July - August 2020 | Insights to Opportunity
www.houstontx.gov/obo | Page 4
OBO PROGRAMS & OPPORTUNITIES HOUSTON SMALL BUSINESS LEGAL CONSULTATIONS PROGRAM (HSBLC)
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mall businesses and nonprofits impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic now have a source for free legal advice with the Houston Small Business Legal Consultation (HSBLC) program, a collaboration among the City of Houston’s Office of Business Opportunity (OBO), Vinson & Elkins (V&E), and almost twenty additional top-tier private law firms. HSBLC, which launched on May 5, aims to assist businesses with pandemic-related legal issues such as employment, contracts, real estate (commercial leases and mortgages), tax, intellectual property, finance, and other business issues. Eligible individuals must be an operator of a sole proprietorship or be an owner or representative of a small business or nonprofit organization. Additionally,
the applicant must provide information about how the business has been affected by the pandemic. After a screening process, the business will be matched with a volunteer attorney from one of the following participating law firms: Akin Gump, Arnold & Porter, Blank Rome, DLA Piper, Fish & Richardson, Greenberg Traurig, Hunton Andrews Kurth, Kilpatrick Townsend, Kirkland & Ellis, Latham & Watkins, Mayer Brown, Morgan Lewis, Norton Rose Fulbright, Orrick, Perkins Coie, Sidley Austin, Simpson Thacher, Weil, Gotshal & Manges, and Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP. All consultations are covered by attorney-client privilege. To date, the HSBLC program has helped approximately 38 businesses, helping them address various pandemic-related uncertainties and providing them with direction during these unprecedented times. “V&E and all the organizations involved with the launch of HSBLC are dedicated to helping members of our community however we can as they navigate uncharted territory,” said Ellyn Haikin Josef, Pro Bono Counsel at V&E. “Small businesses are so vital and paramount to the City of Houston.” To learn more or to apply for HSBLC, go to https://bit.ly/OBO-HSBLC.
DID YOU KNOW? 70% of employees say that mo➡ ➡ The three most common languagtivation and morale would improve es in the world are Mandarin Chinese, massively if managers said “thank you” more.
Spanish and English.
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Houston is the fourth most populous city in the United States, trailing only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.
Adults who regularly get 7.5 to 9 hours of sleep per night are up to 20% more productive.
Tuesday is the most productive ➡ day of the week. Unless food is mixed with saliva, ➡ you can’t taste it.
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There are no lyrics or words in the Spanish national anthem.
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Houston is home to the third largest concentration of Fortune 1000 companies in the country (47), according to the Greater Houston Partnership.
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Houston’s cultural events and exhibitions report 9.2 million visits per year.
HOUSTON SMALL BUSINESS ECONOMIC RELIEF PROGRAM
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ayor Sylvester Turner and members of Houston City Council passed the City’s Small Business Economic Relief Program (SBERP), which will be funded with $15 million of the City’s allocated CARES Act 2020 funds. The program is for small businesses that are most in financial need and exhibit a moderate to high likelihood of surviving the pandemic’s adverse impacts. The City also encourages local chambers of commerce to apply. The maximum amount a business or chamber can receive is $50,000. Applications will open mid-August. A business may use the funds for payroll, accounts payable, rent, mortgage, PPE for employees, marketing strategies, including creating an online presence and other sales alternatives. Working with the City’s Office of Business Opportunity, the Houston Business Development, Inc. (HBDi), will administer the program and develop a marketing strategy, accept and process applications electronically, develop a scoring matrix,w and provide regular progress reporting and metrics to OBO. To qualify for the SBERP, business owners must have a business whose principal place of business is located within city limits of the City of Houston; must have been in business for at least one (1) year for the last year; provide evidence of how business revenue has significantly decreased because of government restrictions or other challenges due to COVID-19; must have generated $2 million or less in gross annual revenue preCOVID-19; be in good standing regarding City requirements (e.g. property taxes, personal property, grounds for debarment, etc); and commit to completing the Recovery and Resiliency Technical Assistance component of the program. These eligibility standards may be modified for applicants who are chambers of commerce. To learn more about Houston’s Small Business Economic Relief Program, go to www.cityofhouston-sberp.com or contact 713-845-2462.
