| Hosting Connecticut LLC announced that they have been chosen by Capitol Region Council of Governments (CRCOG) to provide digital services to small businesses through their Technical Assistance grant program. The Capitol Region Council of Governments is a voluntary Council of Governments formed to initiate and implement regional programs of benefit to the towns and the region. It is led and guided by the chief elected officials of the 38 Metro Hartford municipalities. They initially started this council because members of their governing Policy Board recognized that the future of its individual members was tied to the future of the region. They have now been able to collaborate for more than 50 years in a wide range of projects to benefit its towns and the region as a whole. CRCOG received funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) act provided to the Economic Development Administration (EDA) specifically to help small businesses transition to ecommerce or improve their online presence. They are offering grants for small businesses who met their criteria: notably, being in a CRCOG town and being a SBE, MBE, VBE or DBE, especially from disadvantaged areas. CRCOG has chosen to contract with Hosting Connecticut LLC to provide services at no cost to eligible businesses in the Capitol region. Businesses are eligible to receive the grant if they are small compared to competitors or are a minority-owned business and currently have little to no internet presence, social media, and/or ecommerce. Hosting CT bid on the project because it was a great opportunity to work with small business owners. Digital marketing companies from around the regions sent in proposals. HostingCT was selected as the best choice to provide online related services because of their long standing relationships with small to medium-sized businesses in the region and a history of providing effective online services. CRCOG stated, “We received a few excellent proposals, and while everyone who submitted had a great menu of services, our reviewing panel felt that HostingCT’s was the proposal that would best be able to meet our applicants where they are now, and get them to the next level.” “The pandemic killed many small businesses. Others have been having a hard time keeping their doors open, never mind staying profitable. We were very interested in working with CRCOG to help the regional economy bounce back from these hard times,” says Paula Pierce, owner of Hosting Connecticut LLC Small businesses can apply for the grant by going online to https://crcog.hostingct.com and filling out the CRCOG intake form and the HostingCT digital assessment form. When a business is chosen, they are eligible to receive service support through technical support, website hosting, website design, graphic design, search engine optimization, keyword research, SEO technical audits, SEO implementation, website maintenance, social media account setup, social media posting, paid advertising, Google Business Profile setup, Google Business Profile optimization and posting, Google Analytics and console, and citations both local and non-local. HostingCT is a nineteen-year-old website development company based in Windsor, Connecticut that puts all the pieces of online business together from domain registration to digital marketing. Hosting Connecticut streamlines the process, saving small businesses time and money. For more information, please go to www.HostingCT.com or call 860-683-4201. |
Bradley Regional Chamber of Commerce
P.O. Box 1335
East Granby, Connecticut 06026
860-653-3833