In case you missed it…we want to thank our members and partners who attended last week’s city commission meeting to support our request for the Elevate Fund. We are very happy that we received a 4-0 vote from the commission to approve $250,000 to kick-off this important endeavor.
We appreciate the commission and city staff for helping get this important project off the ground. As a reminder, the Elevate Fund will be a new revolving loan fund to help entrepreneurs in start-up ventures and/or help small businesses grow. We are now working to get the fund implemented and are targeting late third quarter or early fourth quarter 2023 for roll-out.
What you might have missed as well was the announcement earlier this month that the City of Manhattan received a $1.5 million grant to develop an entrepreneurship center in Aggieville. The potential new space would bring together organizations in Manhattan that work extensively with entrepreneurs into one location.
This concept was first introduced in Region Reimagined as a “center of gravity” for the entrepreneurial ecosystem. The plan also stressed the recommendation that it be in a walkable district close to campus.
While we are thrilled that the Kansas Department of Commerce approved this important Manhattan project, unfortunately they did not fund the full request. We are continuing to work with our partners at the City of Manhattan and Kansas State University to develop a plan to fund the entire project and bring this important project to fruition.
The Manhattan Area Chamber of Commerce is committed to small business and entrepreneurial development. We understand our future economic well-being relies on a vibrant small business community and we will continue to fight for initiatives that support this effort.
Look for more details to come.