A Message from your Chamber Vice President 4-6-2020

4/6/2020

Before we begin the “business of business”, I want to share with you the wonderful news that our Chamber President Katie, her husband Justin and their beautiful daughter Skylar welcomed Carter Justin "CJ" into the world on Thursday afternoon. Mom and baby are doing great and resting at home. While we will be keeping Katie fully appraised of all things happening here in “Chamber world” we want to ensure she has some time to enjoy her new baby boy, and I want to reassure you that your Chamber team is here for you, and we are working together to ensure you have the resources needed to get your families and your businesses through this trying time.
As we stride valiantly into the new week, my hope is that these emails, links, and webinars will assist you in making informed choices as to the best way forward.
Business Assistance:

Our partners at the Florida Chamber are working around the clock to help address “How will this affect my business?” and their help page at https://www.flchamber.com/essential-services-order/ is designed to address many FAQ’s, to allow businesses to submit questions, and utilize their “access” to our legislators to gain the answers specific to your own situations. If you haven’t visited this page yet, I encourage you to do so.
The Coronavirus Small Business Guild from the US Chamber is updated daily with resources designed to assist you through this time and is an excellent source of factual information and practical help.
If you need more information on the CARES Act, the US Chamber developed the Emergency Loans, Small Business Guide and Checklist and if you were unable to dial into the webinar on this last week (https://www.winterhavenchamber.com/blog/the-federal-cares-act-webinar), I would encourage you to check this out, Brince Manning, Southeastern Region Manager with the US Chamber gave an excellent presentation of the various options open to all types and sizes of business’ and organizations.
Paycheck Protection Program – approved lenders are now accepting applications for this program. The US Chamber advises that business owners first reach out to their own bankers, with whom they have established relationships, as many of these will be authorized to process the applications.
On Tuesday, April 7th at 11:30 am the Florida Chamber will host a “Get Your NEW SBA Loan Questions Answered” webinar: Click to REGISTER HERE. Small Business Administration Regional Director Ashley Bell will be among the featured speakers.

Local:

Baycare will continue the drive through COVID-testing but from April 6th this will be moved to the Bartow Regional Medical Center, with testing between 9 am and 12 pm. Note: Please utilize their online screening PRIOR to visiting the testing site.
As a reminder, the City and County update their COVID-19 Action pages continuously and any changes to current mandates will be posted there. I encourage you to check the official sources before reposting, repeating or taking action.
- Polk County COVID information
- City of Winter Haven COVID information

State:

Recognizing the impact on Floridian’s ability to make mortgage or rent payments, Governor DeSantis issued an Executive Order (20-94) effectively stalling foreclosure or eviction proceedings (due to COVID-19) for the next 45 days (from April 2nd).
A second Executive Order (20-93) has also been enacted addressing the need to reinforce the staff and resources open to the Reemployment Assistance Program from the Department of Economic Opportunity (DEO) to better deal with the increased demand. This includes speeding up application processing times and working with CareerSource Florida on the distribution and collection of application forms.

Federal:

CDC issued new guidelines regarding face covering (based on recent studies that a significant portion of individuals with coronavirus lack symptoms and that even those who eventually develop symptoms can transmit the virus to others before any symptoms develop). In light of this, the CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies). The cloth face coverings recommended are not surgical masks or N-95 respirators, those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for healthcare workers and other medical first responders. This recommendation complements and does not replace the President’s Coronavirus Guidelines for America, 30 Days to Slow the Spread

YOUR Chamber team: To reiterate, YOUR Chamber team is here for you: You can still reach us via the Chamber’s regular line 863-293-2138 and if you prefer to reach out to us as individuals:

As your Vice President of Member Services, I’m here for you, to ensure we are meeting your needs as an organization, to answer your questions regarding your membership, membership invoices, sponsorships & advertising opportunities, and be the spokesperson for the Chamber in Katie’s absence (863-242-6934 or [email protected])
Jennifer Romberger our Vice President of Finance is your contact person to make a payment, for any questions about other invoices or accounting and general Chamber operations (863-326-0766 or [email protected])
Karen Speer our Events Coordinator is your point person on COVID-19 Business Recovery Information, inquiries from the general public and coordinating the business information center ([email protected])
Rachel Lawrence our Marketing Coordinator is your contact person for our social media pages, First Thing Monday e-newsletters, podcasts, blog, and the Chamber website ([email protected])

I am blessed to work in such a fantastic team and we all “pitch in” to do whatever is needed to drive this forward, so feel free to call or email any of us. We are here for you and together we will get through this!
Kindest regards - Amanda-Jo

Amanda-Jo Nicholson, IOM
Vice President of Member Services

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A Message from your Chamber Vice President 4-6-2020

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