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Arkansas, Maumelle receive millions in PPP money
The Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, that was passed earlier this year to assist businesses impacted by the ongoing pandemic, helped Arkansas to the tune of millions of dollars, according to reports published by ProPublica, a non-profit reporting organization, and the Washington Post.
Both outlets published searchable databases that in ProPublica’s case was specific to ZIP code and the range of loan money approved. After a legal fight, that was won by the Post and other media outlets, the Washington D.C.-based newspaper database gave specific dollar amounts that were loaned, along with other information.
“Through PPP, the federal government provided up to $659 billion in financial support,” ProPublica wrote, with loans going to 661,218 businesses.
The program dictates that if 60 percent, or more, of the loan is used to cover employee payroll for a period of 24 weeks, the money would be forgiven.
As of this writing, another round of coronavirus assistance is being negotiated in Congress, with Republicans holding a hard line on liability protections for employers who have had employees exposed to Covid-19 in the course of their employment, while Democrats are pushing for greater amounts of individual financial assistance in the form of direct payments and expanded unemployment benefits.
By any measure, the earlier assistance was a success, as 42,433 Arkansas businesses, ranging from corporations to non-profits, got PPP, with the vast majority of those getting loans of $150,000 or less.
42,433 PPP loans in Arkansas
$150k or less … 38,177
$150k - $350k … 2,541
$350k - $1m … 1,269
$1m - 2m … 309
$2m - 5m … 118
$5m - 10m … 19
The information ProPublica used was from the Small Business Administration and includes the loans made by lenders to the businesses impacted. The loans that were less than $150,000 are not included, and neither are Economic Injury Disaster Loans.
The single largest PPP loan for an Arkansas business was for $10 million to Springdale’s MCC Group Holdings, a plumbing, heating and air-conditioning company that employs 500 people. The loan was approved April 13.
The single largest loan to a North Little Rock-based organization was the non-profit Arkansas Hospice, and it received $5.4 million that was approved on June 15.
The ProPublica database can be searched here, while the Post database is here.
The ProPublica database showed 52 businesses assisted by PPP in the 72113 ZIP code, which covers Maumelle and portions of North Little Rock along Maumelle Boulevard. Those businesses were then cross-referenced against the Post database to get the exact loan amounts.
Some interesting nuggets popped out.
The single largest recipient of PPP assistance was Welsco, a wholesale corporation in Maumelle with 126 jobs, that received $1.4 million. National Wallcovering, and described in the ProPublica database as a maker of “Custom Architectural Woodwork and Millwork Manufacturing,” received a little more than $1 million but reported no jobs. That doesn’t mean anything was amiss; other Arkansas-based companies received money, but didn’t report jobs either. The lack of information just shows inconsistent data being reported by loan recipients or lenders.
The single largest employer in the 72113 zipcode that received PPP was RCN Enterprises, a holding company that owns McDonald’s franchises in central Arkansas. They listed 476 jobs and received a little more than $1 million.
The chart below shows the loan range, business, city, company type and the date the loan was approved. Companies that received more than $1 million also have a description of what they do and the number of jobs there. The final number in bold is the exact loan amount.
PPP loans in the 72113 zip code
$1-2 Million
Welsco Inc. … Maumelle … April 7 : Other chemical and allied products merchant wholesalers, 126 jobs … $1,428,100
Richsmith Management, LLC … North Little Rock ... April 6: Residential property managers, 185 jobs … $1,355,900
RCN Enterprises Inc. … North Little Rock ... April 9: Limited-service restaurants, 476 jobs. (Owns McDonald’s franchises) … $1,079,200
National Wallcovering, Inc. … North Little Rock ... April 15 : Custom Architectural Woodwork and Millwork Manufacturing, No jobs reported … $1,054,500
Lamb and Associates Packaging Inc. ... Maumelle … April 4: Corrugated and solid fiber box manufacturing, 89 jobs … $1,010,500
Anchor Human Resource Group, LLC … Maumelle ... April 4: Full-service restaurants, 186 jobs. (Owns David’s Burgers) … $1,008,700
$350,000-1 Million
Central Arkansas Christian Schools … North Little Rock ... April 4 … $863,500
Burkhalter Technologies, Inc. … North Little Rock … April 14 … $692,142
The Employers Choice, Inc. … Maumelle … April 13 … $629,923
Leisure Arts Inc. … Maumelle … April 13 … $561,992
Therapy Zone Inc. … Maumelle … April 14 … $518,006
Alessi-Keyes Construction Company … North Little Rock ... April 7 … $476,700
Boudreaux Operating Acquisitions LLC. … Maumelle … April 5 … $472,900
Onyx Corporation … North Little Rock … April 4 … $426,700
Focus Laboratories, Inc. … North Little Rock … April 11 … $421,152
Farquhar Enterprises, LLC … Maumelle … April 4 … $366,400
$150,000-350,000
Ink Enterprises Inc. … Maumelle … April 4 … $348,000
Richardson Properties LLC … North Little Rock … April 5 … $334,000
Innerplan, Inc. … Maumelle … April 13 … $327,200
Edwards Metals, Inc. … Maumelle … April 14 … $325,000
Career Staffing Services … North Little Rock … April 16 … $313,300
Lake Liquor Inc. … North Little Rock … April 4 … $292,400
Colour & Design, Inc. … North Little Rock … April 14 … $285,900
Computer Systems and Services, Inc. … North Little Rock … April 13 … $255,906
Harco Constructors, LLC … Maumelle … April 14 … $245,000
Wired! Technology Partners, Inc. … Maumelle … April 13 … $241,874
Richardson Builders LLC … North Little Rock ... April 5 … $228,500
Southland Metals, Inc. … Maumelle … April 27 … $209,425
National Convenience Solutions, LLC … Maumelle … April 4 … $207,500
Ultragreen LLC … North Little Rock … April 30 … $200,000
Rodriguez Courier Freight, Inc. … Maumelle … April 14 … $197,057
Maumelle Country Club … Maumelle … April 10 … $193,995
Matt Black Insurance Agency, Inc. … Maumelle … April 4 … $192,700
The Carpet Barn, Inc. … North Little Rock ... April 7 … $192,100
Mulhearn Wilson Constructors Inc. … Maumelle … April 6 … $190,723
McDonald ATV, LLC … Maumelle … April 14 … $188,000
TFC Inc. … North Little Rock … April 13 … $186,970
Millennium Utility Consultants Inc. .... Maumelle … April 5 … $186,400
R. Crossfield Plumbing LLC … North Little Rock … April 15 … $180,600
Kids Academy Inc. … North Little Rock … April 14 … $176,875
Conveyor Technology and Components Inc. … North Little Rock ...April 6 … $176,300
Bohn, Inc. … Maumelle … April 30 … $175,400
Thomco, Inc. ... North Little Rock … April 14 … $172,887
Hilliard Enterprises Inc. … Maumelle … April 13 … $165,900
Richsmith Development, LLC … North Little Rock … April 5 … $163,000
Metro Maintainers, Inc. … North Little Rock … April 27 … $162,500
The Electric Company Of Maumelle Inc. … North Little Rock … April 8 … $162,400
Simco, Inc. … North Little Rock … April 14 … $161,846
Gene Summers Construction, Inc. … North Little Rock … April 14 … $161,762
Dr. Derek S. Long, O.D., Inc. … Maumelle … April 14 … $158,539
Cypress Cold Storage LLC ... Maumelle … April 14 … $158,401
HJE, LLC… Maumelle ... April 4 … $157,500