The Administrator: Glenda Washington
Photos by Emma Highfill, Rose Wheat Photography
When the pandemic prompted the closure of small businesses because of public health concerns in March, Glenda Washington, senior vice president of women and minority business development and chief equity and opportunity officer of the Greater Topeka Partnership, worked from home at her kitchen table trying to find solutions.
“I was torn apart about what was going to happen to these places,” she said. “I researched what other cities were doing and looked for loan programs, but then I realized some of these businesses might not have money to pay back loans. I knew the fallout could be devastating.”
RELIEF THROUGH GRANTS
As a complement to the HOST gift card promotion, she and her GTP colleagues approached the Joint Economic Development Organization about a scalable grant relief program offering payments ranging from $1,500 to $5,000 depending on a business’s employee base and other factors.
Noting that business owners “were already in a tizzy” about rapid changes taking place globally and locally, Washington said the grant process was streamlined to provide necessary validation without becoming so onerous that it overwhelmed applicants.By August 12th, the HOST 2 (Helping Others Support Topeka) grant relief program sponsored by JEDO and the GTP allocated $449,000 to 145 small business beneficiaries employing 603 full-time and 610 part-time employees in the capital city.
An oversight committee comprised of bankers and other business professionals in the community meets as needed to review all grant requests, determine eligibility and set allocations within established guidelines.
A LIFELINE FOR BUSINESS
“Without a strong foundation of small businesses, a community could just crumble,” said Washington. “Our business owners have been so grateful for the lifeline these grants have provided to help them pay their rent and other bills and save their employees’ jobs.”
Not knowing how long the economic effects of closures will linger or what funds might be needed in the event of a second wave of the pandemic, Washington says about $500,000 has been set aside for program distribution this fall.
Washington says she still encounters people who are unaware of the grant program so she and her colleagues call on businesses to let them know about the opportunity.
Even as businesses reopen, Washington says many will undergo significant, lasting changes not only in processes and procedures but in positions they do and do not fill.
“We’re looking at federal funds available through the CARES Act to help businesses retool and develop new skills for workers,” she said.
This fall the GTP will administer a survey to small businesses to determine how they fared during the crisis to help formulate recommendations for future programs encompassing a holistic approach to economic development and inclusion.
FUTURE OPTIMISM
Washington remains optimistic about the future of small businesses in Topeka, noting that 12 new entrepreneurs participated in a GTP program this year to help them launch their enterprises.
She also praises the ingenuity and perseverance of small business owners who successfully pivoted to offer goods and services in new ways during the COVID-19 crisis, like The White Linen delivering sandwiches after its dining room closed or Leaping Llamas, which moved commerce online.
“We’ve received so many thank you cards, notes and letters the past few months from business owners sharing their situations,” said Washington. “It’s made us really sad to read about their struggles and really glad that we had the HOST gift card and HOST 2 relief grant programs to help them through.”
