Seneca Area Chamber & Downtown Impact Awarded $30,000 USDA Rural Business Development Grant

We’re excited to share another investment in Seneca’s businesses, downtown and tourism efforts!

On Thursday, October 1, Seneca Area Chamber & Downtown Impact celebrated the award of a $30,000 USDA Rural Business Development Grant with a special check presentation.

Joining us for the presentation were Seneca Area Chamber & Downtown Impact Board Members Julie Bergman, Kate Haynie, Logan Uphaus and Jeff Kidd; U.S. Senator Roger Marshall; Board Member Jack Willmeth; Executive Director Kylee Bergstrom; Board Member Alan Meyer;  USDA Rural Development Deputy State Director Dan Fischer; Seneca City Administrator Steve Brooks; Seneca City Council Member Ray Shinn; and Board Member Hannah Bergman.

Investing in Seneca’s Businesses

Grant funding will be used to provide local businesses and organizations with additional marketing resources and technical assistance. Planned activities include marketing workshops, hands-on training, one-on-one coaching, and assistance with marketing strategy, and digital presence.

Rather than focusing on one-time promotion, the project is designed to give local businesses practical tools, resources and individualized support they can continue using well beyond the grant period. 

Connecting Tourism and Local Business

The project will also support the continued development of Seneca as a visitor destination.

A portion of the funding will be used to develop digital-ready content for Seneca’s existing downtown walking tour and the new Pony Express Historic Byway driving tour. This content is planned for digital platforms and will help visitors discover historic sites, points of interest and businesses throughout the community. 

Ultimately, the goal is simple: help our businesses strengthen their marketing while giving visitors even more reasons to explore Seneca, stay a little longer and support local.

We are grateful to USDA Rural Development for this investment in our community and look forward to putting these dollars to work for Seneca!