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EDA outlines $125,000 loan to Snowpack Foods, child-care grants and workforce initiatives
Summary
The Houston County Economic Development Authority reported $246,671.77 available in its revolving loan fund, highlighted a $125,000 EDA loan and tax abatement for Snowpack Foods' roughly $7 million cold-storage project, and reviewed ARPA-funded childcare grants that added and preserved childcare slots in 2025.
An Economic Development Authority representative presented the EDA’s 2025 annual report to the Houston County Board, summarizing revolving loan fund status, the Snowpack Foods project, workforce and youth programs, childcare grants and county partnerships.
“The Houston County EDA is dedicated to promoting and developing a healthy business community in our county,” the presenter stated, framing the EDA’s role in connecting businesses to capital, training and partners.
The EDA reported 14 active loans at the end of 2025 and said cash available to lend had risen from $192,555.34 to $246,671.77 after an early loan repayment. The presenter described Snowpack Foods as the EDA’s largest 2025 project: a roughly $7 million cold-storage development for which the EDA recommended and the board approved a $125,000 EDA loan and a tax abatement. The project is intended to provide cold-storage capacity that local businesses can also rent, the EDA said; it expected construction to complete in summer 2026.
On workforce and youth outreach, the EDA highlighted the Bluff Country Collaborative, which connects students and businesses through career fairs and classroom activities; the EDA reported approximately 45 businesses and roughly 600 students attend large fall events. The EDA also discussed partnerships with workforce-development organizations and local schools to strengthen hiring pipelines.
The presenter summarized Houston County’s child-care initiative, noting $255,000 of ARPA funding had supported provider grants and training. In 2025 the county’s childcare grants totaled $38,558.20 and the program reported preserving 16 slots and adding 16 slots; since the program began staff said they had helped reserve 137 slots and create 26 new slots.
Board members asked for clarifications about Snowpack’s outreach to businesses for rental space and about the status of grant applications for the Root River Trail expansion; the EDA said Snowpack would contact interested businesses directly and that multiple federal and state funding requests for the trail were pending.
Next steps: EDA staff will continue to track loan fund availability, monitor Snowpack’s project timeline, and report back on grant awards for trail expansion and childcare initiatives.
