The Boca Chamber CEO Message 04/07
Good Morning Valued Chamber Family Member!
We hope you and your family are safe and well. I would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to our First Responders, Nurses, Doctors and Frontline Healthcare workers. We are forever grateful for their unwavering commitment and courage during these challenging times. It’s difficult to understand what a day is like in their shoes, and we can’t appreciate enough their dedicated service to the battle against COVID-19.
As we navigate through the week ahead, we have a few important announcements.
A drive-thru testing site began scheduling phone appointments on Monday, and will begin officially testing today, April 7th. The testing site is located at the South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach, 33446. Individuals requesting testing will be approved through a telephone screening. Appointments can be made by calling 561-804-0250 from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm, seven days a week.
The Florida Department of Health announced the launch of a new community action survey, StrongerThanC-19. Florida’s Surgeon General, Scott Rivkees, is urging residents to take two minutes out of their day to take the StrongerThanC-19 community action survey and answer an anonymous brief series of questions. The responses will be used to help improve the distribution of resources to support healthcare and other initiatives across the state. We encourage you to do your part in helping Florida flatten the curve by answering this short survey by clicking here.
Starting April 10, 2020, as part of the CARES Act, independent contractors and self-employed individuals can apply for and receive loans to cover their payroll and other certain expenses through existing SBA lenders. We encourage you to utilize your existing bank to expedite this process. Visit sba.gov for a list of SBA lenders.
Please be aware, the Office of the Inspector General is alerting the public about potential fraud schemes related to the economic stimulus programs offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration in response to the Coronavirus. If you suspect fraudulent activity, please click here or call the Office of the Inspector General at 800-767-0385.
Also included in the CARES Act regarding student loans is the requirement of the Secretary of Education to defer student loan payments, principal and interest for six months, through Sept. 30, 2020, without penalty to the borrower. The types of federally owned student loans include: defaulted and non-defaulted direct loans, defaulted and non-defaulted FFEL program loans, and Federal Perkins Loans. This provides relief for over 95 percent of student loan borrowers. These provisions do not apply to privately owned student loans. Click here for more information.
We are continuing to provide you with educational webinars and virtual experiences to help your business – and YOU during these times. Please see below for a list of upcoming virtual events:
04/08 – 12:00 pm: Lunch & Learn – EffectiveCommunications
Speaker: Lewis Fogel, Sandler Training
Click here to register
04/09 – 10:00 am: Beginners Guide to Marketing with Canva
Speaker: Mariana Griswold, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Boca Chamber
Click here to register
04/09 – 11:30 am: Government Affairs
Speaker: Robert Weinroth, Vice Mayor, Palm Beach County
Click here to register
04/16 – 11:30 am: Successful Women In Business: Human Resources After the Coronavirus Crisis – What Then?
Speaker: Penny Morey, Managing Director, RemarkAbleHR, Inc.
Click here to register
04/21 – 8:30 a.m. Workshop – The Power of Your Mindset!
Speaker: Patricia Cimino, Empowerment Coach, Patricia Cimino Coaching
Click here to register
In the event that you miss any of our virtual webinars, you are able to access them on the Boca Chamber’s Event/Resources Playlist on YouTube.
To stay up to date on all Chamber activity, visit bocachamber.com or download the Chamber App on your phone or tablet and stay connected on your mobile device.
As we enter what we believe will be a challenging few weeks ahead, I want to assure you that your Chamber will do what it takes to continue to provide you with the information and resources you need. We have daily communication with our members, industry CEOs, elected leaders – at all levels of government – and state and national partners. These relationships grow even stronger during times of crisis and unite us toward our common cause of getting the business community though these turbulent times. Together – we will get through this.
Moving Forward,
Troy M. McLellan, CCE, FCCP
President & CEO Greater Boca Raton Chamber of Commerce
#movingbocaforward#movingboyntonforward #movingdelrayforward
1800 N Dixie Hwy | Boca Raton, FL 33432p: 561.395.4433 | f: 561.392.3780
