Montgomery County government officials are still processing applications received for the “Reopen Montgomery Small Business Grant Program.” Applications already received will be included in upcoming lotteries, but officials say that additional monies are also available for new applicants for awards up to $5,000 per business.

Latest word is that in addition to items needed to comply with State and local reopening requirements, purchases like weatherizing equipment (heaters, tents) for outdoor seating at restaurants, will be eligible for the program. Details and an application can be found at this link - www.montgomerycountymd.gov/biz-resources/reopen/. If you have any questions, please contact jredicker@gsscc.org.

Looking for other sources of financial assistance? Check out this list on the County's COVID-19 Resources for Business page linked here.

County to Allow Outdoor Live Music

Montgomery County officials announced on last week that venues will be permitted to have live outdoor performance of 50 people or fewer. This new provision further expands entertainment options for residents during Phase 2 of reopening. Venues interested in having outdoor live performances must submit a request for a Letter of Approval and adhere to specific guidelines to protect the health and safety of guests, performers, production crews and staff. See details and guidelines 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.

Today's the day! As you receive and read this, some 100 GSSCC members and their guests are ready to tee it up and battle it out for the crown of "2020 COVID Classic - Annual Business Golf Event Champion," at GSSCC member Argyle Country Club.

Watch this space for results, and in the meantime, help the Chamber thank these member who contributed to our Golf Classic success as key sponsors: Gold Sponsors - Apex Home Loans, Adventist HealthCare's White Oak Medical Center, Downtown Silver Spring, Joseph W. McCartin Insurance, Lee Development Group, and Montgomery College; Silver Sponsors - M&T Bank and Washington Property Company; Scorecard Sponsor - TW Perry; Beverage Cart Sponsor - RCN; Snack Shack Sponsor - Kay Management; Beverage Station Sponsor - Capital Bank; and more. 

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.

The Maryland Department of Labor announced the launch of a “fully modernized BEACON 2.0 unemployment insurance system.” The system went online for claimants at midnight last night and will be online for employers today, Monday, September 21. BEACON 2.0 is a multi-year project dating back to 2015 that integrates all benefits, appeals, tax, and reemployment functions of the unemployment insurance system.

The full roll out is an extension of the current BEACON One-Stop application, launched to accommodate the unprecedented surge of new claims during the COVID-19 pandemic. BEACON 2.0 will offer claimants and employers dozens of new online features. Claimants will have the ability to update their claims, see details of eligibility issues, respond to fact-finding questions, file appeals, submit supporting documents for appeals or adjudication, and track overpayments.

Find more details here.

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 up to September 25. Here’s a link to the application.

Want to learn more? CQI Associates will host an information webinar on September 23, 2020 – 11:00 a.m.

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

* Congratulations to the Montgomery County Department of Transportation for the competition and opening of the new Wheaton Revitalization Project. The MC DOT led the development and construction and completed the project on time and within budget. Read more here.

* Congratulations to Interfaith Works on the appointment of Courtney Hall, an experienced leader with more than 17 years of service in the public and nonprofit sectors, as its new CEO, effective November 1, 2020. Read more here.

* Join A Wider Circle on Saturday, September 26, from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the 2020 Virtual Community Ball. Leaders in the movement to end poverty will be recognized and the evening also features an auction and raffle. Tickets and sponsorships are available here, raffle tickets are available here, and auction items are available here. 

* Stratus Wealth Advisors recently presented a webinar on how businesses can move beyond paralysis and instead prosper both during and after the pandemic utilizing business continuity planning. Watch 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.