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Naturally Lewis Awards $100,000 to Six Lewis County Businesses

January 14, 2024

Lewis County, NY – Naturally Lewis is excited to announce the recipients of the Building Business Fund, an opportunity designed to provide matching funds to businesses looking to scale-up their business operations through various “tools.” A total of $100,000 has been awarded to six businesses in Lewis County. The awarded projects are estimated to have an impact of over $346,000 for the local economy.

The Building Business Fund aims to assist businesses that are looking to expand or diversify their business and demonstrate an overall benefit to the community with matching grants greater than $10,000. The competition for this opportunity was particularly competitive with a total of 28 applications with over $1,000,000 in funding requests. The award recipients are as follows:

  1. Red Barn Meats (Croghan, NY) | $40,000 funding will assist with new refrigeration to support their smokehouse expansion project 
  1. Tug Hill Estate (Lowville, NY) | $20,000 funding will assist with a new walk-in cooler and freezer to support their growing list of weddings, events and dinners that require catered services.
  1. E.M.M. Heating Services LLC | $10,000 funding will assist with the purchase of a geothermal installation trailer and tools to support the expansion of his services.
  1. Hopenhagen Farms (Copenhagen, NY) | $10,000 funding will assist with the purchase of a compact tractor to support their growth of accessible agritourism tours for all ages and stages.
  1. HumbleBee Farms (Lyons Falls, NY) | $10,000 funding will assist with the purchase of equipment to establish a retail market and order fulfillment center.
  2. Open Sky Wellness, LLC (Lowville, NY) | $10,000 funding will assist with the purchase of kitchen appliances and tools to establish a commercial kitchen for educational purposes.

Funds for this opportunity have been made available through Naturally Lewis’ Community Economic Development Program. This program was created through a Host Community Agreement in partnership with Number Three Wind. Through this agreement, Number Three Wind has committed approximately $150,000 per year - for the next 30 years - to be invested into Lewis County through new business development and impactful community projects.  Program focuses are determined on an annual basis by the Community Economic Development Program Committee and will be available each year. 

Applications for this program underwent an evaluation process by the Community Economic Development Program Committee, comprising six community leaders and one representative from the Lewis County Development Corporation Board.  The Lewis County Development Corporation Board has given authority to the Community Economic Development Program Committee to determine awards at the time of application review. 

For more information about the Building Business Fund, the 2024 Community Economic Development Program focuses, and other Naturally Lewis initiatives, please visit naturallylewis.com or follow Naturally Lewis on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn at @naturallylewis. 

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