep money here locally, and we’ll help those businesses thrive and survive through this pandemic.” The money received from this grant is intended to offer a “compelling discount” to customers. Businesses will then be reimbursed for the discounted amount.

The Shop in Heber Valley grant has already been awarded to several businesses in the area. These include Spin Café, Heber City Theatre, Northland Professional, and others. Although all local shopping is encouraged, “these are folks that have had a significant economic impact due to the pandemic,” Koecher explained. These businesses and others are now offering large discounts to customers, using the grant money. A list of deals can be found here: https://www.gohebervalley.com/shopinhebervalley.

By including the discounts on the website, more people can become “aware that maybe some of their favorite businesses are offering deals and discounts. . . . We’re trying to get that word out far and wide, using marketing efforts from both our own internal efforts and from those businesses’ efforts,” said Koecher.

Other resources are also available on the Go Heber Valley website. A partnership with the Utah Valley University Business Resource Center provides business coaching and consulting. Additionally, a new grant using CARES Act funds will be available on the website soon. This future grant will be distributed in larger amounts. It can be used for things like payroll, rent, and COVID-related expenses.

Grant applications and additional business help can be found at this website: https://www.gohebervalley.com/Local_Resources

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