4/20/2020
Dear Chamber Members,
If any of us didn’t think the global community and economy were tied together before the COVID-19 pandemic, we know now. Most South Carolina businesses already knew about the connectivity and interdependence because South Carolina has long been a leader in exports and foreign direct investment. Now, the world’s economy has been shoved into a recession at a speed and to the depths of which could not have been imagined just a couple of months ago.
During this unprecedented time, your Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce has been focused on working with our partners to be a conduit for information between businesses and government. In addition to staying in constant communication with state and federal agencies, we have tried to link you directly to the most important information through calls, webinars and communications like the daily updates via mass email and social media. We have opened up access to these opportunities to not only our members but also non-member businesses during this time. We are in this together and all need each other to get out of it. We also launched a Small Business Hotline to assist our small business owners in navigating through the massive amount of information regarding the CARES Act, the PPP and all of the Governors Executive Orders.
We thank our members and partners for making what the Greater Sumter Chamber does happen. The Greater Sumter Chamber of Commerce is the strongest advocacy organization for our business community because your support makes it possible. We need you to continue to stay engaged with our efforts and help us help you. We also need for those non-member businesses that have found our Chamber helpful during this time to join our team, where their investment in us is an investment in the recovery of our community.
One way all businesses can help, is by taking the time to fill out the Chamber’s Restart Sumter Survey that we’ll send out later this week. The Chamber Staff will work with the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce to develop the survey questions so that we can understand what you are facing and how the task force and other policymakers can help. As Sumter begins to prepare to reopen the community to more normal business activity, we’ll use the survey to develop a revitalization and recovery plan in coordination with the South Carolina Chamber and the Governor’s Economic Revitalization Task Force in order to address the needs of our business community.
Thank you for being there for us. We are here to serve and create value for our investors and our community.
Reminder: Join Us Today for a Call with US Senator Lindsey Graham
As Congress continues to consider additional legislation to help employers and workers affected by COVID-19, the Chamber is pleased to participate in a call with US Senator Lindsey Graham Today at 2:00 pm.
Senator Graham was integral in the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, the most significant relief package in American history, designed to help businesses and the economy during this time of crisis.
The South Carolina Chamber will moderate the call and ask questions that was submitted by our state business leaders last week.
Call Details: Register in advance for this webinar as spots are limited.
- Date and Time: Today, April 20th, 2020, 2:00 pm ET
- Topic: COVID-19: SC Chamber & Senator Lindsey Graham
- Register
As always, we will keep you up-to-date on any further information as it becomes available. Please feel free to reach out to us here with questions.
Have a great day,
Chris Hardy, CCE, IOM
President & CEO