COVID-19 Business News
County Council Creates $14 million Reopen Montgomery Business Assistance Grant Program

The Montgomery County Council last week approved a special appropriation of $14 million to create the Reopen Montgomery Business Assistance Program. The grant program will reimburse County businesses and non-profit organizations some of the costs to comply with state and county COVID-19 health regulations. Funding for the program is coming from the Public Health Emergency Grant (PHEG) funds and the federal CARES Act.

The program may reimburse eligible businesses up to $5,000 for allowable expenditures incurred between March 16, 2020 and 30 days following the County’s Phase Three reopening. Allowable expenses include, but are not limited to, the following: personal protective equipment, materials to create barriers, dividers, protected areas, contactless payment systems, cleaning supplies, signage, outdoor furniture, and disposable food containers and utensils.

Eligibility requirements are the same as those for the PHEG. The business’s physical locations must be in the County, or its County-based locations must account for more than 50 percent of its total number of employees or 50 percent of the business’s total sales, and it must employ 100 or fewer full-time-equivalent employees. Further, the eligible business must not have already received financial assistance from the County for reopening expenses related to the Covid-19 health crisis.

Unlike the PHEG, grants will not be made on a first-come-first-served basis. Instead, applications received within a one- or two-week period will be placed into a lottery, similar to the system used for the telework grant program. The County expects that applications will be available by the end of the month. 
Upcoming Virtual Events
Join the Chamber for a virtual Connect@Lunch with Eggspectation!

Register to attend, order your lunch from Eggspectation, and you'll receive information on how to get a free smoothie, coffee, or juice with your order.

Attendees will have three minutes to promote their businesses. And, there will be plenty of time to network with fellow members.

TOMORROW!
Tuesday, July 14
12 noon to 1 p.m.
Join the Young Professionals Network for a virtual morning fitness class with Planet Fitness! Support your work capacity by supporting your body and mental health, whether you’re at home or at the office, with an easy fitness class, no equipment or experience required.

The format will be a high intensity workout with low impact modifications for those with joint problems. There will be some Dynamic stretching for warm up and static stretching cool down with 15 sec rest between each exercise.

Thursday, July 23
8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.
Members Supporting Members - Webinar Opportunity

Do you have expertise on a subject that may benefit your fellow members? Webinar sponsorship opportunities are available for member businesses wanting to share their knowledge and experience to support fellow members.

Sponsor a webinar for just $100 and see your company name and logo on all event promotions, including the Chamber website, the GSSCC Weekly Update, and social media. The event page on our website will include a link to your site, and you'll get a list of all webinar attendees after the event. Contact Julie at jpawlikowski@gsscc.org for more information.
Latest News
* The National Institutes of Health Federal Credit Union (NIHFCU) has announced its new multiple common bond charter which expands membership eligibility to those outside of healthcare and biomedical professionals and within the local region. Read the news release here.

* Dunathan Consulting and BE Lean would like to hear from business owners with 5 or more employees to understand what business owners need today to grow successfully. Take the 5 minute survey here.

See your company's news here! Send us your news releases and news items by noon on Friday for publication in the following Monday's edition. Click here for guidelines on submitting Member News.
Does Your Business Need PPE?

As businesses are preparing to re-open and employers are tasked with providing PPE for their returning employees, GSSCC has launched a “ Back to Business Products” page on our website for members looking to purchase PPE products, signage, and more. If your business is selling PPEs and you would like to be on this page, please complete this form and send it to Julie at jpawlikowski@gsscc.org.
Upcoming Committee/Network Meetings

  • Non-Profit Team Virtual Meeting - 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 14.

  • Economic Development Committee Virtual Meeting - 9 a.m. on Wednesday, July 22.

  • Membership Development Committee Virtual Meeting - 9 a.m. on Tuesday, July 28.
OUR MISSION:
Working to enhance the economic prosperity of greater Silver Spring through robust promotion of
our member businesses and unrelenting advocacy
on their behalf.
Thank you to our 2019-2020 GSSCC Partners

Corporate Partners - Downtown Silver Spring; Lee Development Group; Montgomery College; Joseph W. McCartin Insurance;
Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center

  Business Partners - Andalman & Flynn, AFI Silver Theatre; Apex Home
Loans; Atlantech Online; Digital Industry; EagleBank; Eggspectation; Holy Cross Hospital; The Fillmore Silver Spring; Lerch, Early & Brewer Chtd.; Linowes and Blocher, LLP; Revere Bank; The Tower Companies (The Blairs); United Therapeutics Corporation; Washington Property Company.

  Partners - Adam Lowe Creative; Bell Flowers; EBA Ernest Bland Associates; HiTouch Business Services; Image360.
Greater Silver Spring Chamber of Commerce
8601 Georgia Avenue Suite 203
301-565-3777
info@gsscc.org