Visits Fourth-Generation Family-Owned, Woman-Run Opici Family Wine & Spirits PPP Recipient — Saving 50 NJ Jobs

Gottheimer Celebrates Women’s History Month

Above: Gottheimer visits 108-year-old local small business Opici Family Distributing in Glen Rock today to highlight pandemic relief resources available to North Jersey businesses.

GLEN ROCK, NJ — Today, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) visited local small business Opici Family Distributing, which previously received federal relief through a PPP loan. Gottheimer highlighted new COVID-19 relief resources available from recent pandemic relief packages like the American Rescue Plan. North Jersey small businesses now have the opportunity to apply for their first PPP loan, if they have not already, or for a second draw loan — with the PPP application deadline now extended through May 31st.

Gottheimer was joined today by Dina Opici, the President of Opici Family Distributing, which is an award-winning fourth-generation, family-owned, woman-run small business headquartered in Glen Rock, NJ. Founded in 1913, they employ around one hundred people in North Jersey and they have a presence throughout the East Coast.

“With our latest pandemic relief packages that have been signed into law, small businesses now have another opportunity to apply for a forgivable PPP loan to help them keep their doors open and keep employees paid, and small businesses can also now apply for a second PPP loan. With a bipartisan bill I backed signed into law this week by the President, we’ve also now extended the PPP application deadline through the end of April,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “For more than a century, the Opici family has been creating jobs and contributing to the economy here in North Jersey, running a phenomenal women-owned and run business. It’s my goal to help businesses like this one continue to operate, employ our residents, make it through the pandemic, and recover.”

This week, the President signed the bipartisan PPP Extension Act of 2021 into law, which Gottheimer cosponsored in the House, to extend the PPP loan application deadline until May 31st.

New Federal Relief for Restaurants & Small Businesses from the American Rescue Plan:

• Small Businesses: 
  • $15 billion in new funding for Targeted EIDL grants, available to hard-hit, underserved small businesses. 
  • $7.25 billion in additional Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) forgivable loans. 

• Live Venues:
  • $1.25 billion in grants for shuttered live venue operators.

• Restaurants:
  • $28.66 billion a new program at the Small Business Administration — the Restaurant Revitalization Fund — to offer assistance to restaurants and bars hit hard by the pandemic. 
  • Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants will provide a maximum $10 million per restaurant group or $5 million per individual restaurant location. Eligible businesses include: restaurants and bars that are not part of an affiliated restaurant group with more than 20 locations, and are not publicly traded.

To learn more about COVID-19 relief options from the U.S. Small Business Administration, visit here.

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