Avon Lake Grants $87,000 To Local Businesses

AVON LAKE, OH — This week, Avon Lake City Council approved this year's recipients of the city's Job Growth Incentive Program. Nearly $87,000 in grants will go to local businesses through the program.

“We are more grateful this year than ever to have this program,” said Avon Lake's Economic Development Director Ted Esborn. “During this coronavirus crisis, we are able to send checks to some of our businesses. We wish we could send them to all our businesses, and we wish that all the grants were large enough to cover some actual costs. But we are grateful still because the timing of this program is allowing us to get desperately needed funds out there to our businesses at a time of great need.”

This year's largest grants went to Ford Motor Company ($50,000), Discount Drug Mart, Lubrizol, Performance Health, Thogus Products and Chemtron. Officials said 72 businesses in Avon Lake will receive some form of grant through the program.

Each spring, city officials review the business income tax for every business in Avon Lake. Each business that had a year-over-year increase in income tax receives a grant from the city, worth 25 percent of the increase, with a maximum grant of $50,000 and a minimum of $25.

For-profit businesses throughout the city are eligible for the grants. Home-based companies do not quality.

“We have seen several small businesses qualify for a check each year. This is a testament to their hard work and business acumen. Other businesses produce a product that is more cyclical in demand by its very nature. This program also provides an opportunity for them to earn a refund as
the years pass. We appreciate your presence in our community. We congratulate them all," Mayor Greg Zilka said.

Companies should receive their grant checks during the week of April 20, city officials said.

The program was created in 2012 and reauthorized in 2017. City officials said they use the program as a business retention tool.