COVID-19 - What You Need to Know TODAY March 24, 2020
Recent Updates that May Affect YOUR Business
IMPORTANT UPDATES
COVID-19 continues to force major changes to our daily lives. Some of those changes were seen yesterday as Waco/McLennan County and Bell County joined Dallas County in orders for shelter-in-place. That news came as Austin/Travis County is looking to make the same major later announcement today.

Again, nothing has been finalized, but it has been reported in the Austin American Statesman that Williamson County will see a similar announcement very soon (if not today). As business owners, it is time to prepare to run your business from home. It is time to get things in place for you to remain viable as a business and be able to make it through these extraordinary economic times.

Visit our links to the left of this newsletter and on our website! They will help you. Whether it is getting accurate information or filling out your SBA Disaster Loan, these links are provided to you for help!

SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION (SBA) DISASTER LOANS
Now that the state has been approved, be sure to go to the SBA Link to fill out the paperwork. It is also on the Texas Department of Emergency Management (TDEM) link to the left.

You can contact an SBA Certified Lender with one of the financial institutions below:
American Bank – 512.306.5557  
Frost Bank – 512.473.4858
Horizon Bank – 512.482.6051
Prosperity Bank – 512.260.9199
R Bank – 512.600.8113  
Randolph Brooks FCU - 512.670.6954
SouthStar Bank – 512.456.0035

You can use our press release as a guide for the process to apply and submit your Disaster Loan. Please find a copy of that news release on our website by CLICKING HERE .

WILLIAMSON COUNTY UPDATES
As of March 23, the Williamson County and Cities Health District (WCCHD) announced a total of 14 positive COVID-19 cases in Williamson County.

If you have symptoms of respiratory illness including cough, fever and shortness of breath, please contact your health care provider. It is important to call ahead before arriving at a clinic, urgent care or emergency department to avoid potential spread.

CITY OF CEDAR PARK
Of the fourteen confirmed COVID-19 cases in Williamson County, four individuals are from Cedar Park. The four individuals come from two separate households and are quarantining at home in accordance with CDC guidelines.
Under the declaration of local state of disaster, Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale issued orders closing all public, semi-public and homeowner association owned and/or operated playscapes, playground equipment, pools, splash pads, pavilions, exercise equipment and drinking water fountains within the City of Cedar Park. This took effect as of 7:00am this morning.

The Mayor mentioned during the Emergency City Council Meeting that he does not issue orders lightly and is using them only as warranted and needed. The orders do not change the declaration but are used as needed in addition to the declaration.

CLOSING
As you have seen, the Cedar Park Chamber continues to work hard to provide you new information. Please know we continue to work for you and our community. We have organized our first VIRTUAL Power Networking Breakfast (sorry, you’ll have to brew your own coffee) for this Friday. We look forward to seeing you there.

I also want to take a moment to remind you to check-in on one another. Take a few minutes today to actually pick up the phone to call someone you care about. Ask them real questions. When you ask people who have been asked, “how are you doing…” they will give you a canned answer. Ask them how their kids, parents, family members are doing. Ask them if you can pick them something up at the grocery store. Ask them if they have taken a minute to go for a walk and get away from the constant information overload they have been receiving. Pick up the phone and talk to somebody today.

You can see there are many other links which will continue to be available to you, your business, your friends and neighbors through this crisis both through this newsletter and on the Cedar Park Chamber website ( CedarParkChamber.or g).

Please forward this newsletter to people who can use it! They can sign up for the newsletter as well.

Please know we are here to help you. We are YOUR business advocate. Stay safe and let us know how we can help!



Tony Moline, IOM, PCED
President & CEO
Cedar Park Chamber of Commerce
Check out our new page dedicated to highlighting our community's ever-changing business hours due to COVID-19 restrictions! Click here or the image above to access the page. This site is a continuous work-in-progress and we are working hard to include all member businesses and include more categories. If you would like to see your business here, please email your business name, website, phone number and current hours to: info@cedarparkchamber.org
Non-Profit Spotlight - How You Can Help
Hill Country Community Ministries Food Pantry Update:

NEEDS:
Boxes - copy paper size boxes
Bags - HEB, grocery bags
Masks & gloves

The pantry is still open Monday - Friday 9 AM - 12 noon and then again 1-3 PM with extended hours on Thursday until 7 PM

HCCM hours and operations will change next week. Please follow our Facebook page  www.facebook.com/HCCM  with updates as we prepare to go to a Drive-thru distribution at different locations.

TODAY (3/24) we will have a Fresh Food For All distribution at Life Church in Leander from 12 -2. Again... this is for those who truly cannot get to the grocery stores and who have faced a crisis (ie: job loss, decreased in hours, etc.) This will be a Drive Thru distribution so you do not have to get out of your car.
And if you are able to do so... PLEASE donate to the food pantry by going to  www.hccm.org  and click on the DONATE button. WE appreciate YOU!!!

Do you want to know how you can help but can't leave your home???

Please go to  www.hccm.org  and DONATE now. $25 will provide 100 meals . It is really difficult for me to ask this of our community when there is a lot of job loss already and A LOT of fear behind this.

THIS is soooooo important for the food pantry to stay open so we can provide FOOD to you, your family, friends and neighbors.

HCCM has always relied mostly on food drives from our schools, churches and caring individuals as well as food donations from our retail partners. We have already seen a MAJOR shift this week.... and it'll only get worse. Hill Country Community Ministries will need YOUR HELP financially to provide the food we need as we are already seeing the affects of COVID19.


Want to be featured here? Email Lyndee Matthews at lyndee@cedarparkchamber.org
Digital Marketing Strategies
This week we are going go over the top 10 rules of Eblast Marketing!

Make sure you have a great list, NOT a big list!
One of the largest misconceptions of email marketing is that it only makes sense for you if you have a large list of contracts. This is just not true! Email marketing is smart no matter what size your list is as long has they are quality contracts. To create a great list of email contracts make sure your list is comprised of people who have either opted in or whom you have a very strong working relationship with! EXTRA TIP: Make sure your website or blog has an option to opt in to year email list and make sure every person that heads to your site knows its there!

If you are going to do email marketing COMMIT TO IT!
Email marketing is marketing not magic! You cannot expect amazing return results after one email. If you want to test to waters on email marketing make sure your testing it for at least one year. Remember that your customers will open emails differently depending on the time of year and even the time of day.

Be Consistent
Whether you are choosing to send a weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly make sure you are consistent! Clients will start to expect to hear from you every Tuesday at 8 AM if you set the expectation for it!