The loans are pending state controlling board approval but are expected to create 60 jobs and retain 489.

Athens County Port Authority, located in Athens, will receive a $716,500 loan at an interest rate of 3% for a 15-year term. The funds will be used to renovate a building in the Athens County Industrial Park allowing the planned expansion of the Nebraska Book Co., a $1-million project. The Port will continue to own the building and lease the space to Nebraska Books.

Morgan County Community Improvement Corporation, located in Malta, will receive a $750,000 Rural Industrial Park loan at an interest rate of 0% for the first five years and 3.25% for the remainder of the 15-year term. The funds will be used to purchase the abandoned Malta Window plant from the Tompkins/Phillips Group. The nearly 560,000-sf facility will then be leased to a single entity or several entities.Dayton-based Liteflex LLC will receive a $745,000 loan at an interest rate of 4% for a five-year term. The funds will be used to purchase the assets from three Delphi locations that will eventually be consolidated to one location in Dayton. Liteflex manufactures composite springs as replacements for steel leaf springs used in automobiles and medium- to heavy-duty trucks.