Chamber Newsletter – April 2021 – Updates on Events, Member Benefits, & COVID

See all the wonderful things the Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce is doing for its members and the community! From events to new benefits to strategic planning, the Chamber is constantly working to bring broaden its scope and offerings in order to help our community and local businesses grow!

Click below to view our latest newsletter. It contains information on upcoming events, new member benefits, COVID updates, new PPE offerings, and a message from Gary Grote, our Executive Director.

Chamber Newsletter April 26 2021

Chamber talks with Sen. Patrick Gallivan about COVID impacts on businesses

Chamber talks with Sen. Patrick Gallivan about COVID impacts on businesses

This morning, Wednesday, Dec. 2, the Greater East Aurora Chamber along with several other Chambers locally and across the State, had a Zoom meeting with NYS Senator Patrick Gallivan.

We discussed many of the challenges our business communities are facing from Covid restrictions; health; safety concerns of the public and employees; hiring, unemployment, and workforce issues; to the impacts not only on retail and restaurants but also on manufacturing and the issues working remotely has on our local businesses.

We also talked about the negative, long-lasting impact that would be created if there was another round of shutdowns.

The conversation continued on what the Senate and Assembly would do regarding the Governor’s Covid authority once the NYS legislative session kicked in January 2021.

The group also stressed the need for financial relief for businesses during the continuation of Covid restrictions.

The Senator was hopeful – as we all are – that the impact of this crisis will lessen as we head into the new year and that the State legislature will take some actions to help and lessen restrictions on businesses.

Senator Gallivan said he would review our concerns with his staff and at the start of 2021 work to communicate with and assist businesses in his district to enable them to survive and succeed.

The Chamber will continue to advocate on your behalf with our local, state, and federal officials. We know these are troubling times and we’ll use all our connections to make sure your voice is heard loud and clear.

River Spring Lodge completes industry-leading cleaning protocol through “Select Safe, Stay Select” initiative

River Spring Lodge completes industry-leading cleaning protocol through “Select Safe, Stay Select” initiative

New Heightened Cleaning & Safety Standards Guided by Industry Leaders, Public Health Officials in Response to COVID-19

River Spring Lodge in Darien Center has earned Select Safe, Stay Select branding from Select Registry Distinguished Inns of North America. The industry-leading set of health and safety guidelines was designed to prepare the collection of our nation’s best inns to safely reopen for guests and employees alike.

Select Safe, Stay Select is a self-certification program based on recommendations by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), U.S. Travel Association, American Hotel & Lodging Association, and other industry leaders. It is designed to aid inn owners and staff in communicating to travelers the various enhanced cleaning, sanitation, and operational procedures that are being undertaken to protect guests and staff in the era of COVID-19. Select Registry inns have been recognized as the most distinguished inns across North America for decades, with each having passed the industry’s leading inspection program, covering everything from cleanliness to hospitality and ensuring guests the comfort and professionalism they expect from a trusted brand.

Select Safe, Stay Select was designed to allow Distinguished Inns of North America owners to further differentiate their brand on the basis of quality,” said Select Registry CEO Mark Jaronski. “While all of our inns are held to the highest standards of cleanliness and hospitality, this new initiative enables our small business owners to communicate an enhanced commitment to safety and cleanliness with confidence and clarity.”

“As innkeepers, our greatest concern is the safety of our guests, our employees, and of course each other,” said Inn owner Chef David Hamer. “We take the responsibility of the public’s trust to provide a safe, comfortable, and memorable stay very seriously. We prayerfully pondered keeping the inn closed until a vaccine was widely available. But as we read the guidelines of the CDC, discussed reopening with County and State health officials, and studied the enhanced safety protocols of the Stay Safe, Select Safe program we became convinced we could reopen safely. River Spring Lodge is now providing completely contactless overnight getaways with private, in-room, Five-Course Wine Dinners for a few couples each evening while serving a few local diners on socially distanced tables in our dining room without sacrificing the exceptional quality River Spring’s stellar Five-Star reputation is built upon.”

Reservations can be made online at https://riverspringlodge.com/couples-escapes-2/ or by calling the inn at 585.708.4212.

Select Safe Stay Select guidelines can be found at https://selectregistry.com/select-safe-stay-select/. Despite enhanced safety practices, an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public space where people gather.

A Busy 6 Weeks!

A Busy 6 Weeks!

With the major concerns regarding Covid-19 and its impact, the Chamber has had a very busy 6 weeks addressing issues, questions, and concerns from essential business qualifications, loans, and grants to specific issues for various businesses, both members and non-members.

Scores of people have reached out to us via phone, email, and Facebook. We, in turn, have been doing our best in reaching out to our members with calls and emails just to see how they’re holding up and if there is any way we can be of assistance.

For the most part, it’s just lending an ear of understanding and a chance to talk.

We’ve been in discussions with the Small Business Administration, local banks, elected officials, County representatives, the Small Business Development Center, and other Chambers and business organizations from across NYS to evaluate the impacts of what is transpiring and how best to address it.

As a result of circumstances, we’re also relying on virtual meetings for board and committee activities, especially networking.

We’ve had a good response to our new virtual networking, which gives people the opportunity to talk about what they’re going through while also offering ideas that they’re putting into practice which may be helpful to others.

We’ve also had speakers at these meetings talking on topics specific to loans, employment issues, and likely tax impacts for 2020 and 2021 as a result of the situation we are facing. Thes virtual networking meetings are open to any chamber member. Please contact Victoria Sturman at vsturman@eanycc.com  if you are interested in joining the next one, which will be May 13 at 8:30 a.m.

Our website (www.eanycc.com) and Facebook presence has become stronger and gained wider viewership with the increased valuable information and member postings that we continue to share in support of our members.

As we work our way through this unfamiliar territory the Chamber will be a partner with our business community in facing the challenges that will make us all stronger when we come out at the end.

Please feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions.
And as always, thank you for your support! Without it, our work on your behalf would not be possible.
Sincerely,
Gary Grote
Executive Director
ggrote@eanycc.com
(716) 562-8444
Private & Public Sectors Launch Survey to Determine COVID-19 Impact on WNY Business

Private & Public Sectors Launch Survey to Determine COVID-19 Impact on WNY Business

The Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce (GEACC) is joining forces with The Buffalo Niagara Partnership and Visit Buffalo Niagara – as well as other chambers of commerce and other business advocacy groups- to assess the full economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses throughout our region. 

This will be conducted through the launching of the WNY COVID-19 Business Impact Survey on Tuesday, April 14. 

GEACC members should also be on a lookout for an email from Mower Research (noreply@qemailserver.com) with a link to the survey. If you do not receive an email by the end of business on April 14 and would like to participate, please request a survey

The information gathered from the survey will be essential to better understanding how the public and private sectors can work together to address potential gaps in available resources now and during the inevitable economic recovery period that lies ahead. 

 “The Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce feels strongly that this survey and the responses we receive back from our members will be vital in helping the businesses in our community recover from the COVID-19 situation and assist them in growing stronger in facing future challenges,” said Gary Grote, GEACC Executive Director. 

The survey will ask employers to weigh in on a variety of topics including lost revenue, workforce impacts, and their ability to operate remotely. 

This survey represents an unprecedented coming together of strategic partners from both the public and private sectors, according to Buffalo Niagara Partnership President & CEO Dottie Gallagher. 

“Now more than ever, real-world data and insights from the business community have the power to inform necessary decisions in both the public and private sectors. This has been an incredibly challenging time for our region’s employers,” she said. The survey will help guide the region in how to “to best assist businesses when our community can pivot to recovery,” she added. 

COVID-19 has had a particular impact on the area’s tourism – affecting retail, restaurants, and hospitality businesses here in East Aurora and across WNY. 

“Travel and tourism have become an integral part of the Buffalo economy, providing more than 32,000 jobs within Erie County and generating more than $ 1.8 billion annually in visitor spending. The unprecedented public health crisis we’re facing right now has ground travel to a halt and put the businesses and workers who rely on visitor spending in peril, endangering livelihoods and potentially undermining much of our collective progress,” explained Cindy Kincaide, Visit Buffalo Niagara’s Director of Industry Relations.

 “The travel industry businesses that help define the Buffalo experience to our visitors and set our city apart – from boutique hotels to neighborhood coffee shops and pubs, independently owned restaurants and boutiques – simply cannot weather this storm on their own and that is why Visit Buffalo Niagara is pleased to join the Buffalo Niagara Partnership in the collaborative effort.”

 For more information, please visit our webpage – WNY COVID-19 Business Impact Survey.

 

 

Chamber named NYS Essential Service

The Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce has been designated, along with other Chambers from across New York State, as an essential business.

This designation allows us to keep operating at our office but we’ll be adhering to the state order and some of our staff will be working remotely if and when possible.

During this current situation, we have continued and will continue to communicate and update vital information to our businesses and community members.

We have ongoing two-way communication with our members, the local communities we represent, essential community services, state officials and other Chambers from across the State to utilize information and ideas we might be able to put into place locally.

We are still waiting to hear on any financial assistance that might be available from Local, State or Federal sources.

This is all being worked on as we speak.

We will pass along any helpful information we receive immediately, just as we have been doing over the past week.

The Chamber will continue to carry out this essential work as we have done in the past and into the future.

Thank you for your support!

Gary Grote

Executive Director

Greater East Aurora Chamber of Commerce