Message from the CEO: Moving Business Forward

Good Morning Valued Chamber Member,

Recently, our community experienced the immense loss of an entrepreneur, community advocate, and most importantly, a friend, John Shuff. As the owner of Boca Magazine and JES Media, John was a powerful force in Boca Raton for decades. He was a larger than life guy who was passionate about serving his community and delivering the highest level of content in his magazines.

As many of you may remember, John often penned his own column, titled My Turn, delivering at times direct perspectives on issues he felt strongly about. I always looked forward to reading his column and appreciated John’s directness.

I was fortunate to have had a business relationship with John, that extended twenty plus years. During that time, I had the privilege to present John and his amazing wife and business partner, Margaret Mary, with the Chamber’s Small Business Leader of the Year award. John’s business leadership was always a step ahead – he played a critical role in pivoting his publication to digital long before others did.

JES Publishing has published the Chamber’s award- winning Annual Magazine for decades. This magazine is a publication known and respected by Chambers nationwide, thanks to John and his team’s high standards and attention to detail. This year’s Annual Magazine will be no exception, and in fact, will be more special as it embodies the legacy of our good friend, John Shuff. The Chamber family feels a heavy heart and keeps Margaret Mary and the Shuff family in our thoughts and prayers.

This Wednesday, the City of Boynton Beach, in partnership with the Palm Beach County Health Department, will host a free COVID-19 Mobile testing clinic. No appointment is required, and tests are given regardless of your symptoms. The Mobile Testing clinic will be held at the Ezell Hester Center, located at 1901 N. Seacrest Blvd., between the hours of 9:00am – 4:00pm.

Palm Beach County’s official Tourism agency, Discover the Palm Beaches, has announced the creation of the Palm Beaches Pledge. Businesses across Palm Beach County are asked to make a pledge to follow the guidelines from health and governmental officials, designed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. This pledge declares four key points:

Wear a facial covering when around other people in public spaces
Create a safe, 6 feet buffer between ourselves and others
Keep our place of business sanitized, according to CDC guidelines
Pursue Global Biorisk Advisory Council (GBAC) STAR Accreditation (if applicable)

For more information on the Palm Beaches Pledge, click here.

On Monday, the U.S. Small Business Administration announced the conclusion of the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Advance program. This program provided small businesses, non-profits and agricultural businesses a total of $20 billion in emergency funding. EIDL applications will still be processed even though the Advance is no longer available. As a reminder, the loan portion of the EIDL program continues to have funds available at very affordable terms, including a 3.75% interest rate for small businesses, 2.75% for non-profit organizations, a 30-year maturity, and an automatic deferment of one year before monthly payments begin. Every eligible small business and non-profit is encouraged to participate. Click here to apply .

We are continuing to provide you with educational webinars and virtual experiences to help you and your business. Please see below for a list of upcoming virtual experiences:

07/16 – 8:00am: Boynton Beach: Coffee Plus Network
Click here to register
07/16 – 12:00pm: Successful Women in Business
Speaker: Martine Pierre-Paul, Founder & CEO of Modern Etiquette & Leadership Academy, LLC
Click here to register
07/21 – 8:30am: Virtual Workshop: How to Develop Content that Grows Revenue
Speaker: Todd Paton, President, CEO & Founder, Paton Marketing
Click here to register
07/21 – 3:00pm: Economic Development Committee
Speaker: Robert Weinroth, Palm Beach County Vice Mayor
Click here to register
07/21 – 5:00pm: PULSE Happy Hour
Click here to register
07/23 – 8:30am: Boynton Beach: Government Affairs Council
Speaker: Beth Rappaport, President, Coalition of Boynton West Residential Associations (COBWRA)
Click here to register
07/24 – 8:30am: Boynton Beach: Women’s Business Council
Speaker: Dr. Brazelia Lazzari, Brazelia Med SpaClick here to register
07/28 – 12:00pm: Smart Talk for WomenSpeaker: Nancy Proffitt, Proffitt Management Solutions
Click here to register
07/28 – 5:00pm: Live After Five – Virtual After-Hours Network
Click here to register

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! You can also access all of our past virtual experiences by visiting our YouTube Channel.

Southeast Florida continues to be a hot spot for the spread of COVID-19. The Chamber continues to encourage everyone to avoid the Three C’s: Closed spaces, Crowded places, and Close-contact settings. In an attempt to flatten the curve, everyone can help by wearing facial coverings, social distancing and hand washing frequently. If we all do our part – together we can help

Move Business Forward,