MC Chamber - June 2020

CHAMBER newsletter June 2020

Inside: Preparing to Reopen Safely & Support Local

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JUNE 2020

PLATINUM MEMBERS

2020 Executive Board of Directors Danette Doyle President The Pioneer Group Randy Ostrander Past President Lake and Lodge Realty, LLC Mindy Taylor Treasurer Mecosta County

2020 Board of Directors Connie Koepke Mecosta County Area Convention & Visitors Bureau Josh Pyles Downtown Business Association

Jim Sandy Mecosta County Development Corporation Pat Currie Currie's BP Amoco Josh Eling Isabella Bank Shelly Keene Michigan Work! West Central

Member At Large City of Big Rapids

LEADING BUSINESSES, LEADING COMMUNITIES For information on becoming a member of the Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce, please contact us.

Dave Hamelund Hamtech, Inc.

Stay connected by reading the Chamber’s blog! My Chamber Connect is updated frequently with helpful articles, information about the county, video tutorials and commentary!

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce 127 South State Street, Big Rapids Big Rapids, MI 49307 (231) 796-7649 • Fax: (231) 796-1625 mecostacounty.com

SOCIAL NETWORKING facebook.com/mcacc

Secretary

Heather Bowman

SILVER MEMBERS

Michelle Rasmussen Ferris State University

Jeff Godfrey Spectrum Health

GOLD MEMBERS

twitter.com/mcacc2017

STAFF

Allison Jackson

Events Coordinator & Administrative Assistant events@mecostacounty.com

instagram.com/mecostacountychamber

JUNE 2020

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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Leadership Mecosta is a dynamic 9 month program for people who wish to connect with other leaders in the Mecosta County community. Members have the opportunity to learn leadership skills and principles, grow in serving the community, and lead into the future of Mecosta County. For more information on the 2020-2021 class, please visit www.leadershipmecosta.com

How to join the Chamber All types of businesses are welcome to join the Chamber and anyone that feels they would benefit from additional marketing, networking and educational opportunities are encouraged to take advantage of all of the benefits that the Chamber has to offer!

Joining the Chamber is easy, all you have to do is fill out the application form and submit with your annual dues. Payment options are available. You can receive the application form by going to our website at www.mecostacounty. com, by stopping in our office at 127 South State Street, Big Rapids or by

mecostacounty.com

calling us at 231-796-7649 and requesting a packet be mailed to you. Your benefits start immediately once the application is received. It’s just that easy!

Let us know if you have any questions and we look forward to serving you!

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

CHAMBER NEWS AND INFO Showcase your business!

Show the community what you do and host a Rise and Shine event at your location.

Rise & Shine Mecosta! Start your day with networking over morning refreshments. All Mecosta county area residents are welcome to attend this free networking event.

Are you interested in hosting a Rise & Shine? We still have dates available!

Give us a call at (231) 796-7649

No Business After Hours for the month of June.

Light refreshments are provided by our hosts, and there is typically a door prize! So bring your business cards and take advantage of this great networking opportunity!

RSVP is appreciated. Call the chamber at (231) 796-7649 or email events@mecostacounty.com to RSVP.

Business After Hours 2020 Schedule July 16, 2020: Fremont Area Community Foundation August 20, 2020: Isabella Bank - Canadian Lakes Location September 17, 2020: St. Mary-St. Paul Ministry/Resale Shop

October 15, 2020: Altercare of Big Rapids November 19, 2020: Available No Business After Hours in December

Rise & Shine 2020 Schedule Enjoy breakfast refreshments, provided by our host, to start your day off right. RNS events begin at 7:30 a.m. and wrap up by 8:30 a.m. RSVP is appreciated.

Call (231)796-7649 or email events@mecostacounty.com to RSVP. June 25, 2020 July 23, 2020 August 27, 2020 Life Resources of Northern Michigan

September 24, 2020 October 22, 2020 - Available!

No Rise and Shine in November or December. See you at the Annual Meeting in 2021!

Special Thank You to all of our Ambassador Club Volunteers!

JUNE 2020

JUNE 2020

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE YOUR REOPENING PLANS TO CUSTOMERS

If your business is ready to reopen after COVID-19, you'll need an effective communication plan to spread the word to customers.

By Nicole Fallon, Contributor at USChamber.com As businesses across the country prepare to reopen their doors, one of the most important questions they’re asking themselves is how to effectively communicate their plans to customers.

Business owners must not only update their audience on hours and product/ service availability, but also explain any new health and safety protocols that are in place to prevent the further spread of COVID-19.

Getting customer communications right is critical to your business's success in a post-pandemic world, as consumers are looking for businesses that make them feel safe and secure. According to Dr. Jason Brinton, founder of Brinton Vision, businesses must address any sources of fear and uncertainty if they hope to bring customers back in the door.

"Customers need to be confident that the businesses they patronize have created a protected environment to which they can safely return," said Dr. Brinton, who recently reopened his St. Louis, Mo.-based practice. "Businesses need to both say and demonstrate this … in a way that provides them with confidence in the business's safety programs."

If you're preparing a communication strategy for announcing your reopening, follow these tips to help you spread the word and inspire confidence among your customers.

[Read: Ready to Reopen: A Playbook for Your Small Business] Craft a unified message for multiple channels

In its guide to pandemic response planning, EY noted that effective, consistent communications during a crisis will help you maintain customer trust, restore employee morale and confidence, and retain market stability.

For both B2B and B2C businesses, consistent messaging across all channels is key, said EY. Communications experts agree that any message you send right now should be timely, relevant, empathetic and considerate of your customers' current needs and problems. Before you make any announcements, meet with your staff to ensure everyone understands the message you're sending to customers.

Once you have your core messaging in place, you can create copy and creative assets for the following platforms: Website. Update your home page so your reopening plans and protocols are front and center when your customers search for you. If your site uses live chat, you may want to set an automated message to pop up recapping the most pertinent information.

Social media channels. Create a series of posts for every platform your business uses and consistently push them out leading up to your reopening, as well as during your first few weeks back in business. Frequent updates about your staff and operations will show your staff you are open for business and actively addressing their needs.

Email newsletter. Craft an email to go out to your entire subscriber base and get the information they need directly to their inbox.

Text message/SMS. If your business

uses SMS marketing, stay in touch with your customers via text message to let them know about your reopening plans.

Customer service. Whether they support your customers by phone, email, live chat or in person, make sure everyone on staff knows how to address customer concerns. Your customer support communication strategy may also include self-service options like a Frequently Asked Questions page on your website.

Use regular transactional touchpoints as an opportunity to reiterate your message Every business has some kind of transactional communication with its customers and clients, whether it's a receipt, an appointment reminder or an invoice. You can use these touchpoints to remind customers of your new protocols. For example, when Brinton Vision schedules new patients by phone, the staff brings up the office's safety measures, which are then reviewed in an email confirming the patient’s appointment, said Dr. Brinton.

Practice what you preach If you're putting protocols in place for your customers' safety, be sure that everyone involved with your business is enforcing them consistently. Good business hygiene practices are always important, said Dr. Brinton, but they're especially so in the wake of a global health crisis "If a customer sees fingerprints on a glass wall or mirror or if a trash can is overflowing, they will make the assumption that the rest of your business’s hygiene program is commensurately

lacking in intentionality," he added.

To that end, you should take every opportunity to make your practices visible and obvious to customers, especially if you have close physical contact with them.

"Staff are taught that if they don't wash their hands in front of the patient, they haven't washed their hands," Dr. Brinton told CO—. "We verbalize what we are doing: 'Before taking this picture of your eyes, I’m going to clean my hands with hand sanitizer.'"

Be prepared to provide updates and answer any questions Your reopening plans may evolve from your original plan, and that's OK – with so much uncertainty, it's difficult to predict how things will change. However, it's important to be transparent and timely about communicating these updates to your customers without overpromising anything.

"The most important role any company can play is to be a reliable resource for customers at all times," said Tim O'Brien, principal at O'Brien Communications.

"It's important to cite those areas of uncertainty that may prohibit the company from providing any hard and fast promises or guarantees."

Most importantly, be prepared to answer common questions from your customers and enable your staff to be as helpful as possible. Salesforce advised providing clear scripts to your customer service agents and sales teams to arm them with a "reopen-the-workplace" knowledge base, so your customers can get the information they need to make decisions.

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

Tickets

$20 Ages 6-17 $10 5 and Under Free Project Starburst is supported by:

Please join us for our rescheduled Souper Supper benefit for Project Starburst.

Thursday, June 4, 2020 9 am-5pm Three Girls Bakery 106 N Michigan Ave, Big Rapids, MI 49307 Curbside pick up or carry out only.

Visit the Project Starburst Facebook page to purchase tickets online.

Tickets also available at Project Starburst and Three Girls Bakery.

Contact Project Starburst for more information (231)796-5342.

Project Starburst will host its rescheduled Second Annual Souper Supper fundraiser on Thursday, June 4th from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm at Three Girls Bakery, 106 N. Michigan Ave, Big Rapids. For curbside pickup or carryout, Three Girls Bakery will prepare a to go meal including a delicious bowl of soup of your choice, chicken with rice or cream of broccoli (gluten free and vegetarian), along with rolls and cookies. The best part is your ticket donation will support Project Starburst services! You will also receive a quilted bowl buddy to take home with you donated by Quilts of Valor.

Tickets are only $20; for youth ages 6-17 tickets are $10 and children age 5 and under eat free. Tickets are on sale at the Project Starburst Facebook page or by visiting Three Girls Bakery and Project Starburst. Any questions, please contact Project Starburst at 231-796-5342 or br@projectstarburst.org. Thank you in advance for your support!

A huge thank you to our Souper Supper sponsors of Isabella Bank, Lake Osceola

State Bank, Michael Oil & Propane, Re/Max Together, Baker’s Management, Mary Peacock of Peacock Real Estate, Steve Miller-Edward Jones, Big Rapids Tire, Bill Scheible-State Farm Insurance, Blue Cow, Bush Insurance Agency, Camp Brethren Heights, Chuck & Meredy’s Auto Service, Lerner, Csernai and Fath Financial Group, Mecosta County Habitat for Humanity Restore, Randy LaPreze-Big Rapids Realty and West Michigan Credit Union.

The primary mission of Project Starburst is to provide food and related items to Mecosta and Osceola residents who are temporarily in need of assistance. When resources are available Project Starburst may also provide other supplemental services. Project Starburst is committed to partnering with human service agencies to address the needs of area residents. For over 40 years, Project Starburst has increased its presence in the community by offering what is most needed to residents who are living in poverty. We currently serve an average of 300 families monthly.

JUNE 2020

JUNE 2020

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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BUSINESS GUIDE TO REOPENING: THRIVE IN THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY

By Bill Conerly, Senior Contributor at Forbes.com Businesses that reopen successfully as economic restrictions ease, or expand successfully, will lay the groundwork ahead of time, reopen carefully, and monitor changes as they evolve. Even if a company has been open, expansion opportunities may increase as the quarantines wind down.

This article lays out the general path for reopening the economy, the best strategies to get ready to reopen, challenges that businesses will face as they re-open, and how procedures will need to be adjusted as the economy progresses—or possibly regresses. (This article is based on a webinar; the recording can be watched on YouTube.)

Unfortunately, we will not hear a bell ring with an “all clear” signal. Instead, opening will be in phases, which will differ regionally.

Even within states, expect local variations based on county-by-county data. The White House has outlined a reopening strategy in phases. My liberal friends tend to disdain anything that comes from President Trump, but my very liberal governor’s plan closely aligns with the president’s plan. The key elements are to monitor caseload, have capacity to handle a resurgence of cases, as well as a capability to test and trace on a much larger scale. That last element may be impractical for a long time and the criterion may be softened.

For a business, laying the groundwork to reopen begins by monitoring how close to easing restrictions a region is. If a company operates in different states, counties, or metropolitan areas, it should set up a dashboard to monitor each area. Data are available online, updated daily, and the editors at Wikipedia have done a great job of setting up localized pages with up-to-date data.

Staying in touch with your customers even when a business is closed or not fully available to serve them is a critical strategy.

Customer challenges come in two forms: two many or too few. Most managers don’t think of too many customers as a challenge, but imagine what will happen when dentists and barbers reopen: pent up demand comes rushing in the door.

For those businesses with a backlog of demand, prioritize customers before opening the doors. Consider the hair stylist who has two customers, one who shows up every three weeks, and one who comes every six weeks. The three-week customer spends more money over the course of a year—and also feels the need for a trim more than the six-week customer. So when planning on reopening, contact the best customers first for appointments.

Other businesses must worry about getting enough customers. Keeping in touch is a critical strategy to ensure they do business with you before a competitor. A restaurant limited to takeout orders should ask every customer for an email address, so that they can communicate when they reopen. A business may have to dust off old email campaigns or past order records to put together a mailing list, but it will pay off soon. The press can also be used through press releases announcing plans to reopen.

Additional “reopening soon” signage may also help.

At the same time, successful businesses will stay in touch with employees. Laid off workers should be called weekly to stay in touch. Managers should communicate that they want the employees back when possible, and gauge how likely each one is to return to work when the time comes.

One problem is that lower-wage employees may be taking in more money from unemployment insurance than from working. Benefit formulas vary from state to state, but often provide around 50% of past weekly earnings, up to a maximum. For a $15 per hour full time employee, wages at work would be $600 per week. State unemployment benefits would be around

$300 depending on the state, but the federal add-on brings unemployment benefits up to $900 per week. So the business will be asking a laid-off worker to turn down $900 a week not working for $600 a week working.

The extra federal payments will last through July 31.

Some attrition from the workforce is likely after they have been away from the job.

Companies must evaluate if they will need new hires.

Businesses that depend on suppliers— like a restaurant relies on food wholesalers— should give them a call. Are they geared up to provide what the company will need?

Will suppliers run into shortages that the company will need to work around? More successful enterprises will think this through now.

The final step in laying the groundwork is planning for safety and sanitation. Until a vaccine is widely available, social distancing will continue. Managers must consider how far apart employees and customers can be from each other. Will they wear masks or other protective gear? Can barriers be installed? Can employees be put into separate teams that work together, so that if one person becomes sick, only one team quarantines? What needs to be cleaned, how often, and by whom?

The actual reopening will be easier than the planning stage—until something goes wrong. And something will go wrong. A loyal employee will turn out to be not so loyal; a trusted supplier won’t deliver on time; repeat customers may not be ready to repeat.

Experienced managers have dealt with all of these challenges before, but reopening after the shutdown will probably generate more of these challenges in a short spell of time than people are used to. Managers should not plan on much rest at first.

Over time, adjustments will be necessary.

On the downside, it’s possible that some regions will loosen up too much, leading to

a resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Consider that deaths from the Spanish Flu had three peaks: July 1918, November 1918 and again in March 1920. Areas facing a resurgence of COVID-19 may return to shelter-in-place orders or partially tighten up what is allowed.

On the positive side, if caseloads continue to decline, further easing will be occur.

Less physical distancing would allow more customers to be closer together, as well as employees working in tighter spaces.

Attitudes of customers and employees will also change as time goes by. Remember that much of our current distancing is voluntary behavior. Although some people are breaking the guidelines, many others choose to stay extra safe..

Employees will be more available after the July 31 termination of federal unemployment insurance add-ons, but some workers may find it easy to get by on their state unemployment insurance.

Increasing staff levels, especially for lowerpaid employees, may be difficult.

Supply chains are likely to improve as time goes on. Some of the work-arounds needed to reopen a business can be left behind.

But consider the possibility of a resurgence causing the company to need those workarounds again..

How much time will pass before a return to “normal” will vary from industry to industry.

Some companies may rebound quickly, but others will face continued attitudinal challenges. Cruises are likely to take a long time to return to activity levels of 2019. And the pandemic is accentuating some longterm changes that were already in the works.

Brick and mortar retail in some sectors may never return to what we used to consider normal.

Like most parts of business, reopening the economy will proceed best at those companies that gave thought to their processes, anticipated possible challenges, and adjusted their operations along the way.

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

Explore

JUNE 2020

MECOSTA COUNTY this June!

Swing Into Summer Fun

The winter months were great for those that enjoy snowmobiling, ice fishing, snowshoeing and cross country skiing. For those that prefer warmer outdoor activities such as hiking, biking, golfing or boating we have good news. Not only is the weather turning warmer - but will officially be here on Saturday, June 20!

As we continue to “Stay Home and Stay Safe” it won’t be long and we will be able to get out and enjoy all of the things we love to do during summer in Michigan. Take advantage of this free time to make your plans now so you can enjoy time with family and friends in the near future exploring the Big Rapids region.

Even though most are staying home and staying safe you can still get out and enjoy Mother Nature’s Playground here in Mecosta County. There are many outdoor recreational activities you can enjoy while practicing safe social distancing.

Our golf courses are open and excited to see you. All are abiding by new policies and procedures that have been mandated by the state so you may want to call ahead and ensure you are aware of all and to schedule your tee time. Just go to GolfBR.org for all your golfing information on Mecosta County courses. We are not able to book golf packages at this time but hope to in the near future.

Our trails are also open. What a great time to hike, bike or maybe rollerblade on the many trails we have here in Mecosta County. For a complete list of Mecosta County trails visit us online at BigRapids. org/Trails.

Head to www.mecostacounty.com to the events tab for dates & to join the Chamber Connect group!

Mecosta County is also home to not only the second longest river in Michigan, the Muskegon River, but we are also home to over 100 lakes. Get out and explore the waterways with a boat, canoe or kayak trip.

If you enjoy fishing visit our fishing page at BigRapids.org/Fishing for a list of all of our lakes, boat access and you will find a link where you can buy your fishing license right online with the DNR. Free Fishing and ORV weekend does return this June 13 and 14. The DNR will not be able to host events as they have in the past but you can still enjoy this license free weekend. Residents and out-of-state visitors may enjoy fishing on both inland and Great Lakes' waters for all species of fish. All fishing regulations will still apply.

Although, you do not have to have an ORV permit this weekend, all other ORV rules apply and you can only drive your ORV on pre-designated ORV trails. Father’s Day is also right around the corner on June 21.

What better way to thank dad than with a great meal from our many, locally-owned restaurants. For a list of area restaurants offering curbside and delivery services visit our homepage at BigRapids.org for business names and phone numbers.

Most of our local community shops are also providing online and curbside service.

Pick up a gift card from one of them today to not only treat dad, but support your local community as well.

It will be a great summer in beautiful Mecosta County!

Connie Koepke – Executive Director Mecosta County Convention & Visitors Bureau

JUNE 2020

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

NOMINATE YOUR HEROES

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Even as we face uncertainty and a new reality, many of our friends, family and neighbors are rising to the occasion, making our communities a better place to live even in crisis.

Inspiring stories of hope and helping in the face of the unknown are popping up on our screens, right from our neighborhoods.

We want to share those stories.

To submit your heroes, please visit www.bigrapidsnews.com and search "Nominate your Heroes Unmasked in Mecosta County"!

Your Lakefront expert!

8520 100th Ave. Canadian Lakes, MI 49346

KATHY ADAMS

www.canadianlakeshomes.com

kadamscblakes@gmail.com

231.972.8300

231• 250 • 3197

New Admissions Welcome!

(231) 592-1000 Big Rapids • Boyne City • Cedar Springs • Cheboygan • Gaylord • Gladwin • Grayling Houghton Lake • Newaygo • Portland • Rogers City • Roscommon & West Branch

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

“Helping Buyers & Sellers for over 50 years”

SILVERNAIL REALTY Call Today!

Sue Glatz

231-796-6329

Property Management • Land Contracts

BIG RAPIDS ROTARY CLUB ONLINE FUNDRAISER The Big Rapids Rotary Club is holding an online fundraiser in place of their annual Chicken BBQ Dinner for 2020.

www.silvernailrealty.com Sue Glatz, GRI, CRB, ABR, Broker/Owner

Salespersons: Terry Weaver, Katy VanCuren

JUNE 2020

Katy VanCuren

We sell all types of real estate and offer property management.

We work for buyers AND sellers!

17810 205th Ave., Suite #1, Big Rapids, MI 49307

Due to the current COVID19 pandemic we had to sadly cancel our Rotary Chicken BBQ Dinner this year. The Chicken BBQ profits allowed us to donate money to MANY causes in Mecosta County. Things like WISE, Angels of Action, Book Club, High School Student Scholarships, Local Community Group Projects and more.

We are currently selling shirts, hoodies, sweatshirts, and tank tops online at www.bonfire.com/breathe-hopefundraiser/. By purchasing an item, you will help 'Breathe Hope Into Mecosta County' and help support the local community.

JUNE 2020

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JUNE 2020

SAVE THE DATE WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 5TH

The 2020 Mecosta County Habitat for Humanity Annual Golf Outing Brought to you by

For registration and details visit mecostahabitat.com

JUNE 2020

2020 CENSUS

HEY, MECOSTA COUNTY! YOUR VOICE DOES COUNT!

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JUNE 2020

GUIDANCE FOR CLEANING & DISINFECTING

PUBLIC SPACES, WORKPLACES, BUSINESSES, SCHOOLS, AND HOMES

1 DEVELOP YOUR PLAN

DETERMINE WHAT NEEDS TO BE CLEANED. Areas unoccupied for 7 or more days need only routine cleaning. Maintain existing cleaning practices for outdoor areas.

DETERMINE HOW AREAS WILL BE DISINFECTED. Consider the type of surface and how often the surface is touched.

Prioritize disinfecting frequently touched surfaces.

CONSIDER THE RESOURCES AND EQUIPMENT NEEDED. Keep in mind the availability of cleaning products and personal protective equipment (PPE) appropriate for cleaners and disinfectants.

Follow guidance from state, tribal, local, and territorial authorities.

CS316485B April 23, 2020 1:56 PM

2 IMPLEMENT

CLEAN VISIBLY DIRTY SURFACES WITH SOAP AND WATER prior to disinfection.

USE THE APPROPRIATE CLEANING OR DISINFECTANT PRODUCT. Use an EPA-approved disinfectant against COVID-19, and read the label to make sure it meets your needs.

ALWAYS FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS ON THE LABEL. The label will include safety information and application instructions. Keep disinfectants out of the reach of children.

SCAN HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

3 MAINTAIN AND REVISE

CONTINUE ROUTINE CLEANING AND DISINFECTION. Continue or revise your plan based upon appropriate disinfectant and PPE availability. Dirty surfaces should be cleaned with soap and water prior to disinfection.

Routinely disinfect frequently touched surfaces at least daily.

MAINTAIN SAFE PRACTICES such as frequent handwashing, using cloth face coverings, and staying home if you are sick.

CONTINUE PRACTICES THAT REDUCE THE POTENTIAL FOR EXPOSURE. Maintain social distancing, staying six feet away from others. Reduce sharing of common spaces and frequently touched objects.

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JUNE 2020

MAKING YOUR PLAN TO CLEAN AND DISINFECT Cleaning with soap and water removes germs, dirt, and impurities from surfaces. It lowers the risk of spreading infection.

Disinfecting kills germs on surfaces. By killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.

Is the area indoors?

YES

NO

It is an indoor area.

Maintain existing cleaning practices.

Coronaviruses naturally die in hours to days in typical indoor and outdoor environments. Viruses are killed more quickly by warmer temperatures and sunlight.

Has the area been occupied within the last 7 days?

YES

NO

Yes, the area has been occupied within the last 7 days.

The area has been unoccupied within the last 7 days.

The area will need only routine cleaning.

Is it a frequently touched surface or object?

YES

NO

Yes, it is a frequently touched surface or object.

Thoroughly clean these materials.

Consider setting a schedule for routine cleaning and disinfection, as appropriate.

What type of material is the surface or object?

Hard and non-porous materials like glass, metal, or plastic.

Visibly dirty surfaces should be cleaned prior to disinfection.

Consult EPA’s list of disinfectants for use against COVID-19, specifically for use on hard, non-porous surfaces and for your specific application need. More frequent cleaning and disinfection is necessary to reduce exposure.

Soft and porous materials like carpet, rugs, or material in seating areas.

Thoroughly clean or launder materials.

Consider removing soft and porous materials in high traffic areas. Disinfect materials if appropriate products are available.

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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Members Bulletin Board

This section is dedicated to Chamber members who are utilizing their marketing opportunities as one of the many values of belonging to the Chamber:

Artworks.

Big Rapids Community Library bigrapids.lib.mi.us

Activities & Events have been suspended until further notice.

For more information and updates visit our website or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

RECYCLE! Of Mecosta County MONDAY 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

WEDNESDAY 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

FRIDAY 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

SATURDAY 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

424 N. 4th Street Big Rapids, MI 49307 (231) 796-9872

JUNE 2020

Please call ahead or check out an organization's website for up-to-date schedules & information!

Activities & Events have been suspended until further notice.

Please follow us on our website or Facebook for updated information.

For class descriptions, fees, and registration visit artworksinbigrapids.org/classes or scan QR code

JUNE 2020

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News • Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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5 TIPS FOR SAFELY REOPENING YOUR OFFICE

By Joseph Grenny, Harvard Business Review As businesses begin to reopen, great attention is being given to the measures required to keep employees and customers safe. And many of those measures are simple behaviors: washing hands, wearing masks, etc.

But those measures won’t succeed unless they become norms. And at the end of the day, the speed with which norms change is the speed with which it becomes normal to give correction.

If noncompliance is rarely addressed, healthy behavior becomes a joke.

Keeping employees and customers safe and healthy while doing business in an ongoing pandemic will not only hinge on behaviors like wearing masks, performing temperature checks, washing hands, and staying six feet apart. It will rely on getting all of us to do these things, every time, for however long it takes. And that doesn’t happen unless those who see someone drop the ball speak up and remind them.

Inherently, we’re very bad at speaking up. In a recent VitalSmarts study of 1062 respondents, 3 out of 4 admitted to being nervous about infection risk when interacting with others. And yet, 7 out of 10 people admit to saying less than they think they should to keep themselves and others safe.

My colleagues and I have spent 30 years studying what it takes to create rapid, profound, and sustainable behavior change. Our central finding is that a robust influence plan must engage all of the six sources of influence that shape human behavior.

These include: A compelling moral frame Deliberate practice Peer and leadership pressure Social support Scorekeeping Environmental cues, tools, and resources

When all six sources of influence are present in robust form, we’ve seen in our research that the likelihood you will see positive change goes up tenfold. Below are five best practices that collectively engage all of these sources of influence. Unless all five are practiced in combination, the odds of meaningful change drop substantially.

and introduce new ones. The easiest time to reset norms is when no one knows what is normal. As employees reenter the workplace, take advantage of their unformed expectations by holding a boot camp. This can be as short as 30 minutes or as long as a few hours, depending upon how many new norms you need people to practice. The meeting should include Five Practices for Creating Safe the following: Workplaces Leaders as facilitators. This can’t be Require please and thank you. turned over to HR, or fobbed off to a The only way to create and sustain consultant. Leaders must stand in front change is to have 200% accountability: of employees and demonstrate their Employees must understand that they sincerity and commitment to the new are not simply responsible to follow policies. safe practices themselves (the first Moral messaging. Make the moral 100%), they are also responsible to case for changing behavior by ensure everyone around them does telling stories of affected friends, as well (the second 100%). Instruct family, or clients to bring the risks of employees that when anyone sees noncompliance to life. anyone violate safe practices, they are to remind them of proper protocol Deliberate practice. Leaders must with a polite, “Please.” For example, not simply instruct people on new “Please wear a mask when you’re in the safety behaviors, people must go office.” through the actual motions so they But this isn’t enough. My firm has begin to develop muscle memory worked with dozens of hospitals to and the practices feel comfortable, improve patient safety by developing normal, and compulsory. For example, norms of reminding as well. It’s a at Spectrum Health, we developed a challenge to get front-line nurses to boot camp where everyone in a unit remind testy physicians to wash their would go through the motions of hands, unless you create an enabling walking into and out of a patient room.

In one condition, they would wash in norm. Leaders must be instructed that and wash out as required. In another, when they’re reminded of a safety they would fail to wash in, and another guideline, there is only one permissible caregiver would practice reminding response: an immediate “Thank you” them. After which the one reminded followed by compliance. Period. would practice saying, “Thank you” and Spectrum Health in West Michigan then complying. The entire experience worked for months to encourage took no more than 20 minutes. This caregivers to issue reminders. When seems simple but compliance with the they asked reminder recipients to say new norms was substantially higher thank you and comply, hand hygiene in units that did the boot camp over practice improved by more than 60% those that didn’t. within a matter of weeks. When doctors Practice with fire drills. Hold daily fire were trained to “show gratitude, not drills in the first week, where you ask attitude,” reminding became a low-risk people to stop what they are doing norm rather than a terrifying ordeal. and practice the new behaviors. In

all employees through the motions of each new safety behavior, including saying please and thank you. Fire drills require much less time, but are critical to sustaining change because they remind employees of how important the behaviors are.

Perform daily rounds. As the saying goes, “you don’t get what you expect, you get what you inspect.” Just like in a hospital, leaders must use a checklist to do “rounding” and measure compliance results. They can walk the work area and observe the degree to which proper behavior is being practiced. They should score it every day for the first 30 days and do their observations at unpredictable times of day. After that, rounding can happen every other day.

Keep score publicly. Leaders should then post the rounding scores publicly, every day. Above the score they can place a large circle with colors denoting the organization’s level of compliance: Green = 95%+. Yellow = 80-90%. Red = <80%. They must commit to post the results no matter what they are and make sure they are visible to clients and customers.

Embarrassment is a powerful motivator for improvement and the more public the embarrassment, the greater the motivation.

These practices may feel awkward for many employees and leaders, especially those who haven’t been part of concerted workplace safety efforts before. But these are unusual times and if we want to keep everyone safe and healthy, people have to do things outside of their comfort zones.

If leaders take these practices seriously, they will be able to inculcate new norms much more quickly. Doing so is not only important for employee safety but for the health of your Hold a Covid boot camp when you the weeks following, twice a week business. Adherence to these critical return to the office. The idea of a “boot is sufficient. Effective fire drills also behaviors will make it possible for camp” is to break down old patterns require leadership. Leaders must walk business to reopen — and to stay open.

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News â&#x20AC;˘ Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JUNE 2020

JUNE 2020

Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News â&#x20AC;¢ Visit us at mecostacounty.com

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LUNCH & LEARNS FOR 2020 OPPORTUNITY TO SCHEDULE July 8, 2020: TBD, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

August 12, 2020: TBD, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

September 9, 2020: TBD, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

October 14, 2020: TBD, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

November 11, 2020: TBD, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

December 9, 2020: TBD, 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Call the chamber at (231) 796-7649 or email events@mecostacounty.com to RSVP.

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Mecosta County Area Chamber of Commerce News â&#x20AC;¢ Visit us at mecostacounty.com

JUNE 2020

MECOSTA COUNTY CALENDAR OF EVENTS

JUNE 2020

*All events are subject to change or cancellation.

June 1

CLD-A Truck Driving

June 7

AMVETS Auxiliary Monthly Breakfast from 9-11:30 AM

June 10

Lunch & Learn: TBD

June 14

Flag Day

June 14

Mecosta VFW Pancake Breakfast

SPECIAL DAYS GFWC MONTHLY MEETINGS 2ND TUESDAY OF THE MONTH, SEPTEMBER THROUGH MAY AT THE BIG RAPIDS PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT. CALL 231-349-7743 FOR MORE INFORMATION.

from 8-11:30 AM June 18

Business After Hours with Schuberg Insurance Agency

June 20

First Day of Summer

June 21

Father's Day

June 25

Community Block Party 5-8 PM @ Centennial Park

ARTWORKS PLEASE SEE OUR WEBSITE FOR DETAILED CLASS & EVENT INFORMATION

BIG RAPIDS COMMUNITY LIBRARY STORY TIME - MONS & WEDS 10:30-11:30A COMMUNITY PLAYGROUP - TUES 9:30-11:30A KNIT NIGHT - 1ST & 3RD THURS 6:30-8:30P TINY TOTS TINKER LAB - FRIDAYS 10:30-11:30A

BIG RAPIDS ROTARY CLUB MEETS EVERY TUESDAY AT NOON AT FALCON HEAD BIG RAPIDS LIONS CLUB MEETS EVERY SECOND AND FOURTH MONDAYS OF THE MONTH, 6:30 P.M. AT #52 SPORTS BAR AND KITCHEN.

DISABLED AMERICAN VETERANS, CHAPTER 18

A SERVICE OFFICER IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST VETERANS IN RECEIVING BENEFITS. THURSDAYS 10 A.M. TO 2 P.M. AT THE DAV IN BIG RAPIDS. ALL VETERANS WELCOME