Bristol Herald Courier | Dip Dog Stand in Smyth County earns emergency business grant

A popular Smyth County eatery was notified Wednesday it will receive a $3,000 grant from a Northern Virginia nonprofit organization.

The Virginia 30 Day Fund will provide $3,000 to the Dip Dog Stand, a locally owned fast-food eatery on Lee Highway in Marion, according to co-founder and technology entrepreneur Pete Snyder.

“We’ve been providing $3,000 totally forgivable loans to small businesses to serve as a lifeline,” Snyder said in a phone interview. “This is our 500th small business across the commonwealth. … We’ll raise over $3 million, and at the end of this, we’ll fund 1,000 small businesses.”

Thus far, the organization has provided funds to about 50 Southwest Virginia businesses. Businesses apply and undergo a basic review, Snyder said. Businesses must operate for a year, be based in Virginia and employ between three and 30 people. Funds should be used for payroll, business expenses or to preserve employee health care coverage. More than 3,000 businesses have applied so far.