October Business Connection |
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Board of Directors
Chair of the Board
*Robert Ferrini
McGowanPRO
Past Chair of the Board
*Alisia St. Florian
Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane
Treasurer
*James Donellon
Gray, Gray & Gray, LLP
General Counsel
*Thomas Flaherty
Bacon Flaherty LLC
President/CEO
*Thomas O'Rourke
Neponset River Regional Chamber
Anthony Brown
Dedham Savings
Mary Chetwynd
Rockland Trust
Todd J. Chipman, MST, CPA
John T. Chipman & Co., CPAs
Peter Ellis
ServPro of Norwood and West Roxbury
Steve Forrest
CertainTeed
Rhonda Kale
Bank of Canton
*Michael Kennedy
Norwood Bank
Paul Kouri
Keller Williams
Jon Levy
American Holt Corporation
Michelle Llorett
Fairfield Inn & Suites
Mark LoVuolo
Liberty Mutual Insurance
Ashley Mansfield
Dedham High School
*Tim McCabe
The League School
Julie Molloy
Compass Real Estate
Sal Perla
Norwood Hospital
Cynthia Peterson
Brigham and Women's/Mass General Health Care Center
Christa Seychew
Legacy Place
*Member of the Executive Committee
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COVID-19 and Reopening Resources
Be sure to check out our webpage for a complete list of resources for your business during the COVID-19 crisis. |
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Updates to Reopening in MA |
Step 2 of Phase III Begins October 5th
The Governor announced this week that effective Monday, October 5th, lower risk communities will be permitted to move into Step 2 of Phase III of the Commonwealth’s reopening plan. All other communities will remain in Phase III, Step 1.
Changes to Protocols and New Reopenings
Effective October 5th, a limited number of sectors will be eligible to reopen, with restrictions, in Step 2 of Phase III for lower risk communities only. Updated protocols for the below industries and businesses were posted on the Reopening website this week. Industry specific guidance and protocols for a range of Phase I, II, and III businesses have also been updated.
- Indoor performance venues will be permitted to open with 50% capacity with a maximum of 250 people.
- Outdoor performance venue capacity will increase to 50% with a max of 250 people.
- For arcades and indoor and outdoor recreation businesses, additional Step 2 activities like trampolines, obstacle courses, roller rinks and laser tag will also be permitted to open and capacity will increase to 50%.
- Fitting rooms will be permitted to open in all types of retail stores.
- Gyms, museums, libraries and driving and flight schools will also be permitted to increase their capacity to 50%.
Gatherings Order Update
- The limit for indoor gatherings remains at a maximum of 25 people for all communities.
- Outdoor gatherings at private residences and in private backyards will remain at a maximum of 50 people for all communities.
- Outdoor gatherings at event venues and in public settings will have a limit of 50 people in Step 1 communities, and a limit of 100 people in lower risk, Step 2 communities.
Extension of Tax Relief for Small Businesses
This includes the extension of the deferral of regular sales tax, meals tax, and room occupancy taxes for small businesses due from March 2020 through April 2021, so that they will instead be due in May 2021. Read more here.
Updates to Restaurant Protocols
Effective September 28th, restaurants can seat 10 people to a table, an increase over the previous limit of six; this will apply to both indoor and outdoor seating. These protocols also reflect updates to guidance on bar seating for dining.
Updates to Retail Protocols Regarding Self-serve Beverages
As of September 28th, self-serve beverage stations may reopen in retail businesses in line with guidance provided in the protocols.
Tom O'Rourke, CCE
President and CEO
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Get your message out to more than 1,500 email addresses for just $25. Contact Tom O'Rourke at tom@nrrchamber.com
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Chamber Members in the News |
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Rob Peters Entertainment recently introduced DJ Dogs, mobile food service!
I stopped by the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Walpole to sample one (chili dog with cheese!) and got a photo of Rob and Fairfield's manager and Chamber board member, Michelle Lloret.
In addition to being available for events, Rob is looking for high traffic locations to bring DJ Dogs on a regular (weekday or weekly) basis. Contact Rob today if you would like to discuss having him at your location for FREE.
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Southern Airways is continuing their service from Norwood airport to Nantucket on a year-round basis. As tourist travel to Nantucket decreases, they will focus on businesses, trades people and individuals who need to travel to the island on a year-round basis.
I had the opportunity to take the flight last weekend with some Chamber members and it is great way to go.
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The Boston Business Journal recently published its list of top charitable contributors in the state. The list includes companies that paid out at least $100,000 to Massachusetts based charitable organizations in fiscal 2019 and includes the following Chamber members:
Middlesex Savings Bank
Rockland Trust
Comcast
HarborOne Bank
Needham Bank
Dedham Savings
Bank of Canton
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Thank You! The following members have renewed their membership with the NRR Chamber |
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We understand the difficulties that many of our members are dealing with at this time. We know that many may not be able to renew their memberships until the situation improves.
We are grateful to those who are in a position to support the Chamber, including the following who have recently renewed:
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Applied Communications, Inc.
BrightStar Care of Norwood
The Cooperative Bank
Davio's Northern Italian Steakhouse
J.L. Pratt Realtor's Inc.
Judge Rotenberg Educational Center
Massasoit Community College
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Murphy, Hesse, Toomey & Lehane, LLP
Neponset River House
The Education Cooperative
Walpole Cooperative Bank
Y D Autobody, Inc.
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MicroBusiness Grants Available in Foxboro, Medfield and Walpole |
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Microbrusinesses in the Chamber communities of Foxboro, Medfield and Walpole may be eligible for grants up to $10,000.
A Microbusiness is a business with 5 or fewer employees, including the owner, not FTE. Grant can be used for working capital to cover business costs, such as rent, staffing, and utilities, insurance, cost of foods. Funds may also be used for purchasing personal protection equipment (PPE). The grant does not need to be repaid.
The application deadline for the Preliminary Applications is October 7th at 4:30 pm. The consultant, COG, will review these to make sure they meet the basic eligibility criteria. If you have specific questions about eligibility criteria, please contact: Paula Stuart by phone (617-388-1331) or email ( pstuart@cogincorp.com).
If you meet the criteria, you will be placed in a lottery that will be held on October 14th via Zoom time TBA.
Municipal contacts:
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Chamber Members Mask Up and Hit the Course! |
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Chamber members enjoyed beautiful weather and a great golf course at our annual (but delayed) golf outing last month. It was so nice to see people in person, albeit at a distance and with face coverings on!
The winning foursome was the City of Boston Credit Union (again!)
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Photo Captions (clockwise from top left):
- Foursomes await the start of the tournament
- First Place team from the City of Boston Credit Union; Steve Green, Kevin Linsky, Greg Rooney, Mark Bedard
- Renee Pike, Debora Lasota, Keith Steiding, Keane Steading
- Norwood Hospital Foursome; Justine DeFronzo, Ailish Willie, Donna Fosse, Joan Buckley
- 2nd Norwood Hospital Foursome and winners of the Putting Contest; Dr. Sal Perla, Dr. Mike Elman, Dan Cheney, Wally Kuropatkin
- Young Professionals Foursome; Nick Calderelli, Anthony Brown, Jose Camacho, Marquis Cooper
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Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) update |
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The Department of Family and Medical Leave (DFML) wants to make sure you are aware of two important PFML changes:
- We updated mass.gov/pfml with new information. The website will continue to be updated throughout the fall, so it’s important that you visit it frequently.
- The PFML contact center opened. Whether you have questions about timelines, general eligibility, or where to find resources on mass.gov – call 833-344-7365 – we’re here to help in English, Spanish, and Portuguese.
In the next few weeks, employers registered through MassTaxConnect should expect to receive a request to update your contact information. That way you’ll be ready when employees start taking paid leave in January 2021.
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