Arkansas gave businesses grants to help them reopen. Who got the money?

LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — A two-person insurance agency in Hot Springs became the first business to have its Arkansas Ready for Business grant application approved at 5:04 p.m. on April 29.

The company, Balliette Agency LLC, was awarded $2,000. Millions of dollars more have since been allocated for businesses across the state that have been shaken by the coronavirus pandemic. As of Tuesday, the state had approved 10,537 grants totaling more than $115 million.

Arkansas Department of Commerce records released under the state Freedom of Information Act show the businesses that received grants and how much they were awarded. They include corporations and national chains, such as Golden Corral restaurants. A location in Jonesboro that employs 100 people was granted $100,000. Local businesses, including a gymnastics center in Sheridan, were also awarded money. The gymnastics center was approved for $5,000.

Almost 8,000 of the grants had already reached business owners on Tuesday. The rest should be processed by the end of the week, according to Department of Commerce spokesperson Alisha Curtis.

The grant program is meant to help businesses cover COVID-19-related expenses, such as buying cleaning supplies, personal protective equipment and restocking supplies. In a legislative meeting this week, officials said the funds can be used to cover other costs, such as marketing. The state on Thursday posted a list of eligible expenditures that include pressure washers, hot water heaters and iPads.

More than 12,000 businesses have applied for grants. Of those applicants, 201 had been deemed ineligible or withdrawn their applications. Curtis said Wednesday that around 2,500 businesses had been approved but were missing forms or had voided checks, so their payments were on hold.

Around 1,500 applications were still under review or hadn't been cleared, Curtis said.

In Jonesboro, chain restaurants including Dairy Queen and Steak ‘n Shake were awarded grants. In Fayetteville, 14 businesses were awarded $100,000, the maximum grant amount.

Curtis said that corporations, partnerships, independent contractors, LLCs, joint ventures and nonprofits in every industry are eligible for the loans. Companies that were approved include the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, Hendrix College, Goodwill Industries of Arkansas and Malco Theaters.

As of Tuesday, 9.82 percent of the grant money awarded had gone to restaurants; 24.82 percent went to healthcare companies; 10.42 percent went to manufacturing companies; 10.72 percent went to retailers; 22.42 percent went to companies in the service industry and 21.77 percent went to businesses the Department of Commerce classified as "other." That category includes churches, childcare centers and gyms, according to department records.

The records show that businesses awarded grants have an average of 13.5 full-time employees and 3.6 part-time employees. The average grant awarded was $10,991.

As of Tuesday, the biggest business awarded a grant was Simmons Prepared Food in Siloam Springs. The company employs almost 4,000 people. It was approved for $100,000, the maximum grant amount.

Read the full list of businesses here.