Chamber staying in touch with businesses
Both organizations have increase communications with businesses impacted by COVID-19
POTTSTOWN » TriCounty Area Chamber of Commerce President Eileen Dautrich said the chamber has always defined itself as a “connector” for its members — connecting them with information and resources they need.
That mission has been put into action as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues — forcing businesses to close and impacting all segments of the community.
“The uncertainty of it all is the worst part. It has changed how everyone has to look at everything,” Dautrich said. “It is a fluid time and flexibility the name of the game.”
For more than a week, the chamber has focused on talking about the issue with its 560 member businesses across Berks, Montgomery and Chester counties — getting a sense of their concerns and issues as circumstances change, gathering and sharing information and connecting members and the community with resources they might need.
“It wasn’t so much a need that led to us to doing this, so much as staying ahead of that need. We didn’t want our members to have to take the time to reach out to us and say ‘what should we do?’ We tried to be a lead resource to get information to them, especially as it got closer to announcing businesses would have to change,” Dautrich said in an interview.
Dautrich said the chamber — which has five employees — started its targeted communication to members with an email on March 11, an effort that has been continuing this week. Dautrich said she is mindful of not overwhelming members with information.
Initially, the chamber sent a survey to members, to get a sense of where businesses are, and what assistance they might need. The chamber will use that information to help guide the information they provide.
Dautrich added that the first email let members know the organization wanted to connect them with resources it was receiving from organizations like the U.S. and Pennsylvania chambers of commerce; Berks, Montgomery
and Chester counties; the CDC; various Pennsylvania sites; the Small Business Administration; a membership list; and a status update on member businesses.
“We wanted to put things in one place,” she said.
The information on the chamber’s site is available for any member of the community, not just chamber members. One page is an archive of all the emails the chamber has sent, with links to the resources. A second page is a listing of business status — who is open or closed, who has altered hours and offering take-out or delivery.
In addition to the emails, Gregory Glenn, member relations director is proactively calling members and listening to them.
“Maybe we can connect them to another member or a resource. For some it’s an opportunity to talk to someone,”
Dautrich added.
Jennifer O’Donnell, Leadership Tri-County director, is working with members of this year’s Leadership Tri-County class to connect nonprofits to resources — collecting nonprofit needs, both in terms of volunteer and resource needs.
Dautrich added that the organization is also working on developing virtual networking opportunities in the coming days.
Dautrich added the chamber can only work to connect people to resources that can help them.
“We would like to do more but we are limited in what we can actually do. We hope the service we provide and resources we provide — when we come out of this we hope it will help people recoup and get back to growing their business,” she said.
PAID INC.
Communication is also key to the efforts of Pottstown Area Industrial Development Inc., known as PAID Inc. — a non-profit that is the chief economic development arm of the borough.
The organization has been holding daily briefing calls with members of Pottstown’s business community. According to Peggy Lee-Clark, executive director of PAID Inc., the calls started on March 16 and are held at 3 p.m. each day, including weekends.
Like the chamber, LeeClark said she sees the role of PAID Inc. to be a connector — between the public and private sectors.
“Not just for new businesses but also creating conditions to create growth and sustainability in the borough,” she said. “We are hyper-focused on that and making the connections for people. The calls are a way for us to get information out
and find out what things and questions do they have outside the normal realm.”
The calls also provide information Lee-Clark said she can share with county and state officials.
Key issues right now, she said, are questions about insurance, tax deferment regarding property taxes, clarity of what the programs are going to be and accessing money.
“They are desperate for information — and accurate information. The bottom line is, they need cash,” she said
The calls initially started with restaurants and bars, because they were the first to face operating restrictions. Lee-Clark said the calls were quickly expanded to the downtown businesses and then to other business in the borough.
“These are people we know, people we do business with.
We are their customers and supporters. We encouraged them to make investment in Pottstown.”
Businesses were sent a short survey, she said, that included questions about the business, whether it was laying people off, immediate problems, the expectation of financial distress and their status.
That status list has been posted on the “I Pick Pottstown” website.
Any Pottstown business that would like to be part of the daily call can contact PAID Inc. by calling 610-3262900 or emailing info@paidinc.org
“People are still getting used to the idea that there isn’t a known date when life is going to open up again,” she added. “As a community they are banding together. With Pottstown the community — whether residents or businesses — everyone has the