ADRIAN — The Adrian Armory Events Center is one of 35 organizations in communities throughout Michigan that recently received grant funding through the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s (MEDC) Match on Main program.
The grant of $25,000 was awarded to the Adrian Armory, 230 W. Maumee St., through the Adrian Downtown Development Authority (DDA). Events center representative Mark Murray said plans are in place to use the grant funding for the purchase of additional kitchen equipment to support an already existing incubator kitchen.
The Match on Main program awarded a total of $807,673 in grants to businesses and communities across Michigan which are aimed at supporting small, local businesses to create resiliency and to strengthen downtowns, according to a news release.
“We are very excited about receiving this grant,” Murray said Monday. “We were actually shocked that we were awarded the grant dollars, because we honestly didn’t think we would fit into the category of winners.”
Match on Main is a reimbursement grant program that serves as a tool to support new or expanding place-based businesses by providing up to $25,000 in funding. In order to receive funding, eligible small businesses must have submitted an application administered and managed by a local unit of government, a downtown development authority or another downtown management or community development organization where the business is located.
The $25,000 will assist the Armory in purchasing kitchen accessories, tools and a 10-by-12 walk-in cooler, all of which are needed improvements to the Armory’s commercial MakerSpace Kitchen which is a part of the Armory’s Launch Lenawee business development program it houses for entrepreneurs and small businesses.
“The core nature of the (Launch Lenawee) program is to get prospective small business owners out of their garages or living rooms and into a storefront space, specifically somewhere within central Lenawee County,” Murray said.
The Launch Lenawee incubator kitchen at the Armory is currently being utilized by two caterers, and two bakers are just about ready to join the modest-sized kitchen, Murray said. The planned developments with the Match on Main funding will ensure the needs of these businesses and the people in the kitchen are continually met.
“We think we can handle four or five individual operators within the kitchen,” Murray said. “Basically, what we do is we help them with their business plans in order to get them up and running.”
Industry chefs, bakers, retail, wholesale specialty food producers, caterers and other food service entrepreneurs are able to benefit from the education, networking, mentoring and microlending offered through the incubator kitchen.
The awarded grant money was welcomed not only by Murray and the Armory, but also Lenawee County’s state Sen. Dale Zorn, R-Onsted, and the Downtown Adrian Main Street/DDA Board.
“The targeted investments from the Match on Main program are designed to help boost our economy, improve our downtowns and enhance the quality of life for Michigan families,” Zorn said in a news release. “This funding will help the Adrian Armory Community Center meet its goals of creating a more vibrant Lenawee County through educational programs and small business development services.”
“Increased storage capacity would provide a larger baking and catering operation,” a news release from Downtown Adrian and Main Street DDA Executive Director Jay Marks said. “This larger baking and catering capacity would provide an opportunity to sell products to storefronts in our downtown as well as catering larger events in the community.”
The statewide grants are expected to create or retain 296 full-time jobs, and the projects are expected to generate a total private investment of more than $2.7 million, according to a news release from Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s office. Of the 35 grant recipients, 26 are existing and nine are new businesses, Whitmer’s release said. Eight of the 35 communities are first-time recipients of the Match on Main grants.
“Michigan’s small businesses and traditional downtowns are the heart of our communities, and with (the Dec. 12) Match on Main grants, we are helping small businesses in both peninsulas grow while further developing unique and inviting places that attract talent and new investment,” Whitmer said. “These grants will help our vibrant downtowns continue to thrive in all corners of the state.”
Grants may be used by the recipients for eligible expenses that support technical assistance, interior building renovations, permanent or semipermanent activation of an outdoor space, permanent or semipermanent business infrastructure related to COVID-19 recovery efforts, and other working capital needs such as marketing needs and inventory expenses. Additional needs identified by the business and supported by the local community are also considered.