Left Behind Workers Fund, co-created by Mark Newhouse, helped distribute $38 million to people who could not legally collect government aid after the pandemic left them jobless.
Paycheck Protection Program
Posted inBusiness, COVID, News, Politics and Government
Some Colorado congressional candidates received federal financial help during COVID crisis
Republicans running this year to win back one of Colorado’s U.S. Senate seats often extol their fiscal conservative bona fides and criticize government spending. A Colorado Sun analysis shows several received federal loans or unemployment payments to weather the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic. One GOP Senate candidate received a Paycheck Protection Program […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, Equity, News
12 charts that tell you everything you need to know about Colorado’s Paycheck Protection loans
Now we know. Denver breakfast chain Snooze made it through the first year of COVID-19 thanks to a $10 million Paycheck Protection Program loan. Snooze’s loan was forgiven on June 11, according to data provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Same with Intrepid Potash, a Denver fertilizer manufacturer that said it received full forgiveness […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
Federal loans saved Colorado salons last year. But now other economic forces are cutting their profits.
When Deseo Salon and BlowDry in Denver was forced to close for two months in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, owner Sherry Velarde didn’t know what was in store for the future. Like hundreds of thousands of Colorado businesses, Velarde applied for a federal Paycheck Protection Program loan, the popular COVID-19 relief aid for […]
Posted inBusiness, COVID, Culture, Economy, News
Can televised Russian face-slapping save Denver’s sports bars?
When cardboard cutouts filled the stands and the real fans were at home on their couches, Tom Ryan and his team were plotting the rebirth of Denver’s sports bar scene. Banking on corked-up demand, they prepared for this summer’s launch of a new 14,000-square-foot pub in downtown Denver, with high-definition video screens, immersive, room-size video […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: Gig companies want workers back and are paying bonuses in Colorado
To rev up its workforce, Uber pledged this week to spend $250 million to boost incomes of drivers nationwide. While details on how this would roll out were slim, an Uber spokeswoman shared what it means for Denver drivers: $30.56 an hour. That’s the median hourly rate — not including tips! — for drivers who […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: Colorado sees more jobs return as some federal coronavirus aid programs are set to end
As spring’s milder weather and vaccine proliferation boosts businesses’ outlook on the economic recovery, Colorado’s job market has already seen improvement in the winter months, according to the latest state employment data. The state dropped 1,900 people from unemployment in February, though it wasn’t enough to make a dent in the state’s unemployment rate. February’s […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: Colorado’s job board has 82,000 openings. But are they real?
On the same day a group of frustrated and unemployed Coloradans organized a message-writing campaign to the media and politicians about unpaid jobless benefits, a group of business leaders voiced their frustrations about a related topic: jobs. “Quality of life actually starts with having a job,” Diane Schwenke, president and CEO of the Grand Junction […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
What’s Working: Forgivable loans for the unemployed, the end of pandemic jobless benefits is next week
If you are self-employed and applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance last year, please take note: A major change in the federal Paycheck Protection Program may make more sense than sticking with unemployment. The change allows sole proprietors to apply for a loan based on gross income, rather than net income. It went into effect Friday. […]
Posted inBusiness, Economy, News
Colorado’s smallest small businesses can now get larger federal coronavirus loans
Samantha Wranosky thought she was all set. As the owner of Samantha B Design in Fort Collins, the graphic designer applied, was approved for and received her first Paycheck Protection Program loan on Feb. 9. She skipped the opportunity last year because she didn’t think she’d qualify for the federal relief loans, which were very […]