Monday, April 6, 2020

Encouraging Message from NYC Doctor (via the Oshkosh Chamber); Barrington Area Chamber: Daily Herald Media Group: Free Crisis Marketing Webinar For Local Businesses; ADP: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) update; #Lookforthehelpers: Notre Dame Prep (Pontiac) Responds To Need For PPE (from the Auburn Hills Chamber); Look for the Helpers: Harrisonburg-Rockingham Small Business Resilience Grant Application; Look for the helpers: Indy Chamber Rapid Response Hub: Loans; Southeast Kentucky Chamber team member wins Kentucky Student Employee of the Year; Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles: The best Chamber Partner in the U.S.


Good morning #ChamberWorld! Look for the helpers! Build the future now! It's going to be a GREAT day!

Encouraging Message from NYC Doctor (via the Oshkosh Chamber)



Encouraging message from NYC Doctor - 10 minute video. Frontline physician gives us sound advice, makes the disease a little less scary, and gives us hope. Oshkosh Chamber of Commerce - Apr 2nd, 2020

The following video link was provided by US Senator Ron Johnson - link to video. The video was made by a New York City doctor, David Price. From his front-line experience in the nation’s coronavirus hot spot, Dr. Price gives us sound advice, makes the disease a little less scary, and gives us hope by empowering us. He helps put things into perspective as we weigh the human costs of the disease and our response. What makes the video so powerful is that Dr. Price is one of the heroes treating COVID-19 patients almost exclusively, and he’s not scared. Instead, he’s confident he will not catch the disease because he knows how to prevent it. Price’s advice: COVID-19 is transmitted primarily from the hands to the face. So be aware of your hands at all times. Keep them clean by washing often and using hand sanitizer. DO NOT TOUCH YOUR FACE. If you’re sick or vulnerable, isolate yourself. In order to prevent overwhelming our health care system, go to the hospital only if you’re short of breath. Maintain social distancing. Feel free to use a face mask, primarily to train yourself NOT TO TOUCH YOUR FACE. But aerosolized transmission is far less common, so you don’t need an N95 face mask. Reserve those for front-line health care workers.



Barrington Area Chamber: Daily Herald Media Group: Free Crisis Marketing Webinar For Local Businesses 

In this webinar with Borrell Associates, we discuss how local businesses can communicate and use marketing to their advantage during challenging times.

You'll learn:
● How to communicate with customers and the community
● How to craft creative and appropriate marketing messages
● Common concerns and opportunities local businesses are facing 




ADP: Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) update


Yesterday, the U.S. Treasury Department released new information on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) which prioritizes millions of Americans employed by small businesses and non-profits, as well as the self-employed and independent contractors. Nearly $350 billion has been authorized for 100% federally guaranteed loans toward job retention and certain other expenses amid the pandemic and economic downturn. Importantly, borrowers are eligible for loan forgiveness on certain operating costs covered in this program. Generally speaking, as long as employers continue paying employees at normal levels during the eight weeks following the origination of the loan, then the amount they spent on payroll costs (excluding costs for any compensation above $100,000 annually), mortgage interest, rent payments, and utility payments can be combined and that portion of the loan will be forgiven. Due to likely high subscription, it is anticipated that not more than 25% of the forgiven amount may be for non-payroll costs. 

The application process opens on this Friday, April 3, 2020 (for small businesses, non-profits, and sole proprietorships) and on Friday April 10, 2020 (for independent contractors and the self-employed).

Information for borrowers and lenders is listed below.


For assistance or questions related to the PPP or the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL), please contact the team at the USM’s Small Business Development Center - 601-266-5507 or at rita.a.mitchell@eagles.usm.edu







#Lookforthehelpers: Notre Dame Prep (Pontiac) Responds To Need For PPE (from the Auburn Hills Chamber)

Update: Currently, there are more than 10 members of the greater Notre Dame family working on 3D-printing components for face shields. The team plans to have at least 1,500 face shields completed soon with ongoing deliveries to the Waterford Fire Department. Fire Chief Matt Covey offered to distribute them to local EMS, fire, police and hospital facilities. Chief Covey noted that they also are in need of bottled water and healthy snacks.
Anyone interested in helping out can drop off water and snacks to the Waterford Township Fire Department at 495 Crescent Lake Rd. Waterford, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., M-F.
When Notre Dame parent Mike Deck reached out to the Notre Dame community with a plea to help create components for face shields used by medical personnel working with COVID-19 patients in hospitals and other medical facilities, Louise Palardy, an NDPMA science teacher, leapt into action.
"Mike's wife, who works in health care, said they had a great need for face shields," said Palardy, who also works as Notre Dame's STEM specialist and robotics teams coordinator. "He was able to take care of the needs at his wife's facility with his own 3D printer, but he wondered if we could help others in the area with the same type of 3D-printed visor frames."
It turns out that Fabian Fregoli, M.D., a school parent and board member who is chief medical officer at St. Joseph Mercy Oakland Hospital in Pontiac, also said his hospital was in need of help with face masks.
"Fabian said they were critically short of supplies, so I forwarded the .STL (stereolithography) file that Mr. Deck sent me to Fabian's son Giuseppe as a test and he printed one on their home 3D printer," Palardy said. "He checked it out and said it was really comfortable. So now we're discussing what kind of plastic shields will be most effective for the visor frames we print." 
Palardy's home 3D printer, which is the same model as the one in Notre Dame's robotics center, is now up and running in high production. She had access to about seven spools of the filament used in the printer and figures she will be able to print about 250 visors with supplies on hand. 
"Now I am hoping there are a number of people in our community who have 3D printers and filament on hand and could help support this project. I'm very happy to share the .STL file with them," Palardy said. "The print requires at least a 6" X 6" 3D printer bed."
Palardy told Fregoli that she could supply 500 of the visor components, so she's looking to the NDPMA community for any help with the 3D printing of the visors as well as with the procurement and attachment of the clear shields. 
If you can help Palardy with this 3D project, please contact her at lpalardy@ndpma.org. Read more: Notre Dame Preparatory School



Look for the Helpers: Harrisonburg-Rockingham Small Business Resilience Grant Application


Harrisonburg-Rockingham COVID-19 Business Support Taskforce
c/o Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce
800 Country Club Road
Harrisonburg, Virginia 22802
frank@hrchamber.org
(540) 434-3862


We understand the unprecedented hard times businesses are facing right now. To that end, the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center, Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce, Harrisonburg Economic Development, Rockingham County Economic Development, Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance and Shenandoah Valley Technology Council have created an emergency grant fund to aid small businesses that are being affected. The maximum grant amount is $5,000.
Businesses eligible for a Harrisonburg-Rockingham Small Business Resilience Grant must meet the following requirements:
• Had 25 employees or fewer on March 1, 2020 (note: businesses with multiple regional locations are eligible).
• Must be in good standing with regard to state and local taxes and licenses.
• Must have been established and operational in Harrisonburg or Rockingham County for at least the previous 12 months. Businesses that have expanded to a storefront from another business are eligible (e.g., an established caterer who opened a restaurant or an online retailer who opened a boutique).
• Eligible uses of funds: payroll (exclusive of owner compensation), utilities, rent, mortgage payments, insurance, or similar expenses, and products directly used in production of a product for sale.

The Harrisonburg-Rockingham Small Business Resilience Grant program has a limited funding, therefore not all grant requests may be approved. Applications will be reviewed and kept confidential by the review team, which will comprise representatives of the Taskforce.

Please email your completed grant application and supporting documents to Frank Tamberrino at frank@hrchamber.org. You may also drop the grant application off in person at 800 Country Club Road, Harrisonburg, VA 22802.




Look for the helpers: Indy Chamber Rapid Response Hub: Loans










Need Loan Capital? Let Us Help.

Navigating the process to get needed loan capital in the midst of COVID-19 is difficult. Our team is here to help you as you consider your options and meet your company's financial needs.

CHOOSE A PATH BASED ON YOUR NEEDS:

I NEED MORE THAN
$25,000



I NEED LESS THAN
$25,000


More than $25,000

You'll want to apply for federal disaster loan assistance from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Here's a useful resource to determine eligibility and prepare you for this process, and if you're ready, click here to apply.

This is your best bet for larger loans, but we also recognize that you may need a smaller loan to hold your business over until these funds hit the streets. Our Rapid Response Loan Fund through the Indy Chamber's Business Ownership Initiative (BOI) can do just that. Scroll down on this page for more info.

What businesses aren't eligible?

Agricultural enterprises, religious or charitable organizations, and businesses that derive more than one-third of their annual revenue from legal gambling activities are not eligible. More details are available here.




Less than $25,000

Our Rapid Response Loan Fund through the Indy Chamber's Business Ownership Initiative (BOI) and its partners is an affordable option for loans of $1,000-$25,000. These could be used to pay employee salaries, insurance premiums, or as a bridge loan until additional funding kicks in from your bank or from the SBA.

These loans have a 3.75% interest rate and no application fee, along with no prepayment penalties. We have flexible eligibility requirements, and we're here to provide technical assistance and coaching along the way.

No minimum credit score is required, and for immigrant entrepreneurs, ITIN is accepted in place of SSN.

Step 1 is filling out our intake form, and we'll guide you from there.

What businesses aren't eligible?

The same eligibility for SBA loans applies to our loan fund as well. Agricultural enterprises, religious or charitable organizations, and businesses that derive more than one-third of their annual revenue from legal gambling activities are not eligible. More details are available here.



Southeast Kentucky Chamber team member wins Kentucky Student Employee of the Year


(April 6, 2020) – Southeast Kentucky Chamber of Commerce Communication Assistant Kennedy Garrett has been selected as the 2020 Kentucky Student Employee of the Year.
“The University of Pikeville was notified our student nominee for the Student Employee of the Year (SEOTY), Kennedy Garrett, won the Kentucky award with a prize of $75. This is a part of the national award held by the National Student Employment Association (NSEA) and the Midwest Association for Student Employment Administrators (MASEA),” said Sonia Smith, campus employment specialist at the University of Pikeville.
Garrett is a senior at the University of Pikeville, majoring in business administration, with an emphasis in accounting and management. She joined the Chamber team in August 2019 and has since helped the Chamber with the planning of the annual Hillbilly Days festival in Pikeville each spring, with processing and recording payments and data, and a number of other essential tasks.
“We are beyond grateful to have Kennedy as a member of our team,” said Josh Little, Southeast Kentucky Chamber director of operations. “Kennedy is a valued member of our staff. She is a wonderful employee and friend who always offers a warm smile and a positive attitude. We are proud of her accomplishments and want to congratulate her on being selected for this prestigious award.”
UPIKE supervisors submitted nominations based on criteria including communication, digital technology, professionalism, intercultural fluency, career management, leadership, and teamwork.
“Student employment at the University of Pikeville works to be relevant for the work students seek after UPIKE, connect with their academics and offer opportunities to grow professionally as well as prepare students for needed workplace skills,” said Smith. “We offer employment opportunities for students on campus as well as in the community, at no cost to organizations that meet the federal work study program criteria and are approved as work sites for UPike.” 
For more information on how your organization/department may become a part of the UPike Federal Work Study employment program, contact Sonia Smith soniasmith@upik.edu.
For more information about the Chamber’s members, visit the Chamber online at www.sekchamber.com, or by phone at 606.432.5504.


Town Square Publications Chamber Membership Directories and Community Profiles: The best Chamber Partner in the U.S.



Town Square Publications, a division of the Daily Herald Media Group, is a national chamber custom publishing group that specializes in developing partnerships by producing high-quality print and digitally integrated publications along with other added value programs dedicated to creating relevancy for local chambers of commerce and other membership focused organizations interested in raising non-dues revenues.

Town Square Publications parent company, Paddock Publications, has over 100 years’ experience of print product development and dedicated customer service in communities throughout the Midwest. Our experience allows Town Square Publications to offer you attractive royalty and non-dues revenue share streams, provide direct distribution of your custom designed printed publications, including digital and mobile integration, and all with the quickest turn-around times available in the industry. Town Square also offers multi-media maps in both print and online formats, both with our No-Cost guarantee. More information: Town Square Publications

Chambers of Commerce and member focused organizations serve as a valuable resource in the local marketplace. The networking opportunities and representation with a wide variety of diverse businesses in your community is the catalyst of a successful organization. For further information about Town Square's publishing partnership with chambers of commerce and our No-Cost guarantee and Earned Revenue Share Program, To request your chamber publication or map proposal, contact Town Square Chamber Proposal

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