Poster Welcomes Customers to Your Business
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Use this poster to welcome customers back and inform them about the measures you are taking to ensure everyone's health. It also outlines the expectations of those entering your business.
Designed as an 8.5" x 11" poster, it can easily be posted in your window, on your door, at your point of purchase, and other prominent locations.
The Chamber will soon produce a video promoting the "We Can Do It" campaign, featuring Chamber members replicating the iconic image from the Second World War.
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New Chamber Directors Elected
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The Delaware County Chamber of Commerce announced the appointment of new directors, elected by its membership, at a meeting held May 18. New directors include:
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Rieley Keator
,
program administrator at the MARK Project. Keator is a Roxbury resident and a Catskill Mountain native. She is a 2008 graduate of Roxbury Central School and Northern Catskills Occupational Center (NCOC) BOCES Culinary Arts program. Keator joined the staff of Ate-O-Ate Catering when it opened in 2012 and is also a member of the NCOC BOCES Culinary Arts Advisory Committee. She has a desire to improve the region’s quality of life and is looking forward to continuing her work in housing and economic development.
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Rosie Lamport,
co-owner of Lamport Hemp Farm in Hobart. Lamport and her husband John have operated Lamport Dairy Farm for the past 9 years. The dairy farm has been in operation since the 1700s and in 2019 became an alternative agriculture enterprise transitioning to Lamport Hemp Farm. Lamport Hemp Farm grows hemp for its CBD oil content and retails a product line consisting of CBD tinctures, soaps, salves, t-shirts, CBD animal-use products, hemp flower and more. Lamport is focused on evolving agricultural market trends, networking and collaboration.
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Jim Reynolds,
president and chief executive officer at sfcu (Sidney Federal Credit Union). Reynolds is a central New York native with extensive experience in the credit union industry. Reynolds began his career in credit unions in 1996, and has held the titles of business development account executive, director of sales, vice-president of communications, and senior vice-president of operations, as well as chief operating officer. Reynolds is active in a number of community and charitable organizations, including United Way of Sidney.
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Jacob Sackett, Esq.
, attorney. Sackett graduated from Delaware Academy in 2011, going on to study sustainable agriculture at Cornell University. He later attended Boston College Law School where he received his Juris Doctorate. Sackett returned to Delaware County where he now practices law, with an emphasis on real estate, estate planning, and matrimonial litigation. In addition to his legal practice, Sackett is the co-owner of Bovina Farm and Fermentory, a small permaculture farm and market.
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Tara Vitti
, owner of Feather & Stone Restaurant in Walton. Vitti grew up in Walton, attended culinary school in Rhode Island, and pursued a restaurant career in Seattle. Upon moving back to her hometown she opened a successful restaurant and dove headfirst into the community. Vitti was recently elected to her second term as president of the Walton Chamber of Commerce. She prides herself as a champion for shopping local (especially for food), being as green as economically possible and being a supporter of the arts both in the community and in her restaurant.
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Seth Wildenstein
, director of support services at UHS Delaware Valley Hospital in Walton, overseeing the bio-medical, dietary, housekeeping, maintenance, emergency preparedness, safety and security departments. Wildenstein is a Level 3 certified hospital emergency coordinator and is a member of the senior management council. Wildenstein spent 25 years in the family retail/wholesale florist and greenhouse business. His civic activities have included 22 years of service with the Walton Fire Department and emergency squad where he has served in several support and leadership roles and as a member of the Central New York Firemen’s Association Audit Committee. As a parent of two sons, Wildenstein was a board member of the Walton Nursery School, den leader and committee member of Cub Scout Pack 45 and committee member of Boy Scout Troop 45, as well as PTA and building level team member of the Townsend Elementary and Walton Middle School.
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Dr. David Brower
, dean of the School of Business and Hospitality Management at SUNY Delhi. Brower oversees a dynamic array of academic offerings including culinary arts, event management, hotel and restaurant management, business and technology management, accounting, computer information systems, and professional golf management. His industry experience includes positions with the Walt Disney Company, Intercontinental Hotels and Resorts, and the Isle of Capri Casino, Inc. Brower has been a Chamber director since 2017.
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Delaware County Travel Guide Released
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We were very excited to produce the 2020-2021 Delaware County Travel Guide this year. We were thrilled to roll out a new design, size and format. We had finished the content in March and were just finalizing the printing options when the stay at home orders went into place. As a result of the pandemic and the general pause we are experiencing in spending and marketing to visitors,
we have decided to launch the travel guide in a digital format only at this time
.
When we are permitted to market again and we feel confident that the content in this guide will be as accurate as possible, we will proceed with printing and distributing. We anticipate updating this book before we go to print, realizing we may have many changes and we anticipate this version will be a guide that can promote our area through 2022.
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New PPP EZ Forgiveness Application Released
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- Are self-employed and have no employees; OR
- Did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%, and did not reduce the number or hours of their employees; OR
- Experienced reductions in business activity as a result of health directives related to COVID-19 and did not reduce the salaries or wages of their employees by more than 25%
“This is great news for small businesses,” said
SBA Regional Administrator Steve Bulger
,
who oversees agency operations in the Atlantic and Mid-Atlantic regions. “The EZ application requires fewer calculations and less documentation, which makes the process much less intimidating. I’m sure this will go a long way toward improving access and helping us distribute the remaining PPP appropriations to support small business owners and their employees.”
Details regarding the applicability of these provisions are available in the instructions to the new EZ application form. Both applications give borrowers the option of using the original 8-week covered period (if their loan was made before June 5, 2020) or an extended 24-week covered period. These changes will result in a more efficient process and make it easier for businesses to realize full forgiveness of their PPP loan.
Click
here
to view the EZ Forgiveness Application
Click
here
to view the Full Forgiveness Application
New Guidance
(as of June 24)
SBA and Treasury have released new policy updates to the PPP program. In particular, this rule updates and clarifies the forgiveness procedures from the PPP Flexibility Act and the new forgiveness forms. Please encourage borrower to READ this rule and the new forgiveness applications, and if you have questions, feel free to direct them to our office.
Highlights from the Rule:
- Businesses may apply for forgiveness at any time during the Covered Period once they meet the requirement for forgiveness. They do not have to wait until the end of the 24 weeks.
- Clarifies the amount that Owners may pay themselves under the new Rule.
- FTE safe harbor for businesses that can document in good faith an inability to return to the same level of business activity as the borrower was operating at before February 15, 2020, due to compliance with requirements established or guidance issued between March 1, 2020 and December 31, 2020 related to the maintenance of standards for sanitation, social distancing, or any other worker or customer safety requirement related to COVID-19 (COVID Requirements or Guidance).
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SBA Now Accepting New Applications for Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Advance
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In response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, small business owners in all U.S. states, Washington D.C., and territories are able to apply for an Economic Injury Disaster Loan advance of up to $10,000. This advance is designed to provide economic relief to businesses that are currently experiencing a temporary loss of revenue. This loan advance will not have to be repaid. Recipients do not have to be approved for a loan in order to receive the advance, but the amount of the loan advance will be deducted from total loan eligibility.
SBA will begin accepting new Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance applications on June 15 to qualified small businesses and U.S. agricultural businesses.
The new eligibility for U.S. agricultural businesses is made possible as a result of the latest round of funds appropriated by Congress in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Applicants who have already submitted their applications will continue to be processed on a first-come, first-served basis. For agricultural businesses that submitted an EIDL application through the streamlined application portal prior to the legislative change, SBA will process these applications without the need for re-applying.
Eligible small businesses and agricultural businesses may apply for the Loan Advance
here.
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We've Made it to Phase Four
Guidance Released
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Phase 4 guidance now available at:
Higher Education
Low-Risk Outdoor Arts & Entertainment
Low-Risk Indoor Arts & Entertainment
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Reminder: Phase Three Guidelines
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The guidelines below apply to non-essential businesses in regions that are permitted to reopen, essential businesses throughout the state that were previously permitted to remain open, and commercial and recreational activities that have been permitted to operate statewide with restrictions. If guidance has not yet been published for your specific industry, but you are permitted to reopen, please refer to the
NY Forward Safety Plan template
.
For help determining whether or not your business is eligible to reopen, use the reopen lookup tool. You can also scroll down to find the guidance for each phase.
Guidance for Phase Three includes:
FOOD SERVICES
PERSONAL CARE
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Reminder: Phase Two Guidelines
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The Phase 2 guidelines apply to non-essential businesses in regions that are permitted to reopen, essential businesses throughout the state that were previously permitted to remain open, and commercial and recreational activities that have been permitted to operate statewide with restrictions. If guidance has not yet been published for your specific industry, but you are permitted to reopen, please refer to the
NY Forward Safety Plan template
For help determining whether or not your business is eligible to reopen, use the reopen lookup tool
HERE
Guidance for Phase 2 Include:
Business Owners must read the detailed guidelines and provide their digital signature affirming that they have read and understand the document.
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Regional COVID Business Impact Survey
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SUNY Oneonta’s Places Institute has joined forces with SUNY Cobleskill’s Institute for Rural Vitality, Utica College and other regional research entities to form the Inter-mountain COVID-19 Impact Consortium, a research initiative aimed at better understanding the broad economic and community impacts of the COVID pandemic across a nine-county region in NY State.
The Consortium is seeking feedback from the region’s business community and invite businesses of all types to complete the survey. Ultimately, conclusions drawn from this research effort will be used to develop policy and management strategies for mitigating future crises.
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Face Masks and Hand Sanitizer Available
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Face masks and hand sanitizer are available at no cost for use at businesses and non-profit organizations, through donations by Delaware County Electric Cooperative and Rotary International.
Items will be distributed by Delaware County Emergency Services at the County Public Safety Building, 280 Phoebe Lane, Delhi, Mondays through Fridays, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm.
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Get Latest Reopening Information from New York State
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Prepare for the phased reopening of our economy.
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Listen to Crisis Management and Recovery Workshop Recording
GrowthWheel for Crisis Management is a tool designed to help you make good and helpful decisions during a crisis. These tools encourage you to identify personal challenges, look for financial warning signals, and establish a solution plan. It includes decision sheets specifically designed to improve the operational aspect of the crisis.
Chamber member GrowthWheel is a worldwide recognized visual tool to help entrepreneurs make decisions and take action.
All webinar participants will receive 20 one-page worksheets at no cost for your use. Additionally, we have created a team of trained volunteers who have offered to guide you through the worksheets to find the ones that are most useful to your business.
This workshop is for business owners and managers, and will help guide participants through how make the best decisions in business during these stressful times.
Register to receive a copy of the recording
here.
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Local Advertising Offers for Chamber Members
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Bold Gold Media Group, broadcasting at Thunder 104.5FM in Hancock, is matching dollar-for-dollar advertising from businesses affected by the crisis. Bold Gold is also offering a special package for restaurants including digital advertising, live mentions on morning program, and on-air interview opportunities. Packages start at $50 per week. Call Dawn Ciorciari, General Manager at 845-794-9898 x301.
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FREE Workforce Training Available
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CDO Workforce
has made Metrix Learning® available to all unemployed and underemployed residents of Chenango, Delaware, Herkimer, Madison, Oneida, and Otsego counties. Metrix Learning® is a comprehensive platform that delivers career exploration tools, career pathways, job search tools, assessments, and online skill training. Customers will have the ability to virtually register, update job skills via e-learning courses, track their progress (e.g. course completions, hours, skill badges, etc.) and explore careers.
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SUNY Delhi
is offering 10 free non-credit classes through the online education platform Ed2Go. These are available from April 29 - June 30, 2020. Topics include website development, customer service, marketing, personal finance, fundamentals of supervision and management, job search skills, and individual excellence. Each class is a self-paced tutorial with 24 hours' worth of content that you can complete on your own time. Classes are for personal/professional development and cannot be applied toward a SUNY Delhi degree.
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Tips, Techniques and Exercises for Stress Relief and Self Care
The Chamber has partnered with Maia Wilde of
Maia Wilde Consulting
in Treadwell to provide stress relief tips and techniques for use in a business setting or at home.
This three part video takes you through a variety of poses, exercises and planning tips created to release tension from the body and the mind and help us navigate the uncertainties we are facing due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The New York State Office of Mental Health Emotional Support Helpline provides free and confidential support, helping callers experiencing increased anxiety due to the coronavirus emergency. The Helpline is staffed by volunteers, including mental health professionals, who have received training in crisis counseling. Call
1-844-863-9314.
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The Chamber has partnered with New Haven Consulting Group, Inc. to provide our members with an online
“Preventing Sexual Harassment"
workshop that meets the requirements of the new law.
This program is available at a Chamber-member reduced price of $20 per participant.
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FREE WORKSHOPS
Our partners at New Haven Consulting Group are also offering two FREE online workshops:
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FREE (Virtual) One-on-One Business Counseling Sessions
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The Small Business Development Center (SBDC) is offering FREE comprehensive programming to provide management and technical assistance to small businesses in Delaware County!
Specializing in direct one-to-one counseling, the SBDC offers assistance in the following business areas:
- Start-up assistance
- Business Plan Development
- Accounting and Financial Projections
- Sources of Financing
- Marketing
- Business Expansion
- Relocation and Agribusiness
There is no cost for the counseling services of the SBDC.
Reservations are required for the one hour appointments. To make your reservation for
Tuesday, July 28 (10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. or 2:30 p.m.) email us at info@delawarecounty.org.
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The Delaware County Chamber is a private, non-governmental, not-for-profit membership organization. We believe that healthy communities begin with healthy businesses. By focusing on key areas–community and economic development, advocacy, tourism promotion, and business engagement–we partner with municipal leaders, community organizations, and local companies to present a unified voice of business for the improvement of our communities.
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5 1/2 Main Street
Delhi, New York 13753
Give Us A Call: 607.746.2281
DelawareCounty.org
GreatWesternCatskills.com
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