FASTER: Building Economic Resilience in Small and Minority-Owned Businesses
By Besty Keller, County Administrator, El Paso County, Texas
El Paso County, Texas had just tamped down a pandemic spike so acute that national news organizations were broadcasting from what was called the country’s Coronavirus epicenter when County officials turned their focus to helping small businesses in the community.
The challenge from the pandemic was immense and finding a solution was novel for the County that had only launched its economic development department in 2017.
Hundreds of businesses were in crisis from having operations shut down or consumers staying home and the County had never had to create a business support program to keep alive its stores, restaurants and commercial centers.
But El Paso County quickly stepped forward with about $10 million in rainy day funds and within a few weeks formed partnerships with business and community organizations to create in Spring 2021 its Financial Assistance for Safety, Technology and Economic Resilience - or FASTER Program – that eventually helped more than 830 businesses with a portfolio of grants, loans and technical assistance.
El Paso County officials shared details of its economic recovery program during a session focused on building economic resilience in small and minority-owned businesses at ICMA’s 2022 annual conference in Columbus.
From framing out projects and fast-tracking contracts, staff and elected officials worked rapidly to meet the needs of its community, said Jose Landeros, Director of El Paso County’s Office of Capital Planning & Performance Management.
Landeros recalled serving as the County’s Planning Director and filling in as the interim economic development director when he was tasked with exploring new business support programs.
The FASTER program kept El Pasoans employed, made safer their locations for workers and the public, and provided businesses with new and resilient ways to operate including creating for themselves an online presence.
Assistant County Attorney Erica Rosales said creating agreements at a quickened pace was already a pulse-accelerating process, never mind naming the program FASTER to heighten her anxiety about taking a less than deliberate timeline.
Rosales offered to help navigate any staff from local government proceed through the steps and requirements they should keep close in forming a business support agreement.
Components of the program relied on marketing the County’s support for businesses in new but effective ways.
In addition to online marketing, the County turned to community health workers – or promotoras – who had created networks in some of the hardest to reach communities in the unincorporated regions of El Paso County.
FASTER also prompted partnerships with The El Paso Chamber, The El Paso Hispanic Chamber, LiftFund, PeopleFund, Workforce Solutions Borderplex and the El Paso Community Foundation to connect County assistance to the businesses most in need of help.
El Paso County Economic Development Director Michael Hernandez said FASTER’s success has pointed the way forward in designing the next wave of support for small businesses, which will focus heavily on technical assistance and skills development. Helping a business build capacity for itself is how you make County assistance sustainable, Hernandez said.