Good morning #ChamberWorld! It's going to be a great day!
Advice for Reopening Small Businesses: - Via the Fulton County Chamber
Presented by Jackie Swihart, Project Manager, Office of
Community and Rural Affairs
As we all likely know, the Governor is promising that on Friday, May 1, Hoosiers will know a lot more about what the next steps are for reopening Indiana. While things are still unclear and I certainly don’t know anything more beyond what you all do, I thought I would share some things to keep in mind as you either begin, or continue, having discussions with small businesses in your downtown about what reopening should look like:
· Give your space a good cleaning before you re-open. If your business has been closed, you definitely want to get in there and get out all the dust and stale air before you re-open. Even if the business hasn’t been closed or has been regularly cleaned, it is still a good idea to sanitize everything that might come in contact with a person before you re-open. As you are doing this sanitization, take pictures and post them on your social media. It will make your customers feel better about coming in if they have seen proof of the business being sanitized for their safety.
· Implement CDC-recommended safety measures. We don’t know yet what the status of the virus will be when businesses are able to re-open, but be prepared to alter your business practices to follow whatever safety guidelines the CDC recommends. These could include limiting the number of customers allowed to come in to business at once, maintaining six-feet of social distance, sanitizing stations, and other precautions. Below are some suggestions of safety measures you can start preparing for that the CDC might recommend or that you can go ahead and use to make your customers and employees feel safe.
· If your business has seating, take out or block off every other seat or table. This will force people to social distance without you having to monitor or enforce it.
· Use tape or stickers to indicate how customers and employees should space themselves from each other. This can be especially useful for areas where people tend to line up like the register.
· Allow the first hour of every day for “at risk” clientele..
· For further protection at a counter or register, you can also install a clear barrier on the counter to separate the customer and employee, but still allow communication.
· Set up hand sanitizer at points of contact like doors, bathrooms, registers, etc.
· Post signs on your doors that masks must be worn inside the store – offer free ones at the door, if possible.
· Ensure that all employees have the necessary PPE. If your employees are going to come into close contact with customers, it is very important that you provide any and all personal protective equipment. At the minimum, if an employee is handing or receiving something from a customer (like food, deliveries, a credit card), they should be wearing gloves. Depending on the level of contact and the status of the virus, you may also need to provide masks for all employees. You should also ensure that all of your employees are using their PPE correctly for every single customer.
· Create and follow a continual sanitizing schedule. Similar to the PPE, you need to have a sanitizing schedule that is completed on a regular basis that every employee follows. This could be wiping down the screen or credit card pad after each transaction, cleaning door handles every hour, or spraying down the waiting room.
Prominently share and post all safety measures. Compile all the safety measures you will be following and put it on your website, your social media, your front door, at your register, and anywhere else you think it needs to be. If there are certain rules customers need to follow, like limiting how many people can come into the store at once, you need to make those rules easy for them to find. Sharing your safety measures can also benefit your business because you may have customers that choose to come to your place simply because they know that their health will be protected.
Community Foundation for Rockbridge, Bath and Alleghany Relief Applications Now Available
The Community Foundation for Rockbridge, Bath and Alleghany is now reviewing applications for assistance via the COVID-19 Relief Fund. Applications are to be submitted through our three jurisdictional partners. Please follow the links below:
Oxford Lafayette County Chamber: Join us for a conversation with Congressman Trent Kelly for “An Update From Capitol Hill on the COVID-19 Crisis"
Thursday, May 7th, 11:30 am
Call in number: 515-604-9099
Access code: Contact Chamber
Congressman Trent Kelly will give an exclusive report on what is going on in Washington DC and a general update on the Federal Governments response to COVID-19. The rest of the time will be open for questions, comments, and suggestions, etc.
On Tuesday, June 2, 2015, Trent Kelly was elected in a special election runoff to represent the First District of Mississippi in the 114th Congress.
Trent lives in Saltillo with his wife of 29 years, Sheila, and their three children John Forrest, Morgan, and Jackson. They are members of Saltillo First United Methodist Church.
Trent was born on March 1, 1966, in Union, Mississippi to parents John and Barbara Kelly. In 1984, he graduated from Union High School and graduated East Central Community College in 1986. He earned his bachelor’s degree and juris doctor from the University of Mississippi. In 2010, he received his master’s degree in Strategic Studies from the United States Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.
Trent has spent 34 years in the Mississippi Army National Guard as a Combat Engineer and is currently serving as a Brigadier General. In 1990, he mobilized for Desert Storm as an Engineer Second Lieutenant. In 2005, he deployed as a Major to Iraq with the 155th Brigade as the Operations Officer of the 150th Engineer Battalion. From 2009 to 2010, he deployed as a Lieutenant Colonel to Iraq as the Battalion Commander of Task Force Knight of the 155th Brigade Combat Team and commanded over 670 troops from Mississippi, Ohio, and Kentucky. He has received two Bronze Stars, Combat Action Badge, the Bronze, Silver, and Gold de Fleury Medals, and numerous other federal and state awards for his service.
Trent has worked at McRae’s Department Store as a manager, maintained a private law practice in Saltillo, and served as Tupelo City Prosecutor and Forfeiture Attorney for North Mississippi Narcotics Unit. Prior to being elected to Congress, Trent served as a District Attorney for the 1st Circuit Judicial District (Lee, Pontotoc, Alcorn, Monroe, Itawamba, Prentiss, and Tishomingo) managing all felony cases.
In Congress, Trent serves on the House Armed Services Committee, serving as Ranking Member of the Military Personnel Subcommittee. Trent also serves on the House Agriculture Committee and the House Small Business Committee.
Grand Rapids Chamber: West Michigan Chamber Call with Governor Whitmer
On yesterday's resource call with Governor Gretchen Whitmer, over 600 members from West Michigan Chambers joined in to hear from directly from our Governor.
West Michigan, and our country, is built on a backbone of entrepreneurship and small business. We all know many businesses are hurting and have all been working to address the uncertainty of the situation the best we can. We appreciate Governor Whitmer joining us to hear from the business community as we navigate these challenging times.
The Grand Rapids Chamber Government Affairs team looks forward to continuing to work with the Governor and our elected officials as we advocate for a smart economic restart. Find out more about our plan here and see our letter to the Governor, Senate Majority Leader and Speaker here.
| Apply for the Leadership Cabarrus Class of 2021 |
| Applications for the 2021 class are open now and are due by June 26 at 5 p.m. Leadership Cabarrus tuition is $900 for members and $1,250 for nonmembers, with priority acceptance given to members. There are three $500 scholarships available. F&M Bank provides one for a small business member and Duke Energy and Hilbish Ford provide two for nonprofit leaders. All scholarship applicants must be employees of Chamber member businesses and organizations. The deadline for scholarship applications is May 31 at 5 p.m. Recipients of the scholarships or their organizations will be responsible for paying the additional $400 for tuition by Aug. 14. Click here to learn more about Leadership Cabarrus. |
#FamousChamber of Commerce Quotation: Be happy
"No act of kindness, no matter how small is ever wasted."
- Aesop
From the Cary Grove Area Chamber: #ReBoundCG
- Aesop
From the Cary Grove Area Chamber: #ReBoundCG
Good Afternoon,
Week 6, hope this finds you safe and healthy. There still seems to be more questions than answers and I hope that this week will shed some light on things to come. As we continue to move forward with the new extension of May 30, the Chamber looks for ways to help our members and community. We are making plans for "ReBoundCG." Over the next weeks will be holding webinars and online meetings regarding what our new normal may look like. Please know that the Cary-Grove Chamber is here for you and will be doing everything we possibly can for our membership and villages.
Below I have listed several upcoming opportunities for you to take advantage of. I also would like to encourage all to take our new survey as it will aid us in our future "ReBoundCG" planning. Also, be sure to follow our "private" new facebook page "Cary-Grove Area Chamber of Commerce Bridging Members to Members."
Text call or email me anytime!
Lynn Caccavallo
#WeSupportCaryGrove #cgacoc #ReBoundCG
Southeast Kentucky Chamber and partners to host Business Booster Gift Card Drive on May 7
Pikeville, KY (April 28, 2020) – The Southeast Kentucky Chamber has partnered with radio stations and businesses across the region to host its Business Booster Gift Card Drive on May 7 to help local businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Business Booster is a way for businesses in the region – the business does not have to be a Chamber member – to generate additional revenue during the challenging times of COVID-19 when a lot of businesses have been forced to close their doors or scale back operations. The concept is simple, the business agrees to allow the Chamber to sell a gift card for them (sold in $25 increments) on May 7 from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. During these hours, local radio stations will be participating in the program and promoting the sale of these gift cards. Once a gift card is sold, through sponsorship, the Chamber can match the $25 to make a total gift card amount of $50 (the buyer will only pay $25 and receive $50 in credits). Matching funds are limited. The Chamber will then mail a check to each business for their sales and provide a list of each purchase.
“The Chamber is honored and excited to partner with some great local agencies for the Business Booster Gift Card Drive on May 7,” said Jordan Gibson, Southeast Kentucky Chamber president and CEO. “This is a great way for businesses to make a profit, even while their doors may not be open to the public. The Chamber wants to encourage the community to support local businesses as much as possible during this challenging time.”
Tune into the following partner stations from 7 a.m. until 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 7 for your chance to purchase gift cards from your favorite participating business: (Floyd County Broadcasting) WMDJ 100.1; (Forcht Broadcasting – Whitesburg) WTCW 95.1, WSKQ 103.9; (Gearheart Media) WIFX 94.3, WXKZ 105.3, WXLR 104.9; (Mountain Top Media) WDHR 93.1, WLSI 95.9, WXCC 96.5, 98.1, 102.5, WPKE-FM 103.1, 104.3, 104.5, WZLK 107.5, 900, 960, 1240, 1400, and 1460.
In addition to the gift cards for purchase, a number of gift cards and other prizes will be given out throughout the day, so make sure to tune in to one of the participating stations for your chance to win.
The Chamber would like to thank the sponsors who are helping to increase the impact of the program by providing matching dollars and gift card prizes: Appalachian Wireless, City of Pikeville, Double Kwik, Gearheart Communications, Glenn Martin Hammond Law Office, and Peoples Bank.
If you are a business who would like to have a gift card sold, please visit www.sekchamber.com/booster or contact the Chamber at info@sekchamber.com. Please sign up for the drive by Tuesday, May 5.
For more information about the Business Booster Gift Card Drive, visit www.sekchamber.com/booster. For more information about the Chamber and its members, visit the Chamber online at www.sekchamber.com.
For more information, contact Josh Little, Director of Operations, Office: 606.432.5504
joshlittle@sekchamber.com
How Brands in Other Countries Responded to Consumer Expectations During COVID-19; How Consumers Are Reacting to the Pandemic
During the height of the coronavirus pandemic in China, brands ramped up their efforts to meet consumers' high expectations for digital services by offering free online tools and courses, streaming live events and adopting new ecommerce strategies.
According to a March 2020 survey by GlobalWebIndex (GWI), 91% of internet users in China ages 16 to 64 at least agreed that brands should provide free services during the coronavirus outbreak.
And brands in China are stepping up to meet these expectations. Youdao Education, owned by gaming and music giant NetEase, provided free online classes to primary and secondary school students in Wuhan in the winter, and expanded these services nationwide in the spring. Alibaba offered its communications platform DingTalk for free, and Tencent expanded the capacity of its WeChat Work videoconferencing tool to 300 people for subscribers, while also offering free telemedicine and online courses to hospitals and schools. Read more: E Marketer
