UNR Extension hosts online town halls to discuss new round of Paycheck Protection Program

RENO, Nev. — With the Small Business Administration resuming their Paycheck Protection Program earlier this week, and other organizations such as Prestamos CDFI joining in to offer other forgivable loan programs, University of Nevada, Reno Extension will offer free online town halls with representatives from these organizations and other lenders, as well as Extension experts, explaining eligibility, the application process and other details on the assistance programs.

An English-language session will be held Wednesday, Jan. 20, and a Spanish-language session will be held the following Wednesday, Jan. 27.

“Thankfully, there is still assistance out there to help our small businesses with the challenges they are facing due to COVID-19,” said Buddy Borden, economic development specialist with Extension’s Business Development Program. “But, navigating the process to access the programs is never easy. We’ll have representatives online who can explain the programs and answer questions. These sessions help our small business owners make connections with the lending organizations, as well as with other small business owners.”

In addition to the online town halls, Extension will also offer free webinars, an English-language session on digital marketing next Friday, Jan. 22, and a Spanish-language session the following Friday, Jan. 29. Extension has been offering a series of online town halls and webinars for small businesses, “Coping With COVID-19,” since April 2020, to help entrepreneurs and businesses plan strategically, adapt and succeed. Details on sessions for the next two weeks are as follows:

The Jan. 20 and Jan. 22 sessions are for English speakers:
The town hall, “New Rounds of Paycheck Protection Programs,” is Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 9 a.m. Panelists include:
From the Small Business Administration – Saul Ramos, deputy district director
From Prestamos CDFI – Noe Gonzalez, senior business advisor
From U.S. Bank – Gabriela Wyett, business banking development consultant
From Extension – Reyna Mendez and Juan Salas, business development instructors; and Mike Bindrup, research associate

The webinar, “Digital Marketing: Basic Concepts,” is Friday, Jan. 22, at 9 a.m. Mendez will discuss:
The importance of digital marketing in business
The three principals of social media: traffic, conversion and retention
Identifying good and bad social media campaigns
Creating a weekly plan for social media

The Jan. 27 and Jan. 29 sessions are for Spanish speakers:
The town hall, “New Rounds of Paycheck Protection Programs” is Wednesday, Jan. 27, at 9 a.m. Panelists include:
From the Small Business Administration – Alfredo Cedeño, outreach/marketing specialist
From Prestamos CDFI – Gonzalez
From U.S. Bank – Wyett, business banking development consultant
From Extension – Mendez, Salas and Bindrup

The webinar, “Taxes and My Business,” is Friday, Jan. 29, at 9 a.m. Salas will discuss:
Tax formulas and the importance of estimation
The three main taxes related to business income and profits
Taxes related to employees at the federal and state level
Identifying compliance dates and documentation

Both the town halls and the webinars usually run about an hour. To register:
For the Jan. 20, 9 a.m., English-language town hall, go to https://unrextension.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_X8B_4hlfRgyf-0uEoCQJ5w
For the Jan. 22, 9 a.m., English-language webinar, go to https://unrextension.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_PvqDZwY3RSS9XwX3TjIPhg
For the Jan. 27, 9 a.m., Spanish-language town hall, go to https://unrextension.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZuaZclXxTdeibQoifCV7gg
For the Jan. 29, 9 a.m., Spanish-language webinar hall, go to https://unrextension.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_fg9uUCoNRb2p_C1viv3tYA

Persons in need of special accommodations or assistance should call at least three days prior to the scheduled event. For more information, go to the Extension Business Development Program website at extension.unr.edu/busdev.

There are also other resources at the website to assist businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. For more information, email Borden at bordenb@unr.edu.