Last week, the county issued an amended executive order that allowed a limited number of businesses to open. Included in the new order are bowling alleys, museums, and art galleries, all with restrictions. The order also modified the face covering requirement to include covering the chin as well as the mouth and nose. And, it "clarified" the requirement that food service facilities must post signs advising customers about face covering and social distancing requirements. Read the full order here.

GSSCC continues to ask county officials to provide guidelines under which more businesses can safely open. As a result, the County now has a process for reviewing requests from various businesses or industries that have not yet opened because of county restrictions. Businesses seeking to open may seek a letter of approval to operate. Click here for more details. Businesses must use the form linked here. Businesses should also be prepared to submit a plan that demonstrates procedures it would put in place to safely open. The county web page includes a link to a sample safe reopening plan.

If your business seeks approval to open or expand operations using this procedure, please let GSSCC President Jane Redicker know about your experience with the process.

GSSCC's 2020 Covid Classic is almost SOLD OUT! Only a few foursome slots remain. Register yours here. Safety precautions will be in place and enforced to ensure the continued healthy and safety of all event attendees, volunteers, and staff.

Let this year's sponsorship opportunities do the work for you! Get out of the office and in front of members with the opportunity to be on the course staffing (socially distanced) the Snack Shack or working the Longest Drive or Closest to the Pin contests. Take advantage of this opportunity to engage with members and promote your business!

Available Sponsorships include: Snack Shack Sponsor, Driving Range Sponsor, Longest Drive Content Sponsor, Closest to the Pin Contest Sponsor, and Hole Sponsor.

GSSCC is seeking a limited number of volunteers to help make this event a success. Join us at registration; help run contests on the course; be a "judge" for our Hole-in-One for a Car contest -- all organized with safety and social distancing in mind. Volunteers will have the unique opportunity to make connections with golfers from some of the Chamber's largest company members that always support this event. Contact Julie Pawlikowski for details.

This free webinar will focus on concrete steps that business owners and leadership can take right now to strengthen their finances and operations. During the webinar, Stratus Wealth Advisors’ Founder Sam Brownell will use real-life examples drawn from the firm’s succession and business continuity planning work with independent business owners and their leadership teams.

The GSSCC cordially invites Chamber members to join us for GSSCC 101: Virtual Member Orientation. This virtual event is for new members or new representatives of member companies with a maximum of two per business.

This is the perfect event to learn how to make the most of your membership investment, connect with your fellow Chamber members, and meet the GSSCC staff, board members, and ambassadors.

COVID19, the upcoming Presidential election, economic forecasts, and erratic weather conditions all point to a volatile energy market. There’s no better time to consider enrolling in GSSCC’s Energy Purchasing Cooperative. The strategic partnership between GSSCC and CQI Associates means lower energy costs and long-term budget stability. How? By leveraging the aggregated energy usage of members of 23 chambers of commerce, CQI has the purchasing power to negotiate rates much lower than an individual company could attain on its own. Participants who signed onto the co-op realized a combined annual savings of $889,600, which equates to an average of $4,000 per company annually.

Applications will be accepted between August 31 and September 25. Here’s a link to the application. Want to learn more?

CQI Associates will host information Zoom webinars on the following dates:

For more information, call Joe Tabeling at 443-472-3870.

* Happy Belated Birthday to the Adventist HealthCare White Oak Medical Center! The center celebrated its 1st birthday on August 26. Read more here.

* Congratulations to three GSSCC members included in Inc.’s "5,000 Fastest-Growing Private Companies in America" list! This annual ranking includes Perfect Office Solutions, Panagora Group, and LG Auto Body! Congrats! Read more 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.

As businesses 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.

Corporate Partners - Downtown Silver Spring; Lee Development Group; Montgomery College; Joseph W. McCartin Insurance;

 Business Partners - Andalman & Flynn, AFI Silver Theatre; Apex Home

 Partners - Adam Lowe Creative; Bell Flowers; EBA Ernest Bland Associates; Image360.