Po Boy Mega Alley, LLC: Po Boy Mega Alley, LLC Economic and Community Development

ID

205

OrgName

Po Boy Mega Alley, LLC

PhysicalAddress

6011 N 30th Street, Omaha, NE 68111

MailingAddress

Website

SocialMediaAccounts

Name

Myron Minnifield

Title

President

EmailAddress

poboymegaalleyllc@gmail.com

Phone

+1 (402) 612-1812

Team

Yes

TeamExplanation

Myron Minnifield (President) and Nevaeh Prince (Vice President). Myron Minnifield began his career by serving 17 years in the United States Airforce and then spent the next 10 years managing Po Boy Auto Sales, LLC, a successful buy-here-pay-here car lot that served the North Omaha community. Myron was unable to maintain business with Po Boy Auto Sales, LLC as a result of the pandemic due to increased car prices nationally and less people driving. Myron will serve as manager and make many of the business decisions. Nevaeh is business minded and a tutor of mathematics. She also provides ongoing leadership to her community by volunteering on her church board. Nevaeh is not only an ambitious pre-med college student but has an ambitious understanding that strong local business will strengthen and support her local community.

OrganizationalChart

Po Boy Mega Alley, LLC has two members, Myron Minnifield, 51% membership, serves as President, and Nevaeh Jade Prince, a 49% membership holder serves as Vice President.

OtherCompletedProjects

PO Boy Mega Alley, LLC (“The Mega Alley”) is a new limited liability company that intends to operate a start-up convenience store in North Omaha with an overarching goal of community betterment and togetherness. This proposal seeks funding to complete renovations to the building for the store location, commission of community-oriented murals for the exterior of the building, build a farmers market produce stand, and obtain picnic tables for public use near our location. To date, Myron Minnifield purchased the building and is providing a lease to The Mega Alley. The Mega Alley has been working over the course of the last seven months to renovate the lot including the parking space and building location. As part of these renovations, the parking lot has been smoothed and resurfaced, the exterior of the building has received a facelift, and the interior has undergone a full cleaning and renovation to add necessary shelving and storage for a convenience store. The Mega Alley aspires to bring the North Omaha community together by providing a central location for day-to-day necessities, provide a community gathering place, and participate with local businesses and organizations to bring educational opportunities to North Omaha.

ProposalTitle

Po Boy Mega Alley, LLC Economic and Community Development

TotalBudget

250000.0

LB1024GrantFundingRequest

152500.0

ProposalType

Service/program

BriefProposalSummary

The Mega Alley is seeking grant funding as a community small business striving to develop a one-stop-shop community convenience store providing daily necessities such as food, drinks, personal goods, and premade meals to improve the North Omaha Community and provide increased employment opportunities. The Mega Alley is located at the southeast corner of North 30th and Kansas Ave. across from Miller Park. The lot began as a derelict lot with a falling down building. The Mega Alley has already begun renovations on the lot and building to convert a former mechanics shop into a convenience store with plans to open the store by the end of 2022, and gradually add additions and programs as desired by its customers. In addition to creating local jobs, The Mega Alley has made contact with other local businesses to hopefully provide community outreach and education events.

Timeline

Significant renovation has already taken place to the building structure. The Mega Alley’s remaining project times are expected to be completed within the next eighteen months, by Spring 2024. Sign and Mural Installation, December 2022 Complete construction, January 2023 Inventory Stocked & soft opening of the convenience store, January 2023 Picnic Tables & Farmers Market Stand, March, 2023 New HVAC and Central Air, May 2023 Complete updates to commercial kitchen to offer Culinary Continuing Education, September 2023

PercentageCompletedByJuly2025

1.0

FundingGoals

Long-Lasting Economic Growth (i.e., a proposal that will foster gainful employment opportunities and financial investment in the area, leading to the creation of generational wealth and widespread economic vitality in North and South Omaha) Transformational (i.e., a proposal that will help energize, recharge, or spur significant and favorable advancements in North or South Omaha's function or appearance)

Community Needs

Multimodal Transportation (i.e., enable connectivity through driving, biking, taking transit, walking, and rolling) Other Quality of Life (i.e., create or enhance natural spaces, mixed uses, parks, safety, etc.) Sustainable Community (i.e., create or enhance housing, services, education, civic uses, recreation, etc.)

OtherExplanation

Greater community access to basic necessities that will be walking, driving, and bus accessible.

ProposalDescriptionAndNeedsAlignment

The Mega Alley is intended to not only be a convenience store providing daily necessities within easy access of community members, but also serve as a gathering place and foster involvement in the community. The Mega Alley is directly next to a Metro transit, providing easily accessible goods, and directly across the street from Miller Park, conjoining North Omaha economic and recreation centers. In addition to adding local jobs, the business is also attempting a partnership with Metropolitan Community College to provide the culinary program training space and Culinary Continuing Education opportunities.

VisioningWorkshopFindingsAlignment

The Mega Alley's proposal is the brainchild of two longtime North Omaha residents that understand the community and their potential customers. First and foremost, the proposal is utilizing a previously vacant lot containing a crumbling building surrounded by community staples -- Miller Park, Bellevue University, Nelson Mandella Elementary School, and several churches within walking distance. The proposal seeks funding to complete building renovations on an aging, yet viable building, and for items that support the business, but also connect the community, like offering a space for a farmers' market produce stand, placing picnic tables for casual outside dining and meeting space, and using the commercial kitchen to provide educational collaboration with the Metro Community College Culinary program and continuing education courses. The Mega Alley eventually hopes to offer customers access to natural medicinal products within its store and potentially expand to an area for physical wellness, which are in short supply in North Omaha.

PrioritiesAlignment

The Mega Alley’s project aims to develop a convenience store that becomes engrained in the community by providing a constant service to customers, employment opportunities, educational training, and visual and productive improvement to a previously vacant corner lot.

EconomicImpact

Until renovations are complete, The Mega Alley will continue to hire contractors and laborers at their standard rates to complete the work. The Mega Alley anticipates around 10 temporary employment opportunities in the areas of general contracting, painting, drywall, electrical, and appliance installation. Once The Mega Alley convenience store is operational, The Mega Alley anticipates creation of 10-15 permanent jobs at rates around $15.00 per hour.

EconomicImpactPermanentJobsCreated

10-15

EconomicImpactTemporaryJobsCreated

10

EconomicImpactWageLevels

For temporary, current market rates; or permanent, above minimum wage.

EconomicImpactAlignProposedJobs

The Mega Alley seeks to hire contractors, laborers, and purchase construction materials almost immediately to complete the building. After the building is complete, The Mega Alley intends to hire 10-15 convenience store employee jobs and conduct Culinary continuing education courses.

CommunityBenefit

The Mega Alley proposal will benefit the surrounding community by cleaning up a formerly vacant lot and renovating the building to provide an attractive destination. In addition, The Mega Alley is centrally located within walking distances of schools, churches, and parks that are central to everyday life. The Mega Alley aims to provide a diverse inventory of products and take home meals that customers may not find at any other local store.

CommunityBenefitSustainability

The Mega Alley proposal contributes to community sustainability by seamlessly incorporating its location into the surrounding area near public Transporation, providing both temporary and permanent jobs, providing a small, and locally owned business engaged with the community and providing educational opportunities.

BestPracticesInnovation

The Mega Alley is intentionally designing the inside and outside of its business with a key focus on community involvement, which diverges from that of all other convenience stores. The Mega Alley has been innovative in the industry because the owners have a strong sense of community and want to bring that feeling to their business. They have planned the exterior to appeal to the community through murals, offering a farmers market type stand for customers to sell their garden products, incorporating picnic tables to feel more connected to Miller Park. The Mega Alley has set out to provide a combined customer and community experience.

OutcomeMeasurement

Job creation, community beautification, community partnerships, and educational opportunities in culinary arts

OutcomeMeasurementHow

Such outcomes may be visually observed by the general community and neighboring businesses and organizations. The owners of the business will be able to measure employment creation rates.

OutcomeMeasurementCoinvestment

If the convenience store operations are favorable, The Mega Alley is excited to explore expanding its business to provide community opportunities for health and wellness.

Partnerships

Yes

PartnershipsOrgs

The Mega Alley is discussing a partnership with area churches to provide pastry goods for church services, with the Nelson Mandela School to provide early childhood cooking and entrepreneurial training; with Metro Community College to arrange Culinary Student course time and Culinary Continuing education.

PartnershipsMOU

Displacement

No

DisplacementExplanation

PhysicalLocation

The physical location of the project is 6011 N 30th Street, Omaha, NE, which is located at the southeast corner of North 30th and Kansas Ave. The convenience store will be directly across the street from the southwest corner of Miller Park and is located along bustling North 30th Street which provides ample vehicle and foot traffic.

QualifiedCensusTract

Within one or more QCTs

AdditionalLocationDocuments

Additional documentation has been uploaded.

PropertyZoning

Yes

ConnectedToUtilities

ConnectedToUtilitiesConnected

Yes

ConnectedToUtilitiesUpgradesNeeded

Yes

DesignEstimatingBidding

No

DesignEstimatingBiddingPackageDeveloped

No

DesignEstimatingBiddingCostsDetermined

Myron Minnifield has done many of the renovations himself, to determine costs, all products were listed at current commercial cost. A contractor may be hired for more extensive renovations and for the AC installation, for which an oral estimate was provided.

GeneralContractor

No

GeneralContractorPublicCompetitiveBid

GeneralContractorPublicCompetitiveBidWhyNot

RequestRationale

Final Structural Building Renovations – Materials and Labor $6,000 Central Air, including ductwork – Materials and Labor $10,000 Murals - $9,000 Final Commercial Kitchen Renovations and Appliances– $15,000 Fire Suppression for Commercial Kitchen - $20,000 Farmer’s Market Stand - $1,500 Picnic Tables (x4) - $4,000 Commercial Walk In Cooler - $15,000 Commercial Drink Coolers (x5) - $12,000 Traffic Barriers - $10,000 Inventory - $50,000 The Mega Alley has received oral bids and received itemizations for goods and services.

GrantFundsUsage

Funds will be used for the following: completing building renovation, including installing central air conditioning, purchasing appliances to upgrade the commercial kitchen and store inventory, building a farmers market stand, purchasing picnic tables, and commissioning community murals.

ProposalFinancialSustainability

Yes

ProposalFinancialSustainabilityOperations

The proposal relates to a convenience store that is expected to generate its own revenue through sales of goods and services. The owner intends, where feasible, to use portions of the business profits for community events and outreach.

FundingSources

The Mega Alley's alternative funding source, at this time, comes from personal investment income from members.

FundingSourcesPendingDecisions

FundingSourcesCannotContinue

Currently the funds to finalize renovations and replace the air conditioning unit are top priority.

Scalability

Yes, the proposal is designed to be completed in small components as funds are available and in stages.

ScalabilityComponents

In the timeline set out above, each project is meant to be an individual improvement and can be completed at a later date.

FinancialCommitment

Members of The Mega Alley have already expended over $100,000 to renovate the parking lot and building for the convenience store. The Mega Alley and its members are prepared to continue personal investments until completion of the project.

ARPAComplianceAcknowledgment

1.0

ARPAReportingMonitoringProcessAck

1.0

LB1024FundingSourcesAck

1.0

PublicInformation

1.0

FileUploads

Data table of uses (breakdown of how the requested funds will be used for your proposal) Documentation of site control (proof of ownership, option, purchase contract, or long-term lease agreement) Plans and detailed descriptions, including pictures and a map of the site location/surrounding area Pro Forma