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‘Every dollar counts’ — Gov. Polis extends program supporting small businesses in rural Colorado

Trevor Ballantyne
Steamboat Pilot & Today
Sam Nelson, co-founder of Bar-U-Eat, tours the company's facility in Hayden. The local business used money provided through the state's Rural Jump-Start program to purchase equipment used to produce its brands of organic granola bars.
Trevor Ballantyne/Steamboat Pilot & Today

A bill signed by Gov. Jared Polis this week in Hayden will extend a state grant and tax credit program to support small businesses in rural Colorado communities.

Originally passed into law in 2020, the Rural Jump-Start Program provides financial assistance to qualified businesses located in economically distressed counties in the state.

Set to expire in July, the reauthorization bill signed by the governor will extend the grant program for two years and the tax credit program for five years.



“While we have very low unemployment across our state, that is not uniform and we know we need to do more to bring opportunity to rural areas in Colorado,” Polis said Wednesday. “Rural Jump-Start is one of the most successful programs and opportunities that creates jobs across rural Colorado, particularly in areas that are seeking to diversify their economies.”

State Rep. Meghan Lukens and Sen. Dylan Roberts co-sponsored the legislation, which they said was especially important for the economies in Routt and Moffat counties, where coal facilities are expected to close by 2028.

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“We want to do everything we can to help the economic transition that is going on in the region,” Roberts said.

“Replacing jobs in the energy industry is not going to happen overnight and not going to come from just one business but this rural jump-start program allows small businesses to get started and get support and help communities diversify their economies.”

Polis signed the reauthorization bill during a ceremony at the Bar-U-Eat production facility in Hayden.

In 2022, co-founders Sam Nelson and Jason Friday opened the 5,000-square-foot facility, located on U.S. Highway 40 near Yampa Valley Regional Airport, with plans to ramp up production of their organic granola bars crafted with a blend of lightly roasted oats and nuts and seeds bound together by Majhūl dates and honey.

As one of 31 businesses participating in the Rural Jump-Start Program in 2023, Bar-U-Eat was the recipient of a $40,000 reimbursement grant. During a tour of the company’s facility prior to the governor’s visit, Nelson pointed to the equipment the company purchased with the help of the grant funding.

“For a small startup where money is hard and you are boot-strapping it — every dollar counts,” he said.

Prior to moving to their production facility, the bars were made by hand inside the Drunken Onion kitchen after the restaurant closed.

“We did the farmers market events, and about two years in, just killing ourselves doing that, we kind of realized that we were on to something, we have enough retailers and it finally made sense to try to get our own place to do it.”

With six employees, Nelson said the Bar-U-Eat facility is currently operating at about 15% capacity, allowing the team to produce 5,000 bars and seal them in wrappers made with wood and corn in a half-day session.

Their products are sold nationally at Bass Pro Shops, Cabela’s, and at various Whole Foods and Natural Grocers locations, in addition to stores in Steamboat Springs such as Ski Haus and various retailers across Colorado.

With annual sales below $1 million, Nelson said the business is targeting “very gradual growth.”

“It’s really easy to get caught up in, like, let’s get every store in the country to have Bar-U-Eat,” Nelson said. “We can only take on what we can actually make by hand.”

Roberts said the growth of the Bar-U-Eat brand “is a great example of how the Rural Jump-Start program should work.”

“You can start a small and successful business in rural Colorado,” he said. “It is obviously a great place to live and a great place to raise your family, and now it is a great place to start a business.”

This story is from SteamboatPilot.com


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