Eligibility criteria for Idaho Rebound grants announced

Idaho Gov. Brad Little announced Monday the full eligibility criteria and process for small businesses to apply for an Idaho Rebound cash grant.

Little announced last week that $300 million in cash grants will be made available to Idaho small businesses impacted by COVID-19. No other state in the country is putting up more money in direct cash support for small businesses. Cash grants of up to $10,000 will be directly deposited into the bank accounts for eligible businesses. More than 30,000 businesses could benefit.

The Governor’s Coronavirus Financial Advisory Committee finalized the eligibility criteria and related details. Applications will be handled in two waves:
• Eligible entities with one to 19 employees may apply starting at noon May 11 through noon May 18.
• Eligible entities with one to 50 employees may apply starting at noon May 18 through noon May 22.

All applicants must first establish a secure Taxpayer Access Point (TAP) account if they do not already have one, in order to protect their personal and business information on submitted applications.

All eligibility criteria, information on how to apply along with instructions on how to gain a TAP account are available at https://rebound.idaho.gov/idaho-rebound-cash-grants-for-small-businesses/.

Recipients of the grants will be shared at Transparent.Idaho.Gov when information is available.

'Look, Ask, Share' plan for local businesses rolls out

In accordance with Idaho Governor Brad Little’s phased plan to safely reopen Idaho businesses, the cities of Ammon and Idaho Falls and Bonneville County have joined with officials from the Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce, the Idaho Falls Downtown Development Corp. and the Better Business Bureau to unveil the “Look, Ask, Share” campaign.

"Look, Ask, Share" is being done in conjunction with U.S. Sen. Jim Risch’s "Support Local Gems" campaign and Governor Little’s "Idaho Rebounds" four-phase plan to reopen Idaho, said Idaho Falls Mayor Rebecca Casper. “We know businesses are eager to reopen. This is a way for them to show customers that they are opening responsibly and are thoughtful about providing for their health and safety in this era of COVID-19.”

Under Little’s phased plan, all businesses are asked to have plans to keep customers and employees safe. All businesses are supposed to follow general guidelines as outlined on the website rebound.idaho.gov.

Once a business has a plan and is ready to reopen, or even if is open already, it can visit www.eastidaholocalgems.com to verify it and download “Look, Ask, Share” materials.  They can also find links to the site on the city’s webpage as well as webpages of the other participating agencies.

Businesses will be able to access "Look, Ask, Share" materials that they can post online and in their places of business to show they have a plan. Customers are asked to share their experiences online, on Facebook, other social media or through word-of-mouth, about their experiences. They can provide the business a good review, say thanks, follow them online or recommend them to others.

“Our businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy,” Casper said. “We want to support them and recognize them. We want people to get back to work. 'Look, Ask, Share' is 100 percent designed to support that effort.”

INL opens Rapid Tech Deployment Program in response to pandemic

In response to President Trump’s declaration that the COVID-19 pandemic has become a national emergency, Idaho National Laboratory’s Technology Deployment organization has launched the Rapid Technology Deployment Program.

This program supports national relief efforts by transitioning INL innovations to industry as expeditiously as possible and removing possible delays or burdens on partners. Following the model of Sandia National Laboratories, which announced earlier this month that it would open its portfolio of technology patents for free licensing, INL will open a substantial portion of its unencumbered patent portfolio to any U.S. company that can use available inventions to help solve the current national crisis and drive strong economic development.

Under this program, any U.S. company will be able to obtain a term-limited, non-negotiable, royalty-free, non-exclusive license to any INL-owned U.S. patent not otherwise subject to a contractual obligation. The Rapid Technology Deployment Program initially makes nearly 140 pieces of intellectual property available for licensing, all of which would carry these favorable terms through the end of calendar year 2020.

“This program will accelerate the transition of premier national laboratory technologies to the private sector so innovative solutions can be leveraged to respond to the current crisis,” said Jason Stolworthy, director of Technology Deployment at INL. “We are making technology transfer as simple as possible. INL looks forward to partnering with industry in support of the national effort to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19.”

To browse INL’s portfolio of available technologies, visit its library of eligible intellectual property here and preview the license agreement here. For more information, visit inl.gov. If a technology of interest is identified, please email td@inl.gov and a Technology Deployment representative will contact you to discuss licensing opportunities.

A Taste of the South | Grandpa's Bar-B-Q

Lloyd and Loretta Westbrook

Lloyd and Loretta Westbrook have been serving east Idaho Southern soul food since 1995. After taking an early out from his job at the Idaho National Laboratory, Lloyd decided to pursue his dream of bringing Southern barbeque to east Idaho. Against all odds, their first location in Arco was a hit. Travelers would come long distances just to eat their food and word got around that they served the best barbeque in the state.

Unfortunately, in 2002 there was a devastating fire on the desert around Arco. It decimated the vegetation and as a result, the Idaho wind would whip up dust storms that were so severe it would close the highway. Arco businesses paid the toll, including Grandpa's Bar-B-Q. It was at this point that Lloyd and Loretta decided to move into Idaho Falls and re-open the restaurant there.

“You put a little love and special spices in there,” Lloyd says of making soul food. He says that he learned how to cook during his youth watching his family and helping. Although he left to serve in the Army and do some other work, the restaurant business lured him back in.



When Lloyd and Loretta speak of being minority business owners in Arco they said, “It's interesting.” Lloyd tells stories of local challenges as well as support. “It was the travelers that really supported us,” Lloyd said. “For all of us it was an experience,” Loretta said.

The Westbrooks did what they could to open up a dialogue around what everyone had in common rather than focus on the differences. Once they moved to Idaho Falls in 2002 they continued to face challenges, including having their building set on fire. “I think it opened people's eyes in the community,” Lloyd said. “Since then, there have been no other overt happenings like that.”

Despite the challenges of the stay-home order for the state because of the coronavirus, they have maintained business, although it's not as busy. They are open for curbside pickup and will do some delivery. “We had to be creative, we needed to cut hours,” Loretta said. They are hopeful going forward that business will come back and that diners will show up. “We've had to go into our savings to cover our expenses,” said Loretta.

Despite the challenges they have faced they remain committed to serving the residents of east Idaho and beyond with love and passion for the work. When asked about what advice they would have for future business owners, Lloyd said, “Have your ducks in a row.” They recommend having a plan and doing your homework before you go forward, to make sure you set yourself up for success. 

Information

For more information on Grandpa's Bar-B-Q check out their website at http://grandpassouthernbbq.com/.
Or on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Grandpas-Southern-Bar-B-Q

INL transfers laptops to CEI for cybersecurity program

Reprinted from INL.gov

It may have to wait until the coronavirus subsides, but as it seeks to develop a new generation of cybersecurity professionals, Idaho National Laboratory is looking to the College of Eastern Idaho (CEI) as a natural source of homegrown talent.

This last winter, the lab arranged to transfer 30 laptop computers so CEI can set up a laboratory that mirrors INL’s own Security Operations Center. The college is establishing the computing lab inside of a 10,000-square-foot building CEI is leasing on South Yellowstone Highway.

“It’s one thing to learn in theory and another to learn in a real setting,” said CEI President Rick Aman.

When INL transitioned from Windows 7 to Windows 10 at the end of 2019, the lab found itself with spare laptops from its “loaner pool.” These were computers the lab loaned to employees on travel or remote assignments, said Dale Batt, cybersecurity analyst. They are serviceable, with years of life left on them, and hardware capable of handling the latest software.

The laptops were prepared and transferred to the college in March, coinciding with the shelter-in-place orders in response to the pandemic. Although they will eventually support CEI’s cyber program, all 30 laptops have been temporarily repurposed and given to CEI instructors for distance learning classes.

While INL has channels for disposing of surplus equipment, and procedures to be followed, it makes exceptions in the case of transfers to colleges and universities. INL’s relationship with CEI extends back to when it was Eastern Idaho Technical College. After voters approved the formation of CEI in 2017, the lab reached out to the school’s leadership about establishing a curriculum for a two-year associate degree in cybersecurity.

“As INL became more recognized for high-performance computing, we became aware that we needed to be involved at the entry level,” Aman said.

Cybersecurity talent is in demand nationwide, Batt said. “It’s a major challenge we have. At a certain point, we decided that we needed to start growing our own.”

INL already hires interns from CEI all year, so establishing a degree brings more formality to the existing relationship. Under the new curriculum, for the first year, students would take CEI’s networking classes. In the second year, the emphasis would shift to cybersecurity training.

“This is such a great career field,” Aman said. “And from where we are, if it works for the lab, 90% of it would work for any business, like health care or food processing. As you develop, simulations become more and more important. That’s why these computers are going to be so much help.”
Linda Montgomery, INL Knowledge Management director, has been designated the lab’s official liaison to CEI. She said the availability of the laptops couldn’t have been timed better. “We said, ‘Here’s a collision of two great opportunities.’” It gives INL a chance to do something meaningful for students in the area, and it provides a potential source of new talent.

There is a statewide push to bring more cybersecurity training to community colleges, Montgomery said. In fact, representatives from Idaho’s four community colleges met with INL experts at CEI on Feb. 17 to discuss how the lab’s resources might be leveraged statewide.

At INL’s Collaborative Computing Center, which opened in 2019, a server has been donated for knowledge sharing for Idaho colleges and community colleges to use through the Idaho Regional Optical Network (IRON), a dedicated high-speed fiber optic network that supports research, health care, education and government needs. CEI’s computing center is linked to IRON, creating what they call a “cyber sandbox.”

Once a student with a two-year degree is in the door at INL, the possibilities open up, Montgomery said. Lab employees at all levels are encouraged to continue their studies, seek degrees and pursue professional licensing and certification. To help make this possible, INL covers tuition and fees from accredited institutions.

This is not only good for participants, but also ensures continuity and stability for the lab. In 2019, the graduate retention rate for employee education recipients was 97%.

“They can learn on the job and work their way up to the research level,” Montgomery said. “We just have an incredible opportunity here.”