Feb. 14—DANVILLE — The Danville Business Alliance (DBA) has been chosen to participate in a new nationwide small business resiliency audit and resources pilot program.

The program is a partnership with Main Street America, Pennsylvania Downtown Center and PA Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED).

"This is a program that did not call for an application," said DBA Executive Director Rebecca Dressler, on Tuesday. "I was contacted by Pennsylvania Downtown Center. "

Danville Business Alliance will serve an important role in creating new tools to assist rural small business owners in identifying and responding to challenges. Lewisburg, Gettysburg, and Oil City have also been chosen in Pennsylvania to participate.

Financial support for this project comes from United State Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Rural Business Development Grants program.

"The Pennsylvania Downtown Center is thrilled to be a partner," said Julie Fitzpatrick, executive director at Pennsylvania Downtown Center. "Although we know that the tireless efforts of our Main Street programs have resulted in our communities experiencing a level of economic resiliency from the impact of the pandemic, we also recognize that there is a need for identifying persistent issues and finding creative common solutions to build and maintain sustainable and adaptable businesses."

Over the next four to six months, DBA will engage five small business owners and entrepreneurs through assessments, on-site focus groups, and interviews exploring challenges and areas of opportunities.

Main Street America will research potential solutions and develop technical assistance materials, resources and tools tailored to meet the needs of the participants.

"I'll be reaching out to businesses and see who is interested in this pilot program," Dressler said.

Based on her knowledge of local businesses, that could be a factor in selection as well, she said.

"The Danville Business Alliance is excited to be a partner in this pilot program," said Dressler. "The small business resiliency audit and resources pilot program will focus on the challenges our small businesses are facing, as well as their strengths and points of resilience. It will help us understand how our small businesses can be further strengthened and supported, in normal times and in the face of unpredictable changes. Support of our small businesses is essential, not only do they contribute to the fabric of our community, but they help to create a stronger, more resilient local economy that supports its residents and our quality of life."

The global pandemic has had a devastating impact in rural communities throughout Pennsylvania, exasperating the unemployment rate and requiring small business owners to continually adapt to new economic realities. Additionally, there are extensive challenges and geographic constraints to delivering technical assistance to the over 30 million small businesses in the U.S., with those located in rural areas being disproportionately impacted.

Rural small businesses' ability to navigate and respond to a number of emerging issues such as workforce and supply chain constraints, as well as how to leverage new opportunities presented through social media and e-commerce, is crucial to preserving existing businesses and nurturing entrepreneurship. Some recent data demonstrate these needs:

53 percent of small businesses did not have a digital commerce component to their business. and of those that did, it represented less than 10%; (MSA Study 2021)

New business formation grew 48% from January 2020 to December 2021; (U.S. Census)

73 percent of small business owners expect to pivot their business model again in 2022; (American Express)

In response, Main Street America — a national nonprofit commitment to preservation-based economic development and community revitalization in historic downtowns and neighborhood commercial corridors — is piloting the development of a model that creates more efficiencies in assessing and meeting the needs of rural small business at scale, in four existing rural Main Street communities in Pennsylvania. These communities include Danville, Oil City, Gettysburg and Lewisburg..

Main Street communities in New Mexico and South Carolina have also been selected to participate in the pilot program.