U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Gina Raimondo, today announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding a $1.7 million grant to the Searcy County Government, Arkansas. The grant is to support manufacturing business growth within the county.
The funding will be used to renovate a building in Marshall, Arkansas with the aim of establishing a frozen foods manufacturing facility. The project is expected to create new jobs and foster economic growth within the locality. Raimondo stated that initiatives like these align with President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, which aims to provide resources to create jobs and foster economic opportunity across the country.
The EDA works closely with local communities to support targeted economic growth. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development, Alejandra Y. Castillo, added that the investment would provide the necessary infrastructure for the frozen foods manufacturing facility, thereby creating a more diverse regional economy.
The project is being funded through the Additional Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act of 2019. This act provided the EDA with $600 million in additional Economic Adjustment Assistance (EAA) Program funds for disaster relief and recovery. These funds are designated for areas affected by natural disasters like hurricanes, typhoons, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, and floods that occurred in 2018 and 2019.
