ATLANTA - Georgia has landed $1 million in federal grants for use in promoting trade for small businesses, part of it designated for northeast and northwest Georgia only.
A $973,000 grant from the Small Business Administration will be used by the state Department of Economic Development to increase the number of small businesses in Georgia that are exporting, as well as the value of the state's exports.
The department also is gtting a $100,000 grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) to increase exports in the ARC region of Georgia... which includes Hall County and the rest of northeast Georgia and all of the northwestern corner of the state.
"Conducting international trade is a proven avenue for job growth," Gov. Nathan Deal said. "Exporting internationally has a powerful job creation effect. These grants will help us engage more fully in international commerce by educating companies across the state about how they can benefit from trade and the many export services the state provides."
The GDEcD International Trade Division will use the $973,000 grant to establish the G.R.O.W. (Georgia Reaching Out Worldwide) Step by Step Program. The grant is part of $30 million in grants the SBA awarded to states, territories, and the District of Columbia to help increase exporting by small businesses during the next 12 months. Georgia was one of only eight states to receive $900,000 or more, and received the largest grant among the Southeastern states.
The STEP grants were authorized by the Small Business Jobs Act of 2010 under the State Trade and Export Promotion Program (STEP). Launched in March 2011, this program aligns with the National Export Initiative, which calls for doubling U.S. exports in five years
Thursday
June 5th, 2025
3:48PM
