Business Focus Header
August 12, 2020
TONIGHT at 6 p.m.
Grizzly Creek Fire Community Meeting on Facebook Live
Chat will be open for questions about the fire
For Official information for the Grizzly Creek Fire, please follow:


Grizzly Creek Fire on Facebook @GrizzlyCreekFireCO

#GrizzlyCreekFireCo


Sign up for emergency notifications at https://garco911.com

Opportunities and Resources for Your Business
Let the GSCRA Help You Get the Word Out About Your Business
Members of the Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association are encouraged to utilize our e-Communications to their benefit. Emails are sent to 1K+ contacts.

Business FOCUS e-news 
GSCRA members can place an event, service or announcement in the weekly e-news at no cost. Announcements are limited to text (up to 10 sentences), a business logo or photo and a link to “learn more.” Information must be received by Friday at noon to be included in the following week.


B2B Broadcast
This individual, stand alone e-blast is sent to our distribution list on your behalf for $75. Ad or announcement will also be included in that week’s Business Focus, as well as a social media post. Certain membership tiers include a set number of B2B Broadcasts per year. The dates in which these communications are sent are flexible. The GSCRA reserves the right to determine appropriate content.


Please contact Tara at tara@glenwoodchamber.com for more information.


Member Spotlight

NEW! We want to feature you! Each week, we'll be highlighting one chamber member business in our Business Focus e-newsletter, on our blog and on social media.  Please fill out the form here. Businesses will be selected on a first-come, first-served basis
State Partners with Legal Community to Create Volunteer Network for Small Busineses Facing COVID-19 Crisis Challenges

The State of Colorado has partnered with the legal community to create a volunteer program designed to connect attorneys with Colorado businesses in need to help them make informed decisions and get back on their feet.
 
From financial aid compliance to leasing arrangements and business liability, small businesses across our state face complex challenges and most small businesses need legal resources and expertise to make informed decisions.
 
The task force will work with our 15 small business development centers (SBDC) around the state. The task force is using recent survey data gathered by the SBDC’s to design need-based webinars, and match volunteer lawyers to small businesses.
 
The Colorado Lawyers Committee is matching volunteer attorneys with small businesses in need of assistance. This organization is a nonpartisan consortium of 80 Colorado law firms dedicated to creating and increasing opportunities for children, the poor and other disadvantaged communities through pro bono legal advocacy, negotiation, and litigation.
 
According to the Office of State Planning and Budgeting, Colorado’s tourism industry, which supports many of the state’s small businesses, is expected to rebound more slowly than other sectors. By assisting small businesses, the task force hopes to indirectly support the more than 400,000 Coloradans who have filed for unemployment due to the pandemic.
 
Businesses interested in applying for assistance, or volunteers willing to help, can go to coloradocovidrelief.org.
Energize Colorado Gap Fund - Applications Open This Month
The Energize Colorado Gap Fund will provide more than $25 million in small business loans and grants to boost small businesses impacted by COVID-19. Sole proprietors, businesses and nonprofits with less than 25 full-time employees can apply for up to a $15,000 grant and a $20,000 loan for a possible combined total of $35,000 in financial assistance. 

The application is scheduled for an August 2020 launch. Sign up to Energize Colorado's email list to be alerted when the application opens.

Eligibility

You must be either a:
  • small business or enterprise - Colorado sole proprietors and registered small businesses including LLCs, S-Corps and other business types.  
  • nonprofit - Colorado nonprofits whose mission and/or programs directly support economic development, small businesses, or tourism.

You must also:
  • have fewer than 25 employees - Applicants must have fewer than 25 full-time equivalent (FTE) employees. An employer may use its off-season employee count.
  • be impacted by COVID-19 – Applicants must be able to show the economic hardship their business is facing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The business’s story of hardship plus documents such as bank records, point of sale receipts, profit and loss statements, or other documents can be used to show economic harm.

Any eligible Colorado small enterprise is welcome to apply. Priority will be given to the following applicants:
  • majority-owned by black, indigenous, people of color, veterans, or women
  • in rural areas with population of less than 50,000 people  
  • in the tourism sector 
  • with limited or no access to capital financing or other federal, state or local grants/loans

How to Apply

In the coming weeks, the application will open on Energize Colorado's website

We recommend you gather these documents to show how you have been impacted by COVID-19:
  • bank records
  • profit and loss statements
  • tax filings
  • expense receipts

Energize Colorado will provide a mentoring program to assist in filing this application including translation.

Please also review the answers to frequently asked questions.
Garfield County Printable Safety Flyers Available to Help Local Businesses with Public Messaging
Safety Flyers are available to anyone who would like a Garfield County branded flyer to post in their workplace or building. The flyers are available in English and Spanish and include the topics of social distancing, wearing a face covering, and not entering if sick.

The flyers are available here.
 
 
Alternative Source of Funding
The Alternative Sources of Funding Google sheet helps Colorado’s small businesses find alternative funding sources beyond EIDL, PPP, and other federal loans and programs. There are over 180 opportunities currently in this document.

OEDIT updates this sheet regularly and are aware that resources can change on a day-to-day basis. If you come across any resources that are no longer active, please email us at oedit_sbnavigator@state.co.us.

Please note that this Google sheet is ‘live’, so you may see changes as we make real-time updates.
Upcoming Webinars & Meetings
US Chamber Virtual Policy Briefing
TOMORROW, August 13, 10-11 a.m.
The Glenwood Springs Chamber Resort Association is excited to bring you a Virtual Policy Briefing with the U.S. Chamber.

Join us for the most relevant and up-to-date information on Employment Policy, Economic Outlook and Travel & Tourism.

2020 Employment Law Update
August 26, 9-11:30 a.m. & September 1, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.
The COVID-19 pandemic unleashed the most rapid release of regulatory changes employers have faced in a single year. Executive and public health orders and changes in state and federal employment law often create more questions than answers.

Join the Northwest Workforce team and employment law specialists Michael Santo (Bechtel, Santo & Severn) and Tina Harkness (Mountain States Employers Council) to learn about ever-unfolding legislative and policy changes businesses need to know.


COVID-19, Ventilation & Energy Efficiency for Building Owners & Managers
August 27, 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Commercial building owners and managers will learn what changes to their heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems will best reduce risk for their occupants, common limits of HVAC, and how to preserve energy efficiency while making modifications.

Land Title Guarantee Virtual Classes
Land Title Guarantee is offering a series of virtual classes with topics related to real estate.

Glenwood Networking Group
When: Thursdays at 8 a.m.

Bring yourself and your business cards. We'll each share about our business, get feedback from the group and learn about others in the community. The emphasis is on building relationships and passing referrals.

SBDC Webinars
The Colorado Small Business Development Center Network consists of 15 regional centers across Colorado.

Roaring Fork Leadership Free Resilience Education
The Resiliency Experience is a collective effort of leadership practitioners who believe leadership development is the future for Colorado. Learn from the best of the best across the state to support you and your organizations during these uncertain times.

Chairman's Circle Investors