Made in America: SBA Administrator embarks on Main Street Road Tour through Arkansas, Delta region

Editor’s note: Each Sunday, Talk Business & Politics provides “Made In America,” a round-up of state and global manufacturing news.

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SBA ADMINISTRATOR EMBARKS ON MAIN STREET ROAD TOUR THROUGH ARKANSAS, DELTA REGION
As the nation celebrates its 240th birthday, The U.S. Small Business Administration will be celebrating with small businesses in five states and 11 cities during the SBA Main Street Road Tour from July 4-8.

The SBA Main Street Road Tour is a weeklong bus tour that starts in Ste. Genevieve, Missouri on on Monday, Fourth of July, and concludes in New Orleans on Friday, July 8. SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet will visit cities and towns along the route, which includes stops in Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi and Louisiana. During her bus tour, she will embark on Main Street walking tours, meet with local small businesses as well as members of the local Chambers of Commerce, city officials and business representatives. While meeting with all these groups she will emphasize SBA’s work to drive investing into U.S. communities of all sizes and shine a spotlight on the importance and impact of Main Street small businesses across the nation.

To learn more, visit the SBA website here.

$50 MILLION AVAILABLE TO HELP STATES EXPAND, DIVERSIFY REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP OPPORTUNITIES
States across the nation have the opportunity to expand registered apprenticeship programs that provide pathways for American workers from all backgrounds to acquire the skills and knowledge needed for good-paying jobs in fields such as information technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, building trades, cybersecurity and business services, through a new U.S. Department of Labor grant competition.

Ranging from $700,000 to $3.2 million, the department will award ApprenticeshipUSA State Expansion Grants to help states to integrate apprenticeship into their education and workforce systems; engage industry and other partners at scale to expand apprenticeship to new sectors and populations; support the state’s capacity to conduct outreach and work with employers to start new programs; provide support to expand opportunities for at-risk youth, women, people of color, Native Americans and individuals with disabilities, groups typically under-represented in registered apprenticeships; and implement state innovations, incentives and system reforms.

To find information about how to apply for the program, go to www.grants.gov. Grant applications must be received by Sept. 7.

MORE U.S. PROFESSIONALS WORKING FROM HOME, BLS REPORT SAYS
In 2015, 38% of workers in management, business, and financial operations occupations, and 35% of those employed in professional and related occupations, did some or all of their work from home on days they worked, according to a recent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report. Workers employed in other occupations were less likely to work from home on days they worked, the report said.

These and other results from the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) were released on June 24. The data includes the average amount of time per day in 2015 that individuals worked, did household activities, and engaged in leisure and sports activities. To learn more, click here.

L’OREAL U.S. MOVES CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS FROM MIDTOWN MANHATTAN TO WEST SIDE
After nearly 60 years in Midtown Manhattan, L’Oréal USA announced that its first employees have officially moved into the company’s new U.S. headquarters at 10 Hudson Yards. Over the next few months, 1,300 L’Oréal USA employees will occupy 10 floors of the building, spanning more than 400,000 square feet of the 1.8 million-square foot Platinum LEED designed Tower on Manhattan’s West Side. L’Oréal’s pioneering role as Hudson Yards’ second tenant signals the neighborhood’s evolution into a dynamic new urban center that is set to become a cultural hub for New York City. L’Oreal USA operates a manufacturing and distribution facility in North Little Rock.

The majority of L’Oréal USA’s corporate functions and brand teams including Essie, Garnier, Lancôme, La Roche-Posay, L’Oréal Paris, Matrix, Maybelline, Redken and SkinCeuticals will be housed at the 10 Hudson Yards building, a modern glass office tower nestled alongside the iconic High Line. Approximately 150 employees, including creative teams from across L’Oréal USA’s brand portfolio and The Body Shop, recently relocated to the nearby Terminal Stores building, a revitalized West Chelsea warehouse complex that used to be home to a transfer station for the New York Central Railroad.