FAQs - COVID-19: Preparing for What Comes Next
On March 23, IEDC hosted a webinar entitled, "COVID-19: Preparing for What Comes Next" in which economic developers shared their experiences responding to previous disasters and what their organizations are doing now related to COVID-19. Bill Allen, CEO of the Los Angeles County Economic Development Corporation (LAEDC); Mike Williams, general manager of the City of Toronto; and Jeff Sjostrom, president of the Galveston Economic Development Partnership (GEDP), were joined on the panel by Mike Grella of consultancy Grella Partnership Strategies. Eloisa Klementich, president and CEO of Invest Atlanta, served as moderator. Read the full webinar recap here.
How can I access the slides from the presentation and the recording of the webinar?
Slides will be distributed to attendees via a survey email. The recording of the webinar can be accessed here on RestoreYourEconomy.org.
How can I get financial assistance for my business?
Check out this article on RestoreYourEconomy.org for information on financial assistance, business continuity, and how to support your local businesses.
What counts as an “essential business”?
This can vary by state. Here is one resource outlining the executive order, and here is an article from the Washington Post with examples from 10 cities.
What are some innovative ideas other IEDC members have thought of for continuing to provide remote or online programming and support to small businesses in your community, especially as many places observe social distancing?
We have been posting examples from the economic development community on RestoreYourEconomy.org and will be adding additional information there. One example is ALX at Home, an initiative from Alexandria, VA, to promote their small businesses and attractions virtually. IEDC will be hosting a webinar on this very topic later in April, and will continue to develop COVID-19 specific webinars to provide resources to economic development professionals and their communities. IEDC has also pivoted very quickly to move our in-person courses for the next 3 months online.
Business retention efforts seem more useful now more than ever. Can you share innovative ways to connect with the business community to ensure EDOs response is relevant?
Surveys and impact assessments will be key tools to connect with the business community and tailor your response to their needs. Survey tools and examples can be found here .
Do you have a guide on how a business task force is run?
Check out the Leadership In Times of Crisis toolkit on Restore Your Economy.
What grants are available to help cover losses?
Please check the RestoreYourEconomy.org website's nonprofit and foundation resources page. There are a number of examples about grants being put out by the philanthropic sector. Most are currently focused on helping vulnerable populations. Additionally, the financial assistance page covers programs offered for small businesses, and more information on assistance programs can be found on the federal and state resource pages.
What are some resources for more rural communities?
USDA Rural Development lists resources and opportunities available for rural communities on their COVID-19 response page. Additionally, here are some resources on rural communities and economic development from the Nevada Governor’s Office of Economic Development and here are some resources on grants from the Division of Rural Services of Arkansas.
How do we convince smaller, local units of government/ smaller chambers that combined efforts can be more impactful? For example, collecting medical supplies.
A great option is to create an economic response team with defined roles for the local units of government and chambers of commerce. There are resources on Restore Your Economy including the Leadership In Times of Crisis toolkit and this webpage on engaging the business community in disaster preparedness.
What is the best way to streamline effective communication between governmental representatives, state-level ED, the business community, and other necessary parties to communicate governmental directives/grants/programs that can provide aid to businesses in this time of need?
In IEDC's Leadership In Times of Crisis, you can read about how to form a business emergency operations center or network and how to bring together public and private sectors, emergency response providers and economic developers and you can reference this. What is different about COVID is collaboration must be virtual. Research how your EDO can participate and initiate virtual forums utilizing technology - conference calls, virtual calls - Zoom, Gotowebinar - use this as a time to increase your remote technology capabilities. Communicate regularly and often - the situation is changing rapidly.