“As I go back to the committee where I work, I’m going to be looking at what we can do to support that smaller loans for business that are just getting going,” Sen. Smith said.

It’s a challenge Rockfilter Distillery owner Christian Myrah knows all too well after he spent two years working on opening up his place.

“It’s the capital and getting started. Especially in this business, all our products are aged in barrels for a number of years before they’re ready for the marketplace,” he said.

Myrah says one barrier for his business that could be worked out on a federal level is passing the USPS Equity Reform Act that would allow his business to ship directly to consumers.

“That would really be a boost to small craft distilleries across this country, especially in rural areas,” Myrah said.

Another problem area community members touched on is housing. A 2020 study revealed Spring Grove is in need of all types of housing.

“We’re trying to get creative on how we can help both the city with infrastructure development as well as private developers to try to build homes that are affordable for first time homeowners all the way through elderly folks who are looking to downsize,” Spring Grove economic development director Courtney Bergey-Swanson said.

It’s another issue Senator Smith is working to solve.

“We need more capitol to go into housing development and we need to help communities like Spring Grove be able to pay for the upfront infrastructure,” Sen. Smith said.

But despite the challenges, city leaders say Spring Grove has several thriving businesses and even more community members there to support them.

“It’s not something where we’re trying to save our town. It’s not something where we’re trying to revitalize a ghost town. We have a great community, and we’re just trying to figure out how to make it better,” Bergey-Swanson said.

Also on Thursday, Senator Smith toured MiEnergy Cooperative in Rushford and attended a roundtable discussion in Rochester to talk about federal investments in Rochester Public Transportation.

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