PUEBLO — With Congress’ recent passing of a new relief bill, small business owners will have another chance to get in on Paycheck Protection Program assistance starting Monday.
The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade reports round three of the PPP will open on January 11, with applications staying open until March 31.
The money will be allotted to businesses in two draws.
Only businesses that have not yet received PPP assistance will be eligible for the first draw.
Once that’s done, the second draw will allow businesses that have already received ppp assistance to have a chance at getting some more.
With many local businesses eagerly awaiting the help, others are taking note, and giving up their place in line.
“I just moved back here from San Francisco, I used to be a marketing director,” said Brett Mohar, part owner of Ianne’s Pizzeria in Pueblo.
Family came first for him.
“My grandfather got sick, so I came back, because I couldn’t imagine selling the restaurant or losing the restaurant,” Mohar said. “We’re a south side place, but our customers come from everywhere.”
Ianne’s has been his family’s bread and butter for over 70 years.
“The recipes, the food, even most of the equipment has not changed a bit since my great-grandpa opened the doors,” he said.
There’s more to his family than just blood relatives.
“Oh easy, my employees,” Mohar said.
But when money got tight this past year, the first round of PPP assistance helped him fulfill his mission to keep his family afloat.
“We’ve been struggling as far as having to close the dining room,” he said. “The first one definitely helped us out. It kept us going when times were hard.”
And since then, things have been sailing a bit smoother.
“Between that and then the extra business we’ve been getting with deliveries and pick ups, we’ve been able to keep all of our employees on staff,” he said.
So when the new opportunity for PPP assistance opens Monday, he’ll sit this one out.
“Business has been good enough that we don’t really need it at this point,” he said.
Losing the restaurant was never an option.
“It would just… I don’t know. I think my grandparents would all be rolling over in their graves,” Mohar said.
Now that things are more stable for him, he’s making sure other families have a chance to get the assistance that kept this one together.
“There’s other people that need it worse than we do right now,” he said.
