Skip to content Skip to main navigation Skip to footer

Month: February 2021

The latest from the Chamber, our members, and Jefferson County

Chamber Members

The Valley Bids Farewell to Neidengard’s

From Warren Scott at the Herald-Star:

John and Kim Neidengard said preparing for the Feb. 27 closing of their 115-year-old family business is a bittersweet experience.

After selling Harley-Davidson motorcycles and related gear to hundreds of area residents, they are looking forward to spending more time riding together on the road and visiting their adult children and grandchildren.

But the couple of 23 years said they will miss seeing their regular customers, working with others to organize poker runs that have raised thousands for charity and carrying on a legacy culminating in the state’s oldest family-owned Harley-Davidson dealership.

Kim admitted she became a motorcycle fan after meeting John 28 years ago, noting his love of cycling started at an early age.

I worked here probably since I was 12,” said John, who noted it was common for children in family-run businesses to help out “as soon as you were old enough.As soon as I graduated from high school, I went to full time,” he said, adding he never thought of doing anything else.

John said in that regard, he was much like his father, John F., who had worked for his father, G.H. Neidengard, a machinist who opened the family’s first motorcycle shop at 137 South Third, Steubenville.

John said G.H. was a friend of the first Steubenville man to own a motorcycle and quickly fell in love with them. Early motorcycles were little more than bicycles with motors, noted John, but they offered low-cost transportation at a time before Henry Ford’s Model T made automobiles affordable to most people.

The Chamber would like to extend its sincere appreciation to the Neidengards for their many years of support and for representing the Jefferson County business community with passion, professionalism and care. They will be missed and remembered.

To read the full article, please click here. For WTOV9’s coverage, please click here. Visit Neidengard’s website here.

Continue reading

Small Business Administration

February 2021 Targeted EIDl Advance Information

The SBA is launching a new round of Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advances – called Targeted EIDL Advance – which provides eligible businesses with $10,000 in total grant assistance. If you received the EIDL Advance last year in an amount less than $10,000, and you meet the Targeted EIDL Advance eligibility requirements, you may be eligible to receive the difference up to the full $10,000. The combined amount of the Targeted EIDL Advance and any previously received Advance will not exceed $10,000.

Please review the eligibility criteria and application instructions below carefully before you proceed to the application portal for the Targeted EIDL Advance.

Businesses eligible for the Targeted EIDL Advance must meet ALL of the following eligibility criteria:

-Located in a low-income community, as defined in section 45D(e) of the Internal Revenue Code. SBA will map your business property address to determine if you are in a low-income community when you submit your Targeted EIDL Advance application.
-Suffered economic loss greater than 30 percent, as demonstrated by an 8-week period beginning on March 2, 2020, or later, compared to the previous year. You will be required to provide the total amount of monthly gross receipts from January 2019 to the current month-to-date.
-Must have 300 or fewer employees. Business entities normally eligible for the EIDL program are eligible, including sole proprietors, independent contractors, and private, nonprofit organizations. However, agricultural enterprises, such as farmers and ranchers, are not eligible to receive the Targeted EIDL Advance.

Continue reading

Small Business Administration

Invitation to Submit COVID-19 Targeted EIDL Advance Application

The SBA is launching a new round of Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advances – called Targeted EIDL Advance – which provides eligible businesses with $10,000 in total grant assistance. If you received the EIDL Advance last year in an amount less than $10,000, and you meet the Targeted EIDL Advance eligibility requirements, you may be eligible to receive the difference up to the full $10,000. The combined amount of the Targeted EIDL Advance and any previously received Advance will not exceed $10,000.

Please review the eligibility criteria and application instructions below carefully before you proceed to the application portal for the Targeted EIDL Advance.

Businesses eligible for the Targeted EIDL Advance must meet ALL of the following eligibility criteria:

-Located in a low-income community, as defined in section 45D(e) of the Internal Revenue Code. SBA will map your business property address to determine if you are in a low-income community when you submit your Targeted EIDL Advance application.
-Suffered economic loss greater than 30 percent, as demonstrated by an 8-week period beginning on March 2, 2020, or later, compared to the previous year. You will be required to provide the total amount of monthly gross receipts from January 2019 to the current month-to-date.
-Must have 300 or fewer employees. Business entities normally eligible for the EIDL program are eligible, including sole proprietors, independent contractors, and private, nonprofit organizations. However, agricultural enterprises, such as farmers and ranchers, are not eligible to receive the Targeted EIDL Advance.

We recommend that you have a copy of your 2019 Federal Tax Return on hand to assist you in completing the Targeted EIDL Advance application questions. You will also be asked to confirm that the information provided in your original EIDL application is still accurate. If there are any changes, you may be asked to provide documentation in order to determine if you are eligible for a Targeted EIDL Advance. Applicants that pass the initial eligibility requirements will also be required to electronically sign an IRS Form 4506-T allowing SBA to obtain tax transcripts directly from the IRS before we can approve your request for the Targeted EIDL Advance.

Continue reading

Virtual Membership Directory

A Note About the Chamber’s 2021 Membership Directory

The Chamber has received a few calls from members who want to be sure that the sale calls they are receiving from Lunar Cow, Inc. are legitimate and that they, in fact, are representing our Chamber. The answer to both of these questions is, “Yes.”

The Chamber has done a printed membership directory for over 25 years. In the past 10 years or so, we partnered with the local Herald-Star, which would sell the ads and print the booklets and pay the Chamber a small commission. They are not able to do this anymore. We have recently partnered with a very reputable company, Lunar Cow, who exclusively works with Chambers of Commerce and Visitor Bureaus. They even have many employees who are former Chamber of Commerce professionals. This spring, they will produce a beautiful, full-color membership directory that will also have a virtual version linked to our website that drastically increases your promotional reach.

By simply clicking on your ad, people will instantly be linked to your website. You are even able to change out your ad throughout the year at no charge. This is ideal for seasonal specials, events you may be hosting, or job openings you’d like to advertise. In addition, your graphic design services are included in your ad price, too.

This project has been and continues to be an important one for the Chamber since we receive a portion of the ad sales that help us in our daily operations and in providing services to you, our members.

Please take a look at our landing page here and at a portfolio of their clients and directories here. And if you are contacted by a representative from Lunar Cow, Inc., please know that they are working for the Chamber and ready and willing to help you, should you be interested in advertising.

Continue reading