(Camden, NJ) – On Tuesday, Governor Phil Murphy announced the first phase of a program designed to help small and micro businesses in New Jersey buy personal protective equipment (PPE) needed to protect their workspaces and employees.
The first phase of the state program includes launching a website where small businesses can review vendors and the products they are selling. Small businesses using this state website to buy PPE will receive a discount of at least 10 percent.
The New Jersey Economic Development Authority, which is administering the program, has plans to expand following the first phase by establishing an $11 million pool of grant money to then help small and micro businesses cover purchase costs for PPE through the website. The NJEDA also plans to support the manufacture of PPE here in the Garden State by subsidizing up to 20 percent of the purchase cost when small businesses buy PPE that’s made in New Jersey.
The goal of the program is to help accelerate the state’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic by making it easier for small businesses to secure and pay for the protective equipment now required to do business.
“With everything small business owners have to deal with during this economic crisis, including adapting to social distancing regulations and trying to stabilize their revenue and preserve jobs, helping them to secure needed personal protective equipment at a reasonable cost just makes sense,” said Freeholder Director Louis Cappelli Jr. “It’s a way our state can utilize economies of scale to help our small businesses get back on their feet.”