Mayor Menashe Miller, the Lakewood Township Committee, and the Trustees of the Lakewood Development Corporation (LDC) have announced that information and a series of business assistance services have come from Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Governor Kim Guadagno through the offices of the Economic Development Authority (EDA) that will help in the recovery of New Jersey’s businesses.
To receive this information, businesses can attend either the meeting of the Lakewood Development Corporation (LDC), Tuesday, November 13, 2012, 4:30 p.m. or visit the offices of the LDC, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Lakewood Municipal Building, 231 Third Street, Lakewood.
Businesses that need computer access to file claims may use a computer that the LDC has made available in the UEZ (Urban Enterprise Zone) office.
Among the vital services for those affected by the storm are those related to financial support, information on temporary space, and technical assistance for impacted businesses.
The business recovery assistance services are designed to support businesses and workers who may be temporarily unable to perform their jobs due to the storm. These services include:
• Guarantees of up to $500,000 for commercial lines of credit to businesses that need access to cash to improve their damaged property while awaiting insurance proceeds, with all related New Jersey Economic Development Authority fees waived. More information on this can be found at www.njeda.com/disasterrelief.
• Grant awards for businesses to assist with on-the-job training costs for new workers hired specifically to assist in disaster-related activities, such as landscaping and tree removal, construction, insurance claims, building supplies sales, materials transport, utility work, call and claims centers staffing, and infrastructure clearing and repair.
• Availability of the Business Resource Centers at any of the currently operational local One-Stop Career Centers across the state as temporary hubs for businesses to access telephone and internet services as well as for job seekers and displaced workers seeking workforce development and unemployment assistance – Temporary Hubs for Affected Business to Access Telephones and Internet Services
• Availability of services through New Jersey Youth Corps to assist non-profit, public and governmental entities in a variety of ways for disaster relief and clean-up.
• In addition, BAC’s (Business Action Center) Business Call Center is also the one-stop resource for more information on how to get businesses back up and running. The Call Center staff can assist with the following services:
• Advocating for businesses seeking information from local utilities to restore electric, phone, gas and water services.
• Advocating with insurance carriers to file and expedite claims.
• Providing information on how to qualify for federal recovery assistance, and
• Connecting businesses to the other county and local business services and to the services offered by the Small Business Administration and Small Business Development Centers that include assistance with insurance claims, as well as loans and business plan revisions.
Information for all services may be easily accessed through New Jersey’s Business Action Center (BAC) by calling 1-866-534-7789 or through the state’s business portal at www.newjerseybusiness.gov, the “one-stop” shop for business resources. Agents are also available to assist callers that speak Spanish.
For further information about best practices in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, please visit www.ready.nj.gov for continual updates.