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  • COVID-19 Resource Page

  • June 29, 2020

    Small Business relief and best practices, written by www.Safehome.org, provided to us by the Safety, Health and Consumer Council:

    https://www.safehome.org/resources/small-business-protection-guide/

  • FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    June 2, 2020

    Yesterday,  Governor Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-110, announcing the state will begin entering Stage 4 of the MI Safe Start Plan as we continue to overcome and work toward recovering from the COVID-19 outbreak. Beginning Thursday, June 4, retailers may begin to reopen with certain capacity limits in place, and beginning Monday, June 8, restaurants, bars and children’s camps may also begin to reopen with limited capacity for both indoor and outdoor restaurant services. Subject to local regulation, gyms and fitness centers may conduct outdoor classes, practices, training sessions, or games, provided that coaches, spectators, and participants maintain six feet of distance from one another during these activities. Outdoor pools can also reopen, with restricted capacity.

    Businesses that remain closed include indoor theaters and performance venues; indoor gyms, fitness centers and recreation areas; hair, nail and tanning salons, tattoo parlors and spas; and, casinos licensed by the Michigan Gaming Control Board.

    Additionally, the stay-at-home order was lifted today as a result, allowing groups of up to 100 people to gather outside while practicing safe social distancing. To read the full list of businesses impacted by today’s executive order, click here.

    A number of resources are available to businesses and communities in the state as they work to navigate reopening. The following resources are also available at michiganbusiness.org/covid19.

    • The MI Safe Start Plan outlines how Michigan will re-engage the economy while continuing to keep our communities safe.
    • As businesses begin to safely re-engage in the economy, the MI Symptoms Web Application is a cost-free way for employers to comply with recent executive orders and implement a COVID-19 symptoms screening questionnaire for employees. Designed primarily for employers and employees, the online tool is also available to all Michigan residents. Learn more.
    • The Employer Guide to Best Practices from the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity provides guidance for restaurants/bars on reopening best practices.
    • As required by recent executive orders, businesses that begin reopening in the near future will be required to provide employees with non-medical grade PPE, including face masks, face shields, gloves, goggles and other materials as necessary to ensure the health and safety of their employees and customers. The PMBC COVID-19 Procurement Platform will work to connect those businesses in need of access to PPE with suppliers that may meet their demand. The online portal is open to companies of all sizes and industries and is available for all scales of PPE demand, and can be accessed at michiganbusiness.org/ppe along with additional information on the program.
    • The Reopen Main Street website will offer communities key resources to develop strategies to reopen their downtown businesses

    MEDC’s COVID-19 resources page also includes information about the latest relief programs and support available, at michiganbusiness.org/covid19. Learn more about the impact these program are having across the state at michiganbusiness.org/covid19response.

  • Zoom Meeting with Superintendents of Brighton, Pinckney and Whitmore Lake Public Schools May 28, 2020

  • The Greater Brighton, Hartland area, Howell area and Ann Arbor SPARK are teaming up once again to invite you to participate in 3 dynamic webinars - all on "Getting Back to Business" May 5  (Links for program flyers.) These webinars feature experts in each area, and they will surely be able to assist you when reopening your business. It has been a pleasure working with these organizations during the COVID-19 outbreak.  See information below and follow the links to register. 

    Pam McConeghy, President & CEO
    The Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce
     
    Getting Back to Business - Fire & Safety
    May 5th, 3pm
    Hear from Livingston County area fire department Chiefs: Adam Carroll, Andy Pless & Mike O'Brian, and Livingston County Sheriff Michael J. Murphy as they share best practices in maintaining a safe atmosphere for staff and the public when establishing your "open for business" plan.'
    Registration LINK

  • U.S. Chamber of Commerce Releases Guide to Help Tens of Millions of Independent Contractors Secure CARES Act Funding

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, APRIL 16, 2020

    WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Chamber of Commerce today released a new guide to help independent contractors and self-employed individuals secure funding under the CARES Act.
    The guide, which was prepared after the Small Business Administration provided new guidance on Tuesday, is intended to assist millions of independent contractors including accountants, construction workers, musicians, real-estate agents, freelance writers, and gig workers. The guide provides step-by-step assistance to help individuals understand eligibility requirements, borrowing limits, and appropriate use of funds under the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. It also outlines the steps required to apply for Unemployment Compensation under a special program created by the CARES Act.

    The guide for independent contractors and self-employed individuals is available at uschamber.com/ICguide. The Spanish version of the guide can be found at uschamber.com/ICGuideESP.
    “No self-employed individual, independent contractor or their families should go bankrupt because of the economic fallout from the coronavirus,” said Neil Bradley, executive vice president and chief policy officer, U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “This guide will help our nation’s independent contractors across a wide spectrum of industries secure the funding they need to support themselves and their families during this difficult time.”

    23 Million Independent Contractors
    According to IRS data from 2016, nearly 23 million Americans earn wages as independent contractors working either part or full-time. Of those 23 million independent contractors, less than 2 million (8.6%) earn wages as part of the on-demand economy.
    To help illustrate the depth and breadth of the nation’s independent workforce, the Chamber has posted data visualizations on a state-by-state and industry basis. The interactive map shows both the number of independent contractors in each state and the number of independent contractors in each state that work through online or app-enabled.

    Not surprisingly, the most populous states of California, Texas, Florida, New York, and Illinois topped the list in terms of the most independent contractors per state, but it also showed that 13 states have more than 500,000 people working as independent contractors and 38 states have at least 100,000 independent workers. Further, the dataset shows the top five independent contractor industries:

    • Professional, scientific, and technical services
    • Other services
    • Real estate, rental, and leasing
    • Health care and social assistance
    • Construction

    “Twenty-three million American support themselves and their families through work as an independent contractor. Whether it is in construction or real-estate, delivery services or entertainment, or the hundreds of other independent contractor occupations, these individuals are a critical element of our economy. We are pleased that Congress included support for them in the CARES Act,” Bradley said.

    Paycheck Protection Act Funding
    Beginning on April 7, independent contractors receiving 1099-MISC forms and self-employed individuals were eligible to apply for the Paycheck Protection Program loan as part of the $2 trillion CARES Act. While these loans are potentially 100% forgivable, loan commitments have reportedly reached the maximum total of $349 billion available in the Paycheck Protection Program. Earlier today, the Chamber urged congressional leaders to restore this needed CARES Act funding. “Today’s tragic and staggering unemployment figures underscore the dire need for bridge funding to keep more Americans on the job and more businesses afloat during the coronavirus economic crisis,” Bradley said. “There is absolutely no excuse for failing to get these funds approved immediately. American small businesses, self-employed workers, and independent contractors need and expect the type of bipartisan cooperation that led to the CARES Act to solve this immediate crisis.”

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce is committed to helping American businesses respond to the coronavirus so they can support their employees, customers, and communities. Our members and the state and local chambers, who are on the front lines of this pandemic, need us now more than ever to help them through this significant disruption. We will continue working every day to help our country’s people, businesses, and economy weather this storm and emerge stronger—just as we have at other challenging times in our nation’s history. Visit uschamber.com/Coronavirus for more information.

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  • Save Small Business Fund

    To extend a helping hand to small businesses suffering from the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation – in partnership with Vistaprint and a coalition of supporting companies, foundations and philanthropic donors – is working to provide financial relief through the Save Small Business Fund. The Save Small Business Fund is a grant-making initiative to offer $5,000 grants that provide short-term relief for employers across the United States and its territories. A recent poll conducted by the Chamber and MetLife found that more than half of small businesses (54%) have closed at least temporarily or will close in the next two weeks. One in four (24%) are two months or less away from permanently closing. They need resources and relief – and they need it now. That’s why the Save Small Business Fund is providing $5,000 grants to help as many businesses as possible meet their most pressing needs – from rent, making payroll, or for overall business operations. These one-time supplemental cash grants are for businesses that have between 3 and 20 employees and operate in an economically vulnerable community. It is also for businesses that have been harmed financially by the COVID-19 pandemic. Grants will be distributed on a weekly, rolling basis until all funds have been allocated.

    The grant application will go live on Monday, April 20 at 12:00 PM 3:00 Eastern Time.

    Visit www.savesmallbusiness.com for more details and to get an email reminder when the application launches.

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  • (posted April 3, 1:10pm)

    We took a call yesterday regarding a volunteer project to crowdsource personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies from southeast Michigan small businesses.

    If you are able, please complete this survey. Any help is appreciated!

    ·  This effort aims to ensure all possible personal protective equipment (PPE) that could be donated by southeast Michigan small businesses gets to the hospitals in need. The organizers have contacted the Michigan Civil Service Commission to ensure this effort operates in sync with their strategy to gather PPE donations as part of the State's COVID-19 response

    ·  The survey is likely most applicable to dentist/orthodontist offices, veterinarians, tattoo shops, auto repair shops, paint shops, landscaping firms, hardware stores, and others who may regularly use the PPE supplies listed.

    We’re behind you all the way!

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  • (posted April 3, 2020, 1:05pm)

    1)    The Paycheck Protection Program is now LIVE! We want to make sure every small business understands how to apply for this critical federal loan. Please visit this website to learn how to apply. https://www.paycheckprotectionprogrammichigan.com/. This covers payroll, mortgage, rent, utilities and other expenses. It is forgivable upon meeting criteria.

    If you need to learn more about the Paycheck Protection Program, and whether you qualify as a small business owner visit https://www.paycheckprotectionprogrammichigan.com/.

    Go here to apply . . .

    https://www.sba.gov/…/sba-form--paycheck-protection-program…

    Wishing you much success with this if you apply.

    1. There is a Coronavirus Tele-Town Hall for Livingston and Washtenaw Counties featuring State Senator Lana Theis, State Representative Ann Bollin, State Representative Donna Lasinski and State Representative Hank Vaupel. The new Medical Director for the counties will also be a featured guest, Dr. Juan Marquez. The call takes place at 5:00 pm today. To join in please call 855.756.7520 and enter 58581#. It will be good to hear their perspective and hopefully there will be an opportunity for Q&A. I’m pretty sure there will be an opportunity for this.
    1. I sent this to our non-profits, but in case they didn’t see it, or you know of a non-profit that is not a member of the chamber, there is a conference call with U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin today regarding resources for non-profits during the COVID-19 crisis. She will be joined by representatives from the United Way, The Michigan Economic Development Corporation and the U.S. Small Business Administration. The call is today from 4-5 pm. Here is the call-in information for today’s non-profit conference call:

    517-258-4535

    Passcode: 62468

    1. Blue Cross and BCN have new initiatives around telehealth and coverage for COVID-19 testing and treatment to help subscribers get the care they need during the COVID-19 outbreak. They are extending their no-cost telehealth services to members with existing benefits through at least June 30. They are also including the most common behavioral health therapy services for telehealth as well as adding the most common medical services. They are also working with other Blue plans. BCBS and Blue Care Network will waive member cost-sharing for physician authorized COVID-19 testing through June 30, 2020. They are also going to waive member cost-sharing for all COVID-19 treatment through June 30, 2020. Thank you, BCBS/BCN. Download the PDF here.

     

    We’re behind you all the way!

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  • (posted on April 2, 2020, 11:52am)

    Thank you to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for their assistance and business resources as well as the SBDC. 

    Please find links below new and updated resources that the U.S. Chamber has developed to assist businesses access resources created under the CARES Act (Phase III bill).  This includes an update to the guide we released several days ago on the Paycheck Protection Program.

     

    Additionally, the U.S. Department of Treasury issued additional guidance Tuesday regarding the Paycheck Protection Program.  Links to the resources provided by Treasury can be found below, or on their webpage.

    • A top-line overview of the program can be found here.
    • If you’re a lender, more information can be found here.
    • If you’re a borrower, more information can be found here.
    • The application for borrowers can be found here.

     

    We’re behind you all the way!

  • Important links below, simply click on any of the items to go directly to the source page.

  • COVID-19 Webinar March 18, 2020
  • Brighton Chamber Statement on COVID-19

  • Dear members and community partners,

    Thank you for being a valuable partner in our efforts to combat the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19). Following the announcement of the state’s first presumptive positive cases of COVID-19, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) are providing recommendations designed to help prevent the spread of the virus.

    These recommendations apply at the individual, organizational, and community levels. They apply to businesses, workplaces, schools, community organizations, health care institutions, and individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and health profiles; every single person has an important role to play. 

    Please take a moment to review the Interim Recommendations to Mitigate the Spread of COVID-19 (March 11, 2020).

    This is a unique situation and information changes quickly.  Please stay informed by regularly visiting Michigan.gov/Coronavirus and CDC.gov/Coronavirus.

     

    As we continue to monitor the situation and what is best for the community, please note that the job fair has not yet been canceled. We ask that you continue to watch our website and the registration page for updates.

    Sincerely,

    Your Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce Team

     

     

     

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