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During these tough economic times, we wanted to let our members know that the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Washington are working closely together to get you the most up to date information regarding COVID-19 help. Between the two organizations, we receive information from the Missouri Chamber, St. Louis Regional Chamber, and Missouri Department of Economic Development. In an effort to keep from sending you the same information multiple times, we are collecting everything and sending it in one email. These organizations also forward us any webinars or conference calls that they are hosting. If they are open to our membership, we will forward them on to you and you are welcome to join. Tomorrow the St. Louis Regional Chamber is hosting a weekly policy briefing webinar that will be available to the public. You can register for tomorrow’s 10:00 a.m. webinar here> https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJQoduysqz0rQ42T6OjQkmgHgHtHGPHv1Q After you have registered once, you will continue to receive information about future meetings. Last week’s proved to be very informative for us and we think it could be beneficial to many businesses. Currently, we are working on putting together some upcoming conference calls for our members so please be looking for that soon. We are also working on adding a new tab (Coronavirus Resources) to our website where you will be able to find updated information on COVID-19 relief. - https://www.washmochamber.org/ Below is a summary of programs available so far that could be helpful.. Layoff Program Resources. If your business is going to be forced to do some lay-offs from the crisis, we encourage you to connect with the Department of Labor to review options prior to making any announcements within your company. 1. WorkShare Program – allows you to cut hours of employees rather than lay them off. Supplements their decrease in wages with partial unemployment. - https://labor.mo.gov/shared-work 2. Mass Claims Program – allows you to register laid off employees for a mass claim of unemployment benefits for a period of up to 8 weeks as long as you certify to bring employees back after the crisis. Allows employees to collect benefits without having to look for work. – https://labor.mo.gov/mass-claims Small Business Association Loans – With the declaration of emergency, the SBA is now qualified to issue low interest loans to small businesses (Small Business definitions vary per sector, typically 500 employees and under). This allows businesses to request loans up to $2 million at 3.25% rate and extended pay back periods. We have been advised to apply online for these during off-peak hours in the evening or early in the morning due to the increase in traffic on the site. They can be applied for at https://covid19relief.sba.gov/#/ CARES Act – The Federal Government passed the CARES acts on Friday, March 27th. There are a number of programs included to help individuals and businesses. This does include a Small Business loan called the Payroll Protection Program. This allows companies to apply for potentially forgivable loans to fund up to 2.5 months of payroll and operating expenses. Businesses will have to certify that they will maintain existing payroll to qualify for loan forgiveness. These will be applied for through your normal lender so you will want to contact them. However, as of Monday, March 30, we were told not to expect them to be available for another 2 weeks. Attached to this email are summaries for the new loan program and the CARES Act significance to businesses. You can find more information on the CARES Act and the Family Protection Act on the Chamber website under Coronavirus Resources. We will continue to update you as we learn information about additional programs. You are all important to us and we want to help in any way that we can. We hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Please reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns. Thanks!
Please see below for the status of upcoming Chamber Events (as of 3-17-2020). Events currently set to continue as scheduled may change, depending on new developments and recommendations. Any updates will be communicated to members and local media, and will be available on the Chamber website (washmochamber.org) as well.
Chamber Banquet – March 21 Postponed. Updates will be provided as available. Education Series – March 31 Postponed. Updates will be provided as available. Washington Farmers’ Market Opening – April 4 Tentatively re-scheduled for May 2. Job Fair (with City of Washington) – April 22 Cancelled Education Series – April 28 Postponed. Updates will be provided as available. Chamber Golf Tournament – May 8 Will continue as scheduled. Music at the Market – May 14 Will continue as scheduled. Education Series – May 19 Will continue as scheduled.
**Members should received mailed invitations to the Annual Banquet the week of Feb. 10th.  Devin Henderson is a multi-talented powerhouse: an author, experienced presenter and seasoned performer, having logged thousands of performances as an award-winning comedian and magician, and an in-demand keynote speaker. His unique combination of skills and storytelling and his hilarious and engaging interaction are what make him an audience favorite. His keynote clients have included Pepsi, Sprint, Cerner and hundreds more. His performances have been called, "unreal," "unexpected," and "unforgettable." "Something Greater Is Always Possible" What would you do and who you be if you believed anything was possible for you? For many people a once-held vision of unlimited possibility gets small and limited as a result of life’s daily stressors, persistent insecurities, self doubt, isolation and even failure. But what if you could reclaim and even expand your full potential at anytime? And what if your truest potential was bigger, richer and more satisfying than you had previously envisioned? Join seasoned speaker and performer, Devin Henderson for an entertaining, funny, and inspiring experience to break free of your perceived limits and realize your greatness like never before. You’ll learn how to:
More Info on the Banquet:
As announced in late 2019, the Chamber has renewed its focus on membership care and recognition. At our Business Breakfast on January 9, we were excited to honor members that joined or celebrated 5-year anniversaries in the past year! 
Upcoming Anniversaries and Recognition Events include: Annual Banquet - March 21 *Chairman's Circle (for Membership Anniversaries of 50 years or more) 40-year anniversaries 30-year anniversaries 25-year anniversaries Summer Mixer - June 4 10-year anniversaries 20-year anniversaries
The focus for the academy was “Building the Leader Within” (Day One) and “Building the Community with your Leadership” (Day Two). Day one began with professionalism activities for learning effective communication skills (Cassandra Suggs), owning your digital brand (Mason Duchatschek), and dressing for success (Gretchen Pettet). Students then spoke with Frank Hemmer at Mercy and were led in a business lunch etiquette activity by Mayor Sandy Lucy. Students ended day one with industry tours and leadership discussions at Hodges Badge, Ziglin Signs, and Clemco. Day two began with Sal Maniaci speaking to the group at City Hall about Washington’s civic and service leadership opportunities that exist. Jon Bauer presented a message about East Central College, and Danielle Unnerstall and Jennifer Geisike covered ways students could get involved now through joining junior boards in the area. The group walked to the Bank of Washington and participated in a leadership panel that proved to be informative, engaging, insightful, and interesting. The leadership panel consisted of many area leaders including: Jay Nowak, Julie Scannell, Casey Zastrow, Andrew Clary, Becky Cox, and Matt Posinski. Leaders spoke about their journey through leadership and engaged students with authentic examples and genuine conversation. The panel and group transitioned to Marquart’s Landing for a professional pair up and lunch where more casual leadership discussions occurred. Students heard from Dana Marquart at Photogenics on Location and Jessica Sneed from Envy about their unique and recent professional journey in the great town of Washington. The day ended by learning the components of a thank you note and putting the lesson into action to thank the many people who made the inaugural Leadership Academy of Washington a successful event for area students. A Fall Follow-Up was conducted in September with the Leadership Academy students to reflect on the Academy activities, discuss part of the book they were gifted (“Make Your Bed”), and talk about the three hour shadow experience or community service each student completed, as a requirement of the Academy. Students enjoyed their experiences and several were connected with events in the community they had never been a part of until their assignment. Students attended and were recognized at the Washington Area Chamber of Commerce Luncheon in October to round out their leadership experience and meet and greet local business owners in a networking environment. The goals of the Leadership Academy were to invest in youth in order to grow, support, and maintain positive leaders in the community. The committee strived to form meaningful connections between our community and the students in area schools. The Leadership Academy aligned nicely with the strategic plans of those involved by connecting youth to the community and developing potential future leaders. Students were presented multiple viewpoints on leadership and opportunities within the community. They were encouraged to think critically about leadership and also begin to identify their own particular leadership strengths. The Leadership Academy would not have been possible without the generous contributions from the following area businesses: Enduro Binders, Ziglin Signs, Bank of Washington, Washington Area Chamber of Commerce, Four Rivers YMCA, City of Washington, Washington Rotary, Washington Lions, Washington Jaycees, Washington Kiwanis, Washington Optimist, and many others. In addition, the following community leaders worked tirelessly to create this event for the youth in our community: Pam Tholen (St. Francis Borgia Regional High School), Andy Robinson (School District of Washington), Jennifer Geisike (Washington Area Chamber of Commerce), Danielle Unnerstall (Bank of Washington), Brandy Koch (Four Rivers YMCA), Becky Cox (Four Rivers YMCA), Annie Wieland (School District of Washington, and Mary Kleekamp (School District of Washington). The hope is to offer this leadership event for many years to come. For more information on Leadership Academy of Washington, and to view our re-cap video of 2019, visit washmochamber.org/law.
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