Two midstate entrepreneurs began their soda pop company in a small storefront in Lancaster. Today, the Lancaster-born company has relocated to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to take part in a local food movement happening there.

Community First Fund announced that it will receive a $5 million Grow with Google Small Business Fund loan from Opportunity Finance Network to aid small businesses battered by the COVID-19 economy.

The commercial real estate industry has yet to see how changing attitudes surrounding virtual work will affect the midstate’s stock of office properties.  And while many offices may still close in the coming months, experts in the region think the need for physical office space will prevail.

Small Lancaster County businesses will be able to apply for $15 million in grant funding next week through Recovery Lancaster’s Recovery and Sustainability Fund.

The first round of small business grant funding through the Lancaster County Economic Recovery Plan attracted nearly 1,200 applications for seeking more than $27.3 million. This round, totaling $10 million, targeted Lancaster County businesses with 20 or fewer employees.

The recipients included barbershops and salons (21%), retail stores (18%) and restaurants and food businesses (17%). More than 55% are located in downtown Lancaster.

Gov. Tom Wolf will need to expand liability protections to manufacturers, small businesses and more health care providers or risk Pennsylvania businesses refusing to open for fear of frivolous COVID-19 related lawsuits, said a coalition of state associations.

The York County Economic Alliance launched a new page on its PreparedYork.com website with resources to support businesses and the community as the county moves to the “yellow” phase of reopening on May 22.

Independent medical practices have overhauled how they offer in-person visits to protect their staff and patients from contacting COVID-19, but if patients don’t return soon to their providers, many small clinics – some say 30 to 50% -- could face closures by the end of the summer.

Business owners thinking of defying the Wolf administration’s stay-at-home order must weigh the legal liabilities and other risks before hanging that “Open For Business” sign in the window.

More than 150 independent physicians will receive incentives based on the quality of their service through a new partnership with Hartford, Connecticut-based Aetna.

With restaurants and other hospitality businesses facing some of the earliest and largest financial losses from COVID-19, one local company established an online resource to help raise more than $200 million for them.

Gov. Tom Wolf called for Pennsylvania to raise its minimum wage from $7.25 to $12 by the beginning of July.

If you own a successful small business that you’ve nurtured over the years, you may want to leave the legacy of its value to your heirs. To do this, you need a sound, well-thought-out succession plan.

Pennsylvania businesses will save an estimated $552 million in 2020 now that the state has finished refinancing 2013 federal loans that paid for the post-recession unemployment compensation fund.