{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-warren-and-rep-trahan-announce-600000-economic-development-grant-for-the-lawrence-partnership", "Senators Markey and Warren, and Rep. Trahan Announce $600,000 Economic Development Grant for the Lawrence PartnershipRead More", "2020-12-14", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Edward Markey", "M000133", "www.markey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Funding\r\nwill be used to support the expansion of Revolving Test Kitchen initiative,\r\ninvest in small, local food-based businesses in Lawrence  Washington (December 11,\r\n2020)  Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), along with Senator Elizabeth Warren\r\n(D-Mass.) and Congresswoman Lori Trahan (MA-03), announced that the U.S.\r\nEconomic Development Administration (EDA) has awarded a federal grant of $600,000\r\nto the Lawrence Partnership, a broad coalition of business and civic leaders.\r\nThis federal funding will be used to support the expansion of their Revolving\r\nTest Kitchen (RTK) initiative, an incubator to invest in small, local\r\nfood-based businesses in Lawrence, Massachusetts. This expansion will allow for\r\nthe RTK to increase operations and serve up to a dozen food-based businesses in\r\nLawrence at once. The project was made possible by the regional planning\r\nefforts led by the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission.   The impact of the\r\ncoronavirus is hitting Lawrence disproportionately hard, said Senator\r\nMarkey. This federal funding will help mitigate the impact on businesses\r\nby awarding funding, as well as the prospect of further job-creation, enhanced\r\nneighborhood resilience, and overall economic development. I am proud to have\r\nhelped secure the federal funding with my colleagues and Lawrence officials\r\nneeded to support this vital initiative.   This\r\ncrisis is putting a ton of pressure on small business owners, their families,\r\nand employees, said Senator Warren. This federal investment in the\r\nexpansion of the Revolving Test Kitchen (RTK) initiative will help jumpstart\r\nsmall food-based businesses in Lawrence and help boost the local economy. At a moment when\r\nrestaurants, caterers, bakers, food trucks, and other food businesses are\r\nfacing unprecedented challenges because of COVID-19, this funding could not be\r\nmore important, said Congresswoman Trahan. Combined with contributions\r\nfrom local investors, this federal investment in the Revolving Test Kitchen's\r\nproven model will give more small businesses access to vital funding while also\r\ncreating 100 new jobs in the process. I'm proud to have partnered with Senator\r\nMarkey to support the awarding of this grant, and I look forward to our\r\ncontinued work with Mayor Rivera, the Regional Planning Commission, and the\r\nLawrence Partnership to deliver for the city.  Thank you to Senators\r\nMarkey and Warren and Congresswoman Trahan for their continued dedication and\r\ninvestment to entrepreneurship, especially in Lawrence, said Mayor Daniel\r\nRivera. This investment means opportunities for immigrant entrepreneurs,\r\nmaking business ownership an attainable dream, while also feeding the Lawrence\r\neconomy. The Lawrence Revolving Test Kitchen has proved to be an asset to local\r\nstart-ups as it offers the space, training and tools to set businesses on a\r\npath for success and the City has been proud to be a partner. Congratulations\r\nto Lawrence Partnership, Inc. and thank you all for continuing to Make Lawrence\r\nBetter.  The Revolving Test\r\nKitchen has been a valuable program for business and community development over\r\nthe last three years and this additional investment will support the scaling of\r\nthe model as the needs of our food based businesses has never been greater, said\r\nDerek Mitchell, Executive Director, Lawrence Partnership. We are grateful\r\nfor the collaboration leadership of so many partnersincluding our federal delegation,\r\nLupoli Co., NECC, and the City of Lawrence among others to help realize this\r\nvision.   The City of Lawrence is\r\na hub of food entrepreneurs and EDA's investment in the Revolving Test Kitchen\r\nwill help micro enterprises and small businesses test their proof-of-concept\r\nand succeed in their culinary ventures, said Theresa Park, Executive\r\nDirector, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission.   The Lawrence Revolving\r\nTest Kitchen provides local food-based businesses with the space and business\r\ntraining programs they need to succeed, said Dana Gartzke, Performing the\r\nDelegated Duties of the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic\r\nDevelopment. The expanded facility will serve a broad range of food-based\r\nbusinesses and entrepreneurs throughout the region, and the project's location\r\nin an Opportunity Zone will attract additional, diverse investment to the\r\nMerrimack Valley region. More information on the\r\nEDA's grant and investment process can be found HERE.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-warren-and-rep-trahan-announce-600000-economic-development-grant-for-the-lawrence-partnership"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5371011104434729, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}