Business Development
The Business Resource Center (BRC) was established to support future and existing small businesses within the Mid Mon Valley region.
The Center is located at 235 W Main Street in Monongahela, PA. ​
Connecting You To The Resources That Matter!
MVAF BRC
The BRC is both a program and a physical space of the Mon Valley Alliance Foundation. At the BRC, we provide educational opportunities, capacity building resources, and technical assistance for small businesses to launch, grow, and thrive.
To achieve this, we’ve forged partnerships with several organizations to ensure small businesses have access to a wide variety of supports and programs.​ No handouts, just the “hand up” that we all need from time to time.
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It's no secret that small businesses play a key role in building strong, thriving communities. Local entrepreneurs are not only responsible for a significant share of job creation, but they also drive wealth circulation within the area. By keeping money within a community, small businesses advance economic stability and foster long-term growth.
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The MVAF recognizes that small businesses within the Mid Mon Valley have unique challenges distinct from their peers elsewhere in the Southwestern Pennsylvania region. Since the Mid Mon Valley communities are situated at the intersection of four local counties (Fayette, Greene, Washington, and Westmoreland) and are distant from their respective County seats, these small river towns have less access to resources and supports that are specifically designed to help businesses prosper.​
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Our vision is for all small business owners in the Mid Mon Valley to have access to the resources, and educational opportunities they seek for their businesses to grow, scale and thrive.
REGIONAL ENTERPRISE ZONE
The Mid Mon Valley Regional Enterprise Zone (MMVREZ) is a 14 member community enterprise zone program certified under the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Enterprise Zone Program.
Business Tax Credits
REZ Benefits
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Enterprise Zone program provides a number of advantages for qualifying businesses located within enterprise zones or those seeking to locate within an Enterprise Zone (EZ).
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Priority consideration for other Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) grants and loan funds.
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Eligible to apply for competitive low-interest loans for rehabilitation, expansion, improvement to a building(s), improvement to land, engineering, architecture, or acquisition.
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The lowest statewide prevailing interest rates on DCED business development loan programs.
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Eligible to apply for up to a 25% tax credit applied to up to $500,000 of the cost of building construction, expansion, or improvements.
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Designation as Socially and Economically Restricted Businesses to confer advantage in bidding on state government contracts.
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Qualifying businesses are private companies, including agricultural, industrial, manufacturing, or research and development enterprises (real estate developers) within Pennsylvania. Qualifying businesses include any enterprise defined by the Pennsylvania Industrial Development Authority Act or the Pennsylvania Economic Development Financing Law. Employment opportunities need be created for low-income individuals located in the zone.
REZ Communities
Washington County
SSBCI REVOLVING LOAN FUND
The Mon Valley Alliance, has been awarded $750,000 in American Rescue Plan Funding, through the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI) to spur success and job creation opportunities in the Mid Mon Valley through non-traditional small business lending. MVA will be offering loans up to $50,000 to Very Small Businesses (VSB) and Socially and Economically Disadvantaged Individuals - owned businesses (SEDI-owned businesses) for development and expansion projects focused on creating and retaining jobs.​
Business Capital
Match Requirements
Very Small Businesses (VSB)
A VSB means a business with fewer than 10 employees at the time of the loan, investment, or other credit/equity support and includes independent contractors and sole proprietors. A business that has 10 or more employees following an SSBCI transaction will not be considered a VSB for purposes of subsequent loans or investments.
Socially & Economically Disadvantaged Individuals- Owned Businesses
(SEDI-owned businesses)
Business enterprises that certify that they are owned and controlled by individuals who have had their access to credit on reasonable terms diminished as compared to others in comparable economic circumstances, due to their:
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membership of a group that has been subjected to racial or ethnic prejudice or cultural bias within American society
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gender
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veteran status
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limited English proficiency
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physical handicap
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long-term residence in an environment isolated from the mainstream of American society
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membership of a federally or state-recognized Indian tribe
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long-term residence in a rural community
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residence in a U.S. territory
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residence in a community undergoing economic transitions (including communities impacted by the shift towards a net-zero economy or deindustrialization)
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membership of another “underserved community” as defined in Executive Order 13985
The revolving loan funds must be matched 1:1
For every $1 of public funding received through this loan program,
businesses must secure $1 of private funding.
This helps businesses get the extra support they need to grow and create jobs.
Interest Rates
The interest rate on all loans will be a minimum of 4% or
1.5% below the Prime Interest Rate, whichever is higher.
Eligible Industries
Commercial
Industrial
Manufacturing
Retail
Service
Potential Uses
Working Capital
Purchasing Machinery, Equipment, and other Fixed Assets
New Construction, Alteration, Modification
Repair or Renovations of Existing Facilities
SECOND & MCKEAN DEVELOPMENT
Charleroi Business Development
Site of the old Atlas and Bill's Feed buildings, MVA has constructed a 6,300 SF office building that now houses PA CareerLink
Demolition
In 2017, the Mon Valley Alliance (MVA) acquired the former Atlas Warehouse site under its Blight Remediation Program for Charleroi Borough due to years of unpaid property taxes and condemnation. There were no interested developers and the structure was collapsing, posing a danger to the public and surrounding businesses.
The Charleroi Area School District, as property owner, was responsible for the demolition cost of the property. An agreement was reached for Charleroi Borough to commit HUD-CDBG funds for the building’s demolition, ownership would be transferred to the MVA, and the MVA would work to redevelop the property.
Since that time, MVA has spent internal funding to prepare the site for redevelopment, In addition, in 2021, MVA purchased the neighboring 4 properties through acquisition and demolition. With 5 parcels total, the new development will bring new development to half a city block.
Development
The Mon Valley Alliance (MVA) hosted a groundbreaking ceremony On November 2nd, 2024 to celebrate the construction kickoff of a 6,485 square foot office building located at Second Street and McKean Avenue in Charleroi, PA.
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Six years after the demolition of the former Atlas Warehouse building, the purchase of neighboring properties, and the demolition of existing structures, new construction will begin immediately in Downtown Charleroi. Today marks the beginning of a nearly $2,000,000 construction project that will serve as the gateway to Charleroi Borough and house PA CareerLink® services in a modern office building designed to serve the residents and employers in the Mon Valley Communities.
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Grand Opening
In July 2024 PA CareerLink moved its Mon Valley office from Donora to Charleroi in an effort to provide a more convenient location for its clients. PA CareerLink held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on August 15th, 2024 at the new offices located at 130 McKean Ave.
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