These Livermore Companies Got The Biggest PPP Loans

LIVERMORE, CA — More than 350 Livermore companies were among the 87,000 California businesses and non-profits that received loans from the federal Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, to help pay their employees during the coronavirus pandemic, according to data released this week.

The loans, which varied in amount, were established as part of the federal government's CARES Act and are forgiven as long as businesses keep employees on their payroll, without cutting pay.

On Monday, the U.S. Small Business Administration released data showing that nearly 5 million businesses have received PPP loans of more than $150,000 — totaling more than $521 billion. The U.S. Treasury says the money has supported 51.1 million jobs.

In California, more than 4.1 million jobs have been retained thanks to loans of greater than $150,000, according to the SBA. They went to a variety of organizations, from small restaurants to large companies with hundreds of employees.

The Livermore businesses and nonprofits approved for the highest loan bracket, receiving between $5 million and $10 million, included:

• Lilja Corporation
• Quickserve Enterprises
• Wente Bros.

The Livermore businesses and nonprofits approved for the second-highest loan bracket, receiving between $2 million and $5 million, included:

• AMS Restaurants
• AMS.net
• ARBM Inc., and Q&W inc.
• Evans Brothers
• Homesite Services
• IMG Companies
• Ishar Investiments
• Kier & Wright Civil Engineers and Surveyors
• MCH Electric
• Prime Mechanical Service
• Protective Optics
• Quikserve Northwest
• RJC
• RJMS Corporation
• Tennyson Electric
• Westco Iron Works

These 10 Livermore businesses and nonprofits reported plans to retain the most workers, thanks to their PPP loan:

• Wente Bros. (500 jobs retained)
• Quikserve Northwest (500 jobs retained)
• ARBM Inc., and Q&W Inc. (383 jobs retained)
• LJ Interiors (350 jobs retained)
• Green Valley Group (270 jobs retained)
• Westco Iron Works (257 jobs retained)
• RJC (250 jobs retained)
• RJMS Corp. (234 jobs retained)
• Quikserve Concepts (215 jobs retained)
• FJC Management (204 jobs retained)

Want to see how other Livermore businesses fared? View this searchable database of all California companies that received PPP loans here.

Patch staffers Nick Garber, Lucas Combos and Shannon Antinori contributed to this report.