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PTG Responds to
COVID-19
How PTG Is Working to Serve You
The Piano Technicians Guild Board, staff and membership are working hard to try and provide information and resources to each other in this challenging situation. You’ll still be receiving the Piano Technicians Journal via mail and/or email. We are continually adding new content to the ptg.org websites. The staff is available via email and phone to provide services and answer questions. We are supporting chapters with ideas and resources for continuing to communicate and learn. Exam prep materials are online to help you prepare for RPT exams. The PTG Store is open 24/7. We’re quickly adapting to new ways of communicating and providing services.
The Online PTG Community
We want to invite you to explore my.ptg.org , our interactive social media platform that connects you to your chapter, your region, special interest groups, online educational resources and a number of general forums like Pianotech and CAUT. As always, your participation is vital in making these efforts successful. We encourage you to visit my.ptg.org, login as a member, participate in the conversations and take advantage of the educational resources.

We’ve put together a quick video on how to use ptg.org and the resources contained there. The brief guide to main features will help to get you started. Need your login information? Email ptg@ptg.org and we'll get it to you.

Advance your skills. See the complete list of online educational resources at PTG Academy Online .  It’s free and available to all PTG members.

We are always on the lookout for more great presentations and especially right now. If you have any instructional audio or video presentations, or ideas for presentations that you can create at home to add, please reach out to Clint Sears at  clint@ptg.org . We can offer tips and help edit your video to make the best preentation possible. If you have your own learning seminars or meetings you’d like to share that are hosted somewhere else, please feel free to link them in a new discussion post at the  PTGAO discussion group .

Supplies and Parts. As stay-at-home policies continue to impact piano supply houses, we are encouraging members to use the Tools & Parts: Buy, Sell, Exchange community at my.ptg.org as an alternative option. Member-to-member exchange may at least allow shop work to continue.

Information for Chapters and Regions
As we learn to adapt to the new normal, we want to remind you about the resources for chapter technicals at ptg.org. We have compiled a list of online tools for virtual meetings/seminars for your reference. Visit the Chapter Resources area at ptg.org and click on Chapter Communications, or see posts in the Chapter Leaders my.ptg.org communit y .

Another option for a virtual meeting is to schedule a Zoom online conference for your members by contacting either Barbara Cassaday ( barbara@ptg.org ) or Jim Fariss ( sec@ptg.org ) with the date and time of the meeting and they will schedule it for you through the PTG account. The requester will receive a reply email with the Zoom invitation information to forward to your members. We hope that you will utilize these tools to stay in touch with each other.
Unemployment Options and Low-interest SBA Loans
PTG staff has participated in several industry webinars trying to gain information about possible options for PTG members. At this point, things are changing on an almost hourly basis so please do your research and homework. Here’s what we know sp far:
• Unemployment . There is a possibility that the self-employed may be eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance programs as part of the response to the economic duress caused by the Covid-10 virus. Check with your individual state agencies and remember this situation continues to evolve. Visit the U.S, Department of Labor site or your state website for current information.
• SBA . The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) disaster loan product that’s being used to provide financial aid during the COVID-19 situation is the  Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program . All US States are now eligible for the program.

These loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. At an interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses, 2.75% for non-profits, SBA offers terms of up to 30 years. There is the possibility that some loans will be forgiven and turned into grants but the SBA had not released any details on how that possibility would be applied. Demand is high and processing time may be 3-4 weeks, so don’t wait. View the timeline, filing requirements and a list of documents required here . For additional information, please contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center. Call 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or e-mail  disastercustomerservice@sba.gov .

Canadian members can find information pertinent to them here .

We’ll continue to stay on top of information that may affect your business and share it with you.