In Ortley, Christie Urges Sandy-Impacted Businesses to Apply for Grant Funds

Gov. Chris Christie urged business owners impacted by Superstorm Sandy to apply for a state grant to help with rebuilding during a stop in Ortley Beach Wednesday.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority’s Stronger NJ Grant Program aims to help small businesses and non-profit organizations with grants of up to $50,000. So far, 200 applications have been submitted and 22 have been approved, including at Rossi’s Rent-A-Rama where Christie spoke about the program.

“It’s a small family-owned business, like a lot of family-owned businesses along the Jersey Shore, that depend upon the summer to generate the revenue to create jobs and keep the economy moving,” Christie said.

Rossi’s, which has been in business for 55 years, took in 2-and-a-half feet of water from the storm. Without the $50,000 in grant money awarded, owner Diana Ruggiero said her shop would have had to close its doors.

“It saved us,” she said. “It literally saved us.”

In total, $1.2 million of grant funds have been approved and $247,067 has been disbursed to eight businesses since the program's inception in May, according to the governor’s office.

The business scene is nearly fully operational in Ortley, according to the township, as 73 of 97 businesses are up and running. Many of those that aren’t open yet are working on completing repairs.

To be eligible for the grant program, a business must have sustained a minimum of $5,000 in physical damage from Sandy, according to the governor’s office.

Business owners interested in applying for grant money can call 1-855-SANDY-BZ for assistance, or visit the NJEDA online.