This Week @ WREN, 3/1/21

HI FRIENDS,



How did you spend your weekend?

While we certainly kept busy with all sorts of online and in store sales (as well as planning for the next round of virtual classes!), we also found time to appreciate the changeability of weather in the North Country. 
Without a doubt, spring is coming, even if it’s peppered with a few more big winter storms. As we listen to the rain drip dropping outside our windows and watch the fog weave around the buildings on Bethlehem’s Main Street, we’re reminded yet again of the changes that makes each season up here oh so memorable. 
That being said, if you’re not quite ready yet to let go of winter, we don’t blame you!That’s one of many reasons why we’ve chosen to keep “Winter in the Whites” running in the Gallery at WREN and down at the Adair Inn for another whole month.

If you love frosty mountaintops, the crisp glow of untouched snow, and winds that make you cinch your hood a bit tighter, we invite you to revel in the last few weeks of the season and take in the works of Rebecca M. Fullerton, Daryl Hawk, Michele Johnsen, and Chris Whiton. 

Besides gallery gazing, this week is all about the next Roundtable Wednesday! Our online discussion series is growing bit by bit every single month, but there’s always room for more. WREN members and community fans, here’s our rallying cry for the week: let’s all get together on Zoom at noon! See you 3/3.

Can you believe it’s already been almost a month since our last Roundtable Wednesday? 
This Wednesday at 12pm, we will be joined by three experts in their field. 
These experts include Miguel A. Moralez (Economic Development Specialist) and Rachel Roderick (Deputy District Director) from the Small Business Administration (SBA), and Tom Lane, a freelance web development professional who has become an irreplaceable part of the WREN community through his work as an online instructor.  
Over the course of our 1-hour community discussion, Miguel and Rachel will cover small business need-to-knows, and Tom Will review Zoom how-to’s. Sounds kind of like a can’t-miss, huh?

TOPIC: Roundtable Wednesdays @ WREN: 3.3.21TIME: Mar 3, 2021 12:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meetinghttps://zoom.us/j/96620845995?pwd=bFZnbG56WVh4QXlxNVpFTkxmOTFuZz09
Meeting ID: 966 2084 5995Passcode: 818961
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You’ve probably seen the word CDBG pop up a lot in our weekly e-newsletters, but have you ever read a bit more about this amazing grant? 
For more than fifteen years, hundreds of emerging and established WREN business owners have received support in growing their enterprises, thanks to Community Development Block Grant dollars. 
Funding for this program flows from HUD to the CDFA to Grafton County and then to WREN. Each year we receive funds to assist fifty businesses. As long as a business owner meets our program guidelines, she/he may receive up to three years of free assistance.
Selection for this program depends on three factors: the likelihood that the emerging or established business will grow its earnings and jobs over time, as well as family size and income. As an example of these last two factors, a single person currently living in Grafton County would be eligible if their annual income is less than $40,900.
ELIGIBLE BUSINESS OWNERS RECEIVE THE FOLLOWING ASSISTANCE:
·        A free annual WREN membership, valued at $75·        Free enrollment in all WREN’s business development classes·        Free one-on-one assistance from WREN staff and consultants
In return for this support, participants are expected to annually share data on their business income and expenses for the prior year, current number of employees, total wages, salaries or owner’s draw paid in the prior year, and total business loans taken in the current year.

The Adair Country Inn & Restaurant is the official sponsor of the Gallery at WREN.