Projects awarded Get in the Cloud grants

The Cloud County board of commissioners approved awarding $150,000 in Get in the Cloud small business grant funds to five projects.
Receiving grant funds include Clyde Ideal Market, $50,000; AC Customs, $39,000; Wildside Creative, LLC, $34,250; Clyde Hometown Lumber, $22,250; Miltonvale Post Office, $4,500.
The Get in the Cloud small business grant program is in its sixth year. Grant funds have been awarded to more than 40 projects.
The county commission awarded CloudCorp $120,000 in funding from the Meridian Way Wind Farm gift provided each year by EDP Renewables for the Get in the Cloud grants.
The funds are intended to encourage economic development in Cloud County while increasing the property value of existing structures and land.
Get in the Cloud provides competitive grants and mentoring support for new and existing businesses. Entrepreneurs who successfully complete the educational component of the grant process and own an existing business located in the county or are developing a business concept they intend to locate in the county, will be eligible to apply for a one time grant of 50 percent of the start-up costs or $50,000, whichever is less, to fund eligible expenses.
Existing businesses are eligible for the program if they can show increased sales and/or customer base from the addition to their current facility.
The Get in the Cloud grant committee reviewed the five applications for funding.
Clyde Ideal Market – Clyde Ideal Market has been in the Hoesli family for two generations. Robert Hoesli was nearing retirement with no current succession plan. Steve James, a Clyde native, took the opportunity to more back and purchase the business. The floors in the store have deteriorated and are extremely unlevel, leading to potential tripping hazards and significant sloping. Funds for the project will be used to level the floors, replace tiles and replace older coolers with more energy efficient ones.
AC Customs – Andrew Clark is the owner of AC Customs, LLC, a residential and commercial solar energy installation business. Clark has been operating his business out of incubator space at Hood Heating Air Plumbing & Electric. Funds for the project will aid him in building a 45x90 warehouse in Jamestown to enable him to store larger quantities of inventory and expand his current business.
Wildside Creative, LLC – The full-service graphic design business has been in Concordia since 2005 and offers designing, printing and installation of commercial graphics. The project consists of building a 30x60 building with concrete floors on the existing property. The building will provide a controlled environment to continue growing the vehicle graphics portion of the business, allowing them to wrap vehicles on site, with the ability to bring more clients to Concordia.
Clyde Hometown Lumber – Clyde Hometown Lumber was recently purchased by Margaret Nobert, Clyde. It offers an assortment of needs for small to large construction and remodel projects. The building has a flat roof on it, and over the years has developed leaks from pooling water with no appropriate runoff. The project will aid in adding pitch to the roof and covering it in low maintenance metal.
Miltonvale Post Office – Stephen Bunnell, Ursus Investments, owns the building that is leased by the United States Postal Service. There are a number of improvements needed to maintain the structural integrity and safe working environment. This project will include tuckpointing, replacement of weathered bricks, repairs to the floor and replacement of some of the plumbing. The building is an important fixture in Miltonvale as it sits on the corner of the main street. Repairs to the building will ensure the quality of life of the citizens by continuing to make sure the Postal Service maintains a presence in the town.