DevelopOhio

Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) authored an amendment included in the National Defense Authorization Act, which President Obama signed into law last month, that would enable the Heath-Newark-Licking County Port Authority to regain its status as a Small Business Administration (SBA) HUBZone through 2015, according to a press release from the senator’s office. Such a designation gives “small businesses in the area — or those that employ residents of the area — preferential access to federal procurement opportunities in order to encourage economic development and job creation in the region,” the release said. The port authority was previously granted HUBZone status in 2004 in an effort to help the community adjust to the closure of the Newark Air Force Base, the release said. For more, read the full press release and this Newark Advocate story.