INL offering tech-based economic development grants

Idaho National Laboratory is taking applications from non-profit organizations for its 2021 technology-based economic development grants.

INL’s Economic Development mission is to stimulate economic development, support new business growth, recruit new talent and support entrepreneurship throughout Idaho. To achieve these goals, grants are offered to support economic development efforts. Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Their ability to support the growth of businesses in our region, especially those related to energy, the environment and national security.
• Expected return on investment and impact to the community.
• Level of innovation and outreach to impact underserved areas or populations.

Organizations must be 501(c)(3) non-profit entities. Successful applicants must provide a copy of their IRS tax-exempt letter to receive funding.
 
The deadline for grant requests is Nov. 30, 2020. Applications submitted after the deadline will not be included in the review process. Decisions will be made by Jan. 15, 2021. Notifications will be sent to requesting organizations informing them of funding awards. Funds are for projects for the period of Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2021.
 
For full details on all programs, visit www.inl.gov. Links can be found by clicking on Partner With INL in the top right corner of the page, then choosing Economic and Workforce Development.

Mo' Bettahs restaurant slated for Sandcreek Commons

Mo’ Bettahs Hawaiian-style restaurant is scheduled to open at the end of April 2021 at the Sandcreek Commons shopping center in Ammon.

The restaurant will occupy approximately 2,600-square-feet of the new 7,600-square-foot building currently under construction in the Sandcreek Commons shopping center. It will share the space with Firehouse Subs and America’s Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, according to a press release from Ball Ventures, the company that owns the building jointly with Woodbury Corp. of Salt Lake City.

The regional fast-casual restaurant chain was founded in Bountiful, Utah in 2008. The Ammon location will be the 22nd restaurant for the chain and the second location in Idaho.

Founded by Kalani and Kimo Mack, two brothers born and raised in Hawaii, Mo’ Bettahs aims to “transport you to a Hawaiian island experience” and strives to bring the authentic flavor of Hawaiian dishes to all who step in their restaurants.The menu features teriyaki chicken, teriyaki steak, kalua pork, and a breaded and deep-fried chicken katsu. Mo’ Bettah’s offers drive-thru, dine-in, delivery and catering service.

Interview with Kalani and Kimo Mack from 2017

“Mo’ Bettah’s Hawaiian Style is unlike any other restaurant in the Idaho Falls/Ammon area,” said Eric Isom, Ball Ventures' chief development officer. “Working with Mo’ Bettah’s management has been a pleasure. We can’t wait for the community to enjoy their delicious menu.”

“We are excited to be joining the thriving community of Ammon, Idaho,” says Andrew Smith, General Partner of the Savory Restaurant Fund where Mo’ Bettahs sits as one of their portfolio brands. “The state of Idaho and its communities have been a great place for us, the public loves our food and we are thrilled with this new project in Ammon.”

Companies involved in the design and construction include Wind River Construction, HK Contractors, Horrocks Engineers and Dixon & Associates. Brent Wilson with TOK Commercial is the listing broker for Sandcreek Commons.

INL small business subcontracting, purchasing hit new high in FY 2020

Despite being an incredibly challenging year, FY 2020, which ended Sept. 30, saw Idaho National Laboratory’s highest-ever levels of small business subcontracting and purchasing.

The lab spent around $352.5 million with small businesses, which made up over 66% of the spend on goods and services. INL also exceeded all five of its specific small business spending goals, including small disadvantaged, HUBZone, women-owned, service-disabled veteran-owned, and Idaho-based businesses.

This unusually high spend for goods and services occurred in large part due to the success of INL’s growing missions, including a thriving construction portfolio, expanding cybersecurity research and a heightened business need generated by the advanced nuclear projects slated for the INL desert site.

Along with these exciting new mission developments, the lab’s high attainment is especially impressive in light of the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic presented to businesses. Standard spending habits decreased significantly during the beginning phases of the pandemic, and efforts instead shifted toward purchasing items necessary to keep the lab safe, including hand sanitizer, disinfectants and cleaning supplies, and masks, in addition to filling consistent PPE needs not related to COVID-19.

This shifted focus allowed the lab to support several local small businesses in their extraordinary efforts to provide innovative solutions to overwhelming need during the pandemic. Even as COVID-19-related needs die down, these lasting partnerships will continue to benefit INL and the southeastern Idaho community.

Moms Supporting Moms | Chynna Hansen, Little Mama Shirt Shop

Chynna Hansen, her husband, Tyler, and their three sons, owners of the eBusinees Little Mama Shirt Shop

On an initial investment of $400, Chynna Hansen started an online shirt shop as a way to make extra income to help pay household bills while her husband, Tyler, went to school. “I think I didn't know I was an entrepreneur, maybe even when I was,” she says now about the decision.

Chynna saw that graphic tees were gaining popularity but that most of them did not have a flattering fit. “It struck me one day. The name came to me first,” she said. She started with seven designs and worked with a local screen-printer. Starting on Etsy and then announcing it on Facebook live, the idea was a success. “It was a lot of hustle. We dumped everything into the business for the first seven months,” she said.

 Chynna is known for the saying "Bringing Up Boys" and has trademarked the saying as her design.
“I was meant to be my own boss -- even if that came with a lot of heartache and a lot of struggle, it was what I was meant to do,” she said. She admits that she hadn't really accepted that she has a business until last year. There wasn't a ton of pressure on the business and Chynna was able to focus on the LMSS community, which has since changed as her husband has left his full-time job and joined the company.

LMSS has a VIP group of around 8,000 members. Considering the group, Chynna admits that she's scared to grow it because she likes the intimacy of the group as it currently is. The VIP group provides early access to sales, advice, and general mom “stuff.” It's important to Chynna to be active in the group every day, and she feels the personal touch has made all the difference. She likes showing that they are truly a family business and look just like their customers.

“We have worked hard to build a reputation of always moms supporting moms,” she said. “We always say it's more than shirts.”

A lot of the moms resonate with the need for community. Looking back, Chynna recognizes that she was lonely as a mom raising her kids. It took courage to say to the world, but she knew she needed to do it for herself and for others who felt the same way. That made her want to create a place where mothers could share information and lift each other up with without judging each other.

Although followers and customers don't see everything that is happening behind the scenes, Chynna works hard to show her business model is pretty transparent. She came from an entrepreneurial family, but never really understood the impact that had on her. She admits she has had good mentors in her parents, and they have always been there to answer her questions based on their own experiences. Still, a lot of what she has learned has been by trial and error and by just diving in.

When asked about working with a spouse, Chynna admitted it can be difficult but said she loves it. “He has a lot of good ideas and has phrases for shirts too,” she said. When her husband recently left his full-time job it was a risk but she admitted she needed him to help grow the business.

Chynna said that they have a supportive community but it has not come without some critics. “With eCommerce, people forget that there is a person operating behind the screen. You can't please every person, but you can try,” she said. She has worked through it by just figuring it out, knowing she's not alone because she has the whole community of LMSS behind her. “We have to choose every day to go in the positive direction that works,” she said.

Scaling was more difficult than starting, she said. She and her team are working hard to find resources to solve the problems that arise, and even though that can be intimidating their team is committed to LMSS success.

The future of the business is always on Chynna's mind, and she and her husband are looking to bigger plans for the future. She says she's not looking for giant warehouses and hundreds of employees, but anything is possible.

Information

For more information on Little Mama Shirt Shop, visit their website at https://littlemamashirtshop.com/. You can find LMSS on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/littlemamashirtshop and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/littlemamashirtshop/.

Business Leadership Moment

Job descriptions and role clarity. Are you experiencing a different role than what your job description says? Does it say leader and yet you are acting like a job support staff? Time to self examine!

Lindstedt earns Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate

Anna Lindstedt

Fall River Electric board member Anna Lindstedt of Driggs recently earned her Credentialed Cooperative Director certificate (CCD) from the National Rural Electric Cooperative Association (NRECA), which represents over 900 consumer-owned, not-for-profit electric providers in the United States.

This first part of NRECA’s three-part Director Education Program, the Credentialed Cooperative Director program, consists of five courses that focus on basic governance knowledge and the essential skills required of cooperative directors. The CCD prepares directors to fulfill their fiduciary duty as elected officials serving on behalf of their membership. Now that Lindstedt has completed her CCD, she can pursue the Board Leadership Certificate available through NRECA.

Fall River Electric’s by-laws require all board directors to complete certification as a cooperative
director which provides them with the essential skills required of co-op directors. “Our board has been impressed with Anna’s knowledge and at how dedicated she has been in accomplishing the training that is beneficial to the entire board,” said Dede Draper, president of Fall River’s board of directors.

Lindstedt is employed by Friends of the Teton River and has been in Teton Valley since 2004. She was elected last year from District 4, which includes the northeastern portion of Driggs, including the Alta area and then north along Highway 33 and east of N 500 W.