Celebrate Black History Month with Project Pizza

Be sure to follow Project Pizza on Instagram & Facebook to know where the yellow bus is headed next.

"Project Pizza is more than a business cranking out delicious wood-fire pizzas. We have dreams of this operation supporting food literacy education in young minds. We plan to use sales to support school gardens and other activities that educate the youth on how food is grown, processed, distributed, consumed, and managed as waste. A school bus fits the aesthetic better than any other vehicle.”

Read the full interview with Isaiah Ruffin and Colleen Constant here.

Host a CSU Student with a Micro-Internship

A Micro-Internship is a short-term project that can typically be completed within 5-40 hours and is due within a few days to a few weeks. These projects require no on-boarding, are paid 1099 and can be completed by a college student with minimal instruction. This is a great way to finish projects you have been meaning to get to, it is also a great way introduce your company to students and see if there is a potential fit for future opportunities and ultimately, it is a great way to support students.
Click Here to Learn More (FAQs Here)

Want to know more about how to work with CSU and utilize micro-internships to help get some of your projects down?  On March 8 (12:30-1:30 MST) CSU's Business School will be hosting a presentation for audiences, external to CSU (employers, alumni, donors) to learn more about this unique tool. 

Register Here

Support Black-Owned Businesses with ShopBIPOC

ShopBIPOC is a Colorado-based online marketplace for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) small business owners to raise awareness, connect with new markets, and eventually network. Building relationships with BIPOC-owned shops and doing business with purpose, all in one place–And we invite you to join us!  

Led by the Center for Community Wealth Building and twelve other organizations, this marketplace will launch in Spring 2022. Are you a BIPOC business owner? Sign up here to be one of the first sellers on the marketplace.

Business Participation needed in Find the Rona Campaign!

Youth Action for Health and the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment are hosting “Find the Rona” scavenger hunt and educational campaign to spread accurate information about COVID-19 in our community (March 14th-April 10th, 2022). This is a great opportunity to get youth and families in the door of your business/organization and to make a positive impact in your community’s recovery from the pandemic.

For the scavenger hunt, we are encouraging youth and families in our community to find giant plushies (11”-16”) of COVID-19 or the Vaccine around our community. We will be publicizing a list of participating businesses on our website, social media platforms, and more and incentivizing community participation in this campaign in a drawing of gift cards from participating businesses.

If you are interested in supporting our outreach efforts, we will provide a campaign flyer, a giant COVID-19 or Vaccine plushie and an associated fact to be placed in the front window or cash register, and we will reach out to you to purchase gift cards for our drawing. 

If you are interested in participating in our Find the Rona campaign please fill out this Interest Form.

Get the most out of your job postings!

Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development is proud to announce the launch of a new tool to help you recruit the best talent. Use the Job Posting Review portal to send us your current job postings and we'll provide feedback based on the best practices in skills-based hiring, competitive wage analysis, and meeting the expectations of skilled candidates. 

Get connected, Larimer County Economic and Workforce Development can help you hire the best people.

Things to Know & Upcoming Events

• The Larimer County Emergency Rent & Utility Assistance (ERAP) funds can help individuals stay in their homes by paying back rent and utilities, and more. 
• WorkLife Partnership’s Small Dollar Loans Program is an efficient, cost-effective, low-risk alternative to payroll advances and employee loan programs. 
• Colorado Climber Loan Fund now providing eligible small businesses with working capital loans between $30,000 - $500,000.  
• Free De-escalation Training for Businesses During COVID-19 – Watch videos now 
• Small Business Tax Credit Programs are available 
• Skill Advance Colorado Training Reimbursement Grants available - around $1,200 – $1,400 per employee. The application period opens July 1, 2021 - March 31, 2022. 
• Request Onsite COVID Vaccine clinic - If you're interested in hosting an onsite vaccination clinic for your employees or for the general public at your business or facility, please send a request to the Larimer County Department of Health & Environment. There is no charge, and the Health Department coordinates staffing, logistics, and vaccine supplies. 

Upcoming Events: 

• Business Q&A with Larimer’s Health Department - All businesses are invited to join the County on the fourth Thursday of each month. Join the 1-hour session on Thursday, March 24 at  2 p.m via Zoom. To help make this session as informative and helpful as possible, please submit your questions in advance.

Sign up for weekly updates from the City of Fort Collins Emergency Preparedness and Security COVID-19 newsletter at fcgov.com/eps/coronavirus

Check out ForFortCollins.com for tools and resources created to help your business reopen safely and strongly while gaining support from loyal customers and community members.

View this email in your web browser

Economic Health Office

222 Laporte Ave.

Fort Collins, CO 80521