Seward businesses receive pandemic loans

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The Small Business Administration on July 6 released details about 4,179 Nebraska businesses that took out Paycheck Protection Program loans of $150,000 or more.

Of them, 21 are from Seward, and the businesses planned in their loan paperwork to preserve 1,364 jobs with that money.

They are Dorcey International, Inc., Ed Schulz LLC, Gabriel, Burger and Else, Green Future Inc., Lindner Painting Inc., Meyer Automotive, Progressive Sheet Metal, R&R Refrigeration LLC, St. Gregory the Great Seminary, Seward Dental Clinic, Seward Grovery LLC, Team Elite LLC, the Nebraska District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, each $150,000-$350,000; CCS Group LLC, Laminated Wood Systems Inc., Nebraska Equipment Inc.,St. John Lutheran Church, Seward Motor Freight, each $350,000-$1 million; and Concordia University, Hughes Brothers, Memorial Health Care Systems, each $2-$5 million.

Eight of the businesses are from Milford, and the businesses planned in their loan paperwork to preserve 291 jobs with that money.

They are Concrete Works, Inc., $150,000-$350,000; Daws Incorporated, $1-2 million.; Garcia-Chicoine Enterprises, Inc., $150,000-$350,000; KEA Constructors LLC, $150,000-$350,000; Milford Dental Clinic PC, $150,000-$350,000; Montag Manufacturing, Inc., $350,000-$1 million; Roth Aerial Spraying Inc., $150,000-$350,000; and Sunrise Country Inc., $350,000-$1 million.

Design Industrial Radiators Inc. in Utica received $150,000-$350,000 and planned to preserve 19 jobs.

The data released by the Small Business Administration on Monday is only a small slice of all Paycheck Protection loans issued during the pandemic. The government revealed details of 650,000 loans on Monday. In all, more than 5 million loans were granted under the program.

The loans are low-interest loans that can be forgiven if the company uses the money to retain employees. Companies are just now beginning the loan forgiveness process.

Statewide, Omaha had the most loans at 1,598, which represented 38 percent of all loans given to Nebraska businesses. Lincoln (672), Grand Island, (147), Kearney (116) and Norfolk (89) rounded out the top 5.

The Small Business Administration did not report the exact amount each business took out in loans, offering a range that the loan fell into. Only loans of $150,000 or more were reported.

Of the 4,179 loans, 2,394 of them were for the lowest range, $150,000 to $350,000. Statewide, 36 businesses got loans of $5 million to $10 million.

Among those top loan amount recipients are variety of businesses, mostly based in eastern Nebraska. Several are medical companies, such as the Kearney Regional Medical Center and the Nebraska Orthopaedic Hospital in Omaha. Rotella’s Italian Bakery claimed to have retained 466 jobs with their upper range loan. Several agriculture industry businesses also topped the list.

Sixteen business reported that they would retain 500 jobs with their loans, the highest amount disclosed by federal regulators.

The average number of jobs preserved by companies who reported that number is 51. However, 106 Nebraska companies said they retained zero workers with the loan. Another 644 left the question blank on their application.