The Boca Chamber CEO Message 05/01
Good Morning Valued Chamber Family Member!
Since day one, the Boca Chamber has understood its role in leading the business community through these challenging times. Our priority to keep you connected and informed has remained laser-focused and our efforts to advocate for your business have only grown stronger.
As access to capital continues to be a challenge for some small businesses, the Chamber proposed a suggested framework for an Emergency Small Business Relief Program to the Boca Raton City Council. This program is designed to provide short-term financial assistance to businesses within the City of Boca Raton to help them meet basic operational obligations such as rent, payroll and utilities. The proposed program suggests a starting fund amount of $500,000, to be administered by the City of Boca Raton. Some proposed eligibility requirements include: a current business license in the City of Boca Raton, physical space (brick & mortar) and less than a million dollars in annual revenues.
The Boca Chamber is proud to lead the effort to advocate for this program to help keep Boca Raton’s economic engine running. We look forward to working with the City of Boca Raton to finalize this relief program for small businesses. City Council will meet again Tuesday, May 5th, to discuss the program.
One industry greatly affected by this pandemic is our restaurants. We immediately began working with the cities of Boca Raton and Boynton Beach to help ease restrictions on signordinances, which in turn, allowed for restaurants in both cities the ability to use A-Frame signs and other methods of advertising to promote their takeout and delivery business. The Chamber also compiled a list of area restaurants which are offering delivery, curbside pickup and specials. We have been avidly promoting restaurant specials through our social media outlets and send weekly e-blasts in an effort to help generate business. We share content for ALL industries on our social media outlets to promote business. Please continue to post and tag the Boca and Boynton Chamber pages, giving you a larger platform to promote your company.
On Wednesday, April 29th, Governor DeSantis laid out his plan for Phase One of a reopening of Florida, effective May 4th. As expected, his plan is measured and deliberate and includes the input of both medical experts and business professionals. At this time, his order does exclude the three southeast counties, Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade, from moving into phase. Southeast Florida is the hotbed of the outbreak with 60% of the positive cases in the state. So a little more patience is needed until we get the green light. A positive component in the Governor’s Executive Order is the restoration of medical elective procedures throughout the state, including Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. Medical services including elective procedures, surgical centers, office surgery centers, dental offices, orthodontic offices, endodontic office and other health care practitioners’ offices may fully re-open. To read the full Executive Order, please click here.
Our annual Young Entrepreneur Academy (YEA!) Investor Panel Competition is just a few weeks away. Please join us for this first ever virtual event and watch our students in grades 6-12 pitch their businesses to a group of successful business entrepreneurs for a chance to earn valuable funding for their businesses. The event takes place on Wednesday, May 13th, 5pm – 7:30pm. You can register by clicking here.
In addition to our YEA! Program, please see below for a list of next week’s virtual experiences:
05/04 – 1:00pm: Hackers & Cyber Scams – How to Not Take the Bait
Speaker: Tim Leising, Solutions Engineer, R2 Unified Technologies
Click here to register
05/05 – 11:30am: International Business Alliance: How to communicate successfully across cultures in international business and when working in international teams
Speaker: Renata Urban, Trainer & Consultant, URBAN Training and Services, Inc.
Click here to register
05/06 – 1:30pm: How To Market Your Business During Challenging Times
Speaker: Alex Oliveria, CEO, Prediq Media
Click here to register
If you missed any of our virtual experiences, you can access them by going to the Boca Chamber’s YouTube page. 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.
I want to assure you that you are not alone in this battle. Your Chamber team is right here with you in the trenches. And there is light at the end of the tunnel. When Palm Beach County gets the phase one all clear from Governor DeSantis, we will be ready. We look forward to that time when we can be together, even if it is at a limited capacity in the beginning. Until that time, please know that we are only a phone call, email or text away. Together, we will Move Business Forward!
Moving Business 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
