BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Many local businesses have relied on federal coronavirus funding to survive. And last week, U.S. Treasury Deputy Secretary Wally Adeyemo visited the Lehigh Valley to see just how that money helped the community weather the pandemic.
Adam Flatt, who co-owns Social Still in Bethlehem with his wife, said the past year has been a whirlwind as his restaurant has overcome health, supply chain and staffing issues.
“We’ve basically been faced with something new every day and we’ve come to realize that employees are the core of what we do and we want to make sure they are taken care of and that we compensate them correctly,” he said.
Thanks to federal funding and Northampton County’s $15 million small business grant program, Flatt said he has been able to do just that.
During a tour of South Side Bethlehem, the deputy treasury secretary helped deliver a $15,000 grant to Flatt’s restaurant.
Adeyemo also visited other businesses that received money through the small business grant program. He said that he was impressed by what he saw.
“Our recovery from COVID-19 and our economic recovery is going to be driven by the grit and determination of the American people coming together and I’ve seen in your community throughout this day,” said Adeyemo.
Adeyemo also said he believes the Build Back Better Act will get the support it needs to become law.
“I think it has the support to get done, largely because each member of Congress, each senator, comes from communities like this one, where they’ve seen the progress that those communities have made in terms of dealing with the pandemic and recovering economically. But they also recognize that we need to do more,” he said.
The $1.75 trillion Build Back Better Act is still being debated in Congress.
