Creative Use of CARES Funding For COVID-19 Economic Recovery

ShopLocalVGA.com, the online marketplace for Virginia's Growth Alliance economic development region, has provided the platform for five Matching Gift Card Program sales that have gotten $2,706,000 to date into the hands of 266 small business owners and 7,620 shoppers in two rural Virginia counties over the past several months.

Halifax, Virginia, based web and marketing strategy firm Glerin Business Resources originally developed the site in 2014 and expanded it pro bono during COVID to include gift card capability after Tina Morgan, Tourism Director for Mecklenburg County, inquired about running a matching program through the site.

Our CEO, Lisa Kipps-Brown, is the mind behind the history-making crowdfunded NASCAR Xfinity racing team, Our American Dream Team. In early January the campaign exceeded the $200,000 goal to fund the new Xfinity team’s run at Daytona in February, and the team was able to set aside enough to pay for a veteran’s stem cell treatments.