May 2020 VOICE Magazine

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Working Together A Connected Community is a Resilient Community

GROWING A PROSPEROUS ECONOMY & VIBRANT COMMUNITY

Helping our neighbors isn’t just something we do.

It’s who we are.

Heritage Bank believes in the possibilities for each and every person—and the power of community to improve the lives of those around us.

Heritage Bank serves customers like you.

Your neighbors. The couple who owns the storefront across town. The customers we serve bring their unique heritage—and unique needs—to our bank.

Stop in today or visit us online to see how we can assist you.

More than a community bank.

A community oƒ banks.

Serving the Pacific Northwest since 1927

HeritageBankNW.com | 800.455.6126 | Member FDIC

May 2020 THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER VOICE MAGAZINE Due to the fluid nature of the COVID-19 crisis, please visit ThurstonChamber.com and click on the Events Calendar for the latest information regarding Chamber events.

In This Issue...

BOSS Auto Repair p. 7

e ess Leaders Shar Thurston Busin ed To Know What You Ne

Local Auto Pros Now Offering Vehicle Pick-up & Drop-off, with Cleaning and Disinfecting Presented by

The COVID-19 Pivot p. 11

Thurston Business Leaders Share Information, Resources and Steps to Recovery after COVID-19 with Virtual Talk Show The Thurston Chamber and Thurston EDC have partnered to offer a virtual talk show for small business owners and open to the general public. Thurston EDC Executive Director, Michael Cade and Thurston Chamber CEO/President, David Schaffert host various guests to provide the latest information on business resources, state, federal and local actions, and the COVID-19 status and advocacy efforts for our community. This virtual talk show takes place every Thursday at 2:15pm. For a registration link and topics, visit ThurstonChamber.com

Visit ThurstonChamber.com or our YouTube channel to view past episodes

Business Essentials is a Webinar series focused on providing listeners with information to help their business survive and thrive during the time of COVID-19. This webinar takes place every Wednesday and Friday. Visit ThurstonChamber.com for time and registration links.

One Minute What's Up? VIRTUAL NETWORKING EVENT

Coronavirus is forcing our community to innovate.

History can help to inform us which effects may persist

LoneStar Salon p. 12 Owner, Lisa Musgrove leads the local beauty industry through the COVID-19 crisis

Changing Landscape p. 14 Looking to sell your business amid COVID-19? Hear the latest advice from Wes Martin.

Workforce Solutions p. 17 The Chamber's Workforce Solutions team is here to help your business with recruitment, retention and/or contraction.

Business & Community Resources p. 18 The latest resources available to businesses and workers amid the coronavirus crisis.

Business TuneUp p. 21 The Center for Business & Innovation's ScaleUp program helps business owners run their businesses more effectively.

Each participant will have 60 seconds to introduce themselves, their business and how they are pivoting and navigating during the COVID-19 crisis.

Thurston Chamber Annual Meeting The Thurston Chamber's Annual Meeting traditionally takes place in May, but due to these uncertain times, we're planning a virtual Annual Meeting in June. We'll share more information soon.

Annual Meeting Presenting Sponsors thurstonchamber.com

Thurston County Chamber VOICE

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magazine PUBLISHER Thurston County Chamber of Commerce

EDITORIAL David Schaffert 360-357-3362 dschaffert@thurstonchamber.com

CONTRIBUTORS David Schaffert Doug Mah Natasha Ashenhurst Alison Bailey Doria Maselli

We Are Thurston Strong

by David Schaffert, President/CEO, Thurston Chamber

In March 2020, the Thurston Regional Economic Task Force — represented by a growing number of partners, including the City of Lacey, City of Olympia, City of Tumwater, City of Yelm, Thurston County, Experience Olympia & Beyond, Olympia Downtown Alliance, Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council, Port of Olympia, Thurston County Chamber, Thurston Economic Development Council and local Tribal Nations — convened to create the COVID-19 Economic Recovery Initiative to provide information to workers and employers in Thurston County and ensure that as a region, we receive resources to aid and offer relief during the coronavirus pandemic including support for small businesses.

To date, the Task Force has collaborated to create: •

The Thurston Strong website and newsletter with resources, updated daily, funded by the City of Olympia and created with assistance from the Thurston County Chamber

•

The Business Hotline, hosted by the Thurston EDC and staffed by Thurston EDC and City of Olympia employees and funded by the City of Olympia

ADVERTISING Sales & Marketing: Krystal Barkus Elizabeth Bretschneider Blake Knoblauch

SUBSCRIPTIONS 360-357-3362 info@thurstonchamber.com

DESIGN Ben Hawkes Mosaic Marketing Studio

•

COVER ART The Thurston County Chamber staff and Executive Committee meeting via Zoom.

Photo courtesy of Pexels.com

PRINTING Print NW

CONTACT THE CHAMBER 809 Legion Way SE Olympia, WA 98507 360-357-3362 info@thurstonchamber.com thurstonchamber.com

COPYRIGHT All material appearing in the VOICE Magazine is copyright unless otherwise stated or it may rest with the provider of the supplied material.

The VOICE Magazine takes all care to ensure information is correct at time of printing, but the publisher accepts no responsibility or liability for the accuracy of any information contained in the text or advertisements. ©2020 VOICE Magazine, Thurston County Chamber.

DECLASSIFIED: A Virtual Talk Show, hosted by the Thurston Chamber and the Thurston EDC

•

Thurston County COVID-19 Response Fund created by the Community Foundation of South Puget Sound and United Way of Thurston County funded by private donations, business donations, and a grant by the City of Olympia

•

Why I Go Downtown, an online directory and guide to how to buy from Downtown Olympia restaurants and stores, funded by the City of Olympia and managed by the Olympia Downtown Alliance

•

City of Lacey Small Business Grants funded by the City of Lacey

"The Task Force is making sure our region has the resources we need right now to respond and provide triage support for as many workers and businesses as we can during a crises like none other we've experienced. But, we're also looking forward and working on long-term economic resilience measures to position our local economy to be ready to move ahead quickly and safely when the State opens."

- Michael Cade, Executive Director, Thurston Economic Development Council (and a task force member)

The Task Force is also pursuing several additional initiatives. Continue this story on page 23.

THANK YOU TO OUR COMMUNITY INVESTORS

DIAMOND INVESTORS

SCJ Alliance

GHB Insurance, Inc.

Capital Medical Center

Grays Harbor Fair & Tourism

PLATINUM INVESTORS

The Evergreen State College

South Puget Sound Community College

Greene Realty Group

The Rants Group

Heritage Bank - Olympia

GOLD INVESTORS

Hometown Property Management, Inc.

L & E Bottling Company, Inc.

American Workforce Group

Hooper Financial Services

Morningside

Caliber Home Loans

Mills & Mills Funeral Home

Olympia Federal Savings Olympia

Charter College

Nisqually Red Wind Casino

Nissan Commercial Vehicle

Commerce Home Mortgage LoanStar Division

Olympia Furniture Company Pardiman Productions

TwinStar Credit Union Corporate Office

Phillips Burgess, PLLC

Community Youth Services

Radia Inc., PS

Providence St. Peter Hospital

The Creative Office

Timberland Bank

Washington Business Bank

Puget Sound Energy

Venables Pest Management

Wells Fargo Community Bank

Saint Martin's University

The Firs Senior Living Community

America's Credit Union - Lacey FORMA Construction Company Little Creek Casino & Resort Lucky Eagle Casino and Hotel Olympia Orthopaedic Associates, PLLC Port of Olympia

THURSTON COUNTY CHAMBER

Great Wolf Lodge

BUILDING COMMUNITY PROSPERITY SINCE 1874

Banking feeling a little ... detached?

Business banking doesn’t have to be all business.

Let’s get to know each other.

Loosen up. Unwind. We’re Washington Business Bank— your local friendly bank. We’re in your community, partnering with small businesses and vital nonprofits. Banking with us isn’t transactional—it’s transformative.

Business banking with a personal touch.

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“I love providing creative ideas to help a family shop like Kluh Jewelers sparkle and shine.”

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Generations of business banking relationships.

Carrie knows family businesses – like the three-generation Kluh Jewelers in Lacey.

When grandson Matt Kluh wanted to buy and renovate a new location, Carrie assembled a loan package that enabled their lobby to display a replica of founder Ted Kluh’s VW featuring a giant diamond on the side. Contact Carrie to help your business thrive.

BANKING THAT’S MUTUAL olyfed.com I 360-754-3400 I cwhisler@olyfed.com I member fdic

BOSS Auto Repair

Photos courtesy of Boss Auto Repair.

Local Auto Pros Adapt to Serve Their Customers with Convenient Vehicle Pick-up & Drop-off, Cleaning and Disinfecting

by Doria Maselli

A routine oil change. A maintenance check-up or tire rotation. The thing you know needs to be done, but may have gotten lost in the shuffle. These are all services the loyal customers of Boss Auto Repair are scheduling now to make sure the business can stay afloat. “I have customers calling saying: “Well, my car doesn’t need anything specifically right now, but let me get my oil changed,” says Maria Solis, co-owner of Boss Auto Repair. She and business partner Gary Morrison opened the shop in July of 2019 and currently have only five-star reviews on their Facebook page.

Customers continually praise their professionalism, superior customer service and quality work.

The team at Boss Auto have over 45 years of auto repair experience between them and pride themselves on knowledge, efficiency and stress-free car repairs. “We have three employees currently working and for everyone’s safety, we’re now able to offer vehicle pick-up at customers’ homes. Boss Auto is also thurstonchamber.com

accepting payments over the phone and thoroughly cleaning and disinfecting each vehicle prior to its return. The vehicle is picked up, brought to the shop for repair, cleaned and delivered back to the customer's home with the keys and receipt in the car.

The pick-up and drop-off service is free of charge. (continued on p. 9) Thurston County Chamber VOICE

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1802 Black Lake Blvd SW #301 Olympia, WA 98512 Find us in the Blue Building!

Nicholson & Associates Insurance, LLC has built a team of caring and conscientious people; the kind of people you can depend on. We sell all lines of insurance and our team is committed to a high standard of excellence in all that we do!

Phone: 360-352-8444 Fax: 360-943-9712 www.nicholson-insurance.com

www.facebook.com/ NichinsureOlympia

Kori Sirrine

Personal Lines Agent kori@nichinsure.com 360-352-8444 ext 104 LOCAL, KNOWLEDGEABLE AND EQUIPPED WITH THE TOOLS TO MAKE YOUR INSURANCE LIFE SIMPLE.

AUTO | HOME | BUSINESS | LIFE

(continued from p. 7)

“We lost some business with our corporate accounts and we’re still a relatively new business so we’ve been doing what we can to keep our heads above water,” says Solis. “We also realize that these times are challenging for many, so where we can, we’re offering specials and discounts.” Boss Auto has dropped its hourly rate to $80 and posts special offers on their social media accounts including Facebook and Instagram, where they recently posted nearly a 20% off service special which can still be honored if mentioned.

“Seven Linford is our office manager and he has been such an instrumental part of keeping this business going,” says Solis. “He provides a superior level of customer service and thinks outside the box about ways to keep in touch with and engage our current customers as well as attract new ones.”

Boss Auto Repair is located at 3200 Pacific Ave SE in Olympia.

You can contact them at 360.915.9847 or book a service online at bossautorepairnw.com. Follow them on their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/BossAutoOly/ or on Instagram @boss_auto_repair to keep up with the latest news.

“We’ve been so lucky to have the support of the community and our loyal repeat customers; we hope people will continue to spread the word about Boss Auto and let their friends and family members know that we’re here and still able to service your vehicle if you need us.”

Accounts, Services and Loans for your business Dividend-earning business checking and savings accounts, digital check depositing, business lending and much more.

Call Alexis Alverson TwinStarCU.com/business Federally insured by the NCUA.

thurstonchamber.com

Business Services Manager

360.923.4450

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WE’RE ALL IN THIS SINCE 1973

TOGETHER

WE’RE DELIVERING! Following Governor Inslee’s statewide order for all residents to ‘Stay Home – Stay Healthy’, The Creative Office has been identified as an essential business and will remain open to support your business.

We’ve been around since 1973 and will continue to be Thurston County’s leader in Commercial Real Estate and Property Management.

With more employees working remotely, we can deliver to your employees’ homes or other alternate locations to keep your business up and running.

360.754.1732 O LY M P I A

FULL SERVICE PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LEASE AND SALES SERVICES

(360) 943-8060

rants-group.com

509.747.2636 SPOKANE

thecreativeoffice.com Furniture | Office Supplies | Promotional Items | Break Room Items | Janitorial Products

360.456.4999

venablespestmanagement.com info@venablespest.com

TRUSTED BY THOUSANDS Venables Pest Management is a locally owned and operated company using pet-friendly, professional pest management solutions for ants, termites, mice, beetles, spiders, bed bugs, yellow jackets and rats. We also offer commercial and residential maintenance services and real estate inspections. Give us a call today.

ADVOCACY

The COVID-19

PIVOT

by Doug Mah, Doug Mah & Associates and Thurston Chamber Public Policy Director

O

n April 13, 1949, the Thurston County region experienced a 6.7 magnitude earthquake.

The earthquake was felt over a 150,000 square mile area and damages stretched throughout the Puget Sound area. Many of the brick buildings and facades common to that era suffered damage and covered streets and sidewalks with bricks, rubble, and debris.

In order to facilitate the rebuilding of Downtown Olympia, one lane of Fourth Avenue was closed by the city and made into a one-way street. At the same time, State Avenue was also made a one-way street in the other direction. These changes were made permanent a few months later and still exist more than 70 years after the earthquake.

Today, we are witnessing numerous changes to how government sustains services in response to the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis. A few of the beneficial changes we can envision becoming permanent include: •

•

•

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Increased transparency: More jurisdictions are holding video meetings for council subcommittees and citizen advisory committees. This increase in access to meetings makes government more accessible, more accountable, and more transparent for more people. More video meetings should be encouraged and retained.

Increased outreach: COVID-19 responses created a need for more frequent communication and outreach methods to provide needed information. Virtual townhalls and weekly updates by municipalities and non-profits are rapidly becoming part of our weekly schedule and should continue to be part of our way of doing business.

Increased online services: Since public buildings are closed and staff are working from home, we are doing more interactions online with city and county government. Online filings, registrations, and payments allow us to take care of business when we can, not when buildings are open, giving people greater flexibility.

Increased use of technology: Since social distancing and “stay home, stay healthy” mandates prevent inspectors from going into the field, some jurisdictions are conducting

thurstonchamber.com

virtual or electronic inspections. The increased use of mobile technology is more efficient and this type of innovation should be encouraged and sustained.

•

Increased services for small businesses: Governments were quick to provide additional investments, services, and support to small local businesses during the pandemic. These resources and support should continue after COVID-19 crisis to sustain and grow our small business community.

•

Increased relief programs: Municipalities were quick to offer utility payment deferments to those businesses that need them during times of economic hardship. These deferments, with appropriate documentation, should be kept and made available regardless of crises.

Like one-way streets, these are not new or untested ideas.

But the COVID-19 crisis has pushed local governments and residents to adapt and become more flexible. More important, it appears that local governments are getting better at meeting the customer’s need for information, access, and services. Local investments and support for businesses during the COVID-19 crisis is welcomed and noticed.

Governments at all levels will make policy and program changes in response to disasters. Our community benefits when members of the Thurston Chamber of Commerce express their thoughts and opinions about the future.

Looking past our current response to COVID-19, we need to ask: what changes should we retain coming out of the COVID-19 public health and economic crisis? Let us know what you think. Email us at info@thurstonchamber.com.

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Lisa Musgrove leads LoneStar with an education-driven business model that sets new stylists up for success with both business and beauty services.

LoneStar Salon

Leads Local Beauty Industry Through COVID-19 Crisis

by Alison Bailey, Photos courtesy of LoneStar Salon

Tumwater-based beauty bar LoneStar Salon is one of many local establishments closed as a result of the governor’s mandated Stay Home order. Luckily for the team at LoneStar, and for many other local beauty experts and salons, LoneStar’s owner, Lisa Musgrove, is not afraid to take charge and start organizing.

L

isa contacted the Thurston County Chamber of Commerce in the earliest days of the crisis to get all the information she could about resources for her business and her employees. She realized that many local salons, spas and stylists might benefit from the information she was getting from the Chamber, so she established the Pacific Mountain Salons & Spas Resource page on Facebook.

Working with Megan Fiess, the Chamber’s Workforce Division Project Manager, Lisa funnels as much information pertinent to the beauty industry as she can onto the Facebook page. It has over 100 members from Thurston, Mason, Lewis, Pacific and Grays Harbor counties as of late April. “I would not have been as successful as I was in those first few weeks without Megan’s support,” Lisa explains.

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The LoneStar team got to celebrate their Best of South Sound 2020 award together before social distancing took effect.

In the early days, much of the content shared in the Facebook group was about small business grants for salon owners and unemployment guidance for individual stylists. As the situation has evolved, so has the discussion.

“The buzz on the page these days is all about how to prepare for a comeback,” says Lisa. Salon owners are collaborating to determine efforts they can make right now that won’t waste time, such as cleaning out beauty product inventory.

Like so many industries, this community of beauty experts is working to imagine what their daily conduct will look like in the post-outbreak world.

Although she takes pride in helping fellow members of the beauty industry, Lisa’s priority is LoneStar and the 22-person team that contributes to its success every day. Like so many of us, she now spends many of her working hours on Zoom.

Like with the Facebook group, her goal is to keep people she cares about connected and engaged.

Her team meets as a group at least once a week to stay in touch, keep up morale and brainstorm for the future of the salon. Lisa also has one on one video chats with every member of her team at least once a week. “I feel like I’ve gotten to know my team even better in the last month,” she says.

Lisa hopes to recapture some of the momentum LoneStar was enjoying before the COVID-19 crisis hit. Her business model is education-driven, and her associate training program was ready to grow with the help of a newly appointed lead stylist.

Since physically close job shadowing won’t be an option for a while, Lisa and her team are ready to get creative when it comes to the hands-on experience they offer new stylists.

Leaders like Lisa and the businesses they shepherd through the era of COVID-19 will be the reason our local economy can thrive again as soon as possible.

The team’s weekly Zoom meetings are vital to staying connected and keeping momentum going.

thurstonchamber.com

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The Changing Landscape to Selling Your Business in a COVID-19 Climate

by Charles Morningstar, Sound Business Brokers Wes Martin, Sound Business Brokers SPECIAL GUEST COLUMNISTS

S

mall businesses across all business verticals, have gone from enjoying tremendous success, to being shuttered literally overnight. Perhaps prior to the COVID-19 crisis you had thought about selling your business and now are asking if that is still viable. The answer is yes, but there are more factors to consider before you move ahead.

Bottom line, the process is the same, but the parameters have been modified. Here I have addressed six higher profile parameters to a transaction process which have changed since the onset of the COVID-19 crisis. Be aware, these are not the only parameters which have changed, but taking these into consideration should help a business owner considering selling to better understand how the topography of a business transaction has mutated.

Buyer’s Market

There can be little doubt that in the coming months following the ‘re-opening’ of our economy that we will be in a period of a perceived buyers-market. It will be important to invest in whatever marketing apparatuses in order to return the financial health of the business back to ‘normal’ or at least upward trending as much as possible. If this happens, it will be easier to put less weight onto the COVID-19 era financials. On the other hand, some businesses may be excelling during this time and when the crisis subsides, their financials may decline to pre-COVID-19 levels.

Good news can be found in the fact that there are buyers still interested in acquiring business opportunities. Yes, some might be looking for distressed enterprises that they can 14

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Wes Martin.

Photo courtesy of Sound Business Brokers.

pick up at rock bottom multiples, but we have the belief that many will be similar to the same sort of buyers that we’ve always dealt with.

Post-COVID-19 Valuations

While we might be taking a break from the pre-COVID-19 sky rocketing multipliers of the booming economy and scarce inventory conditions leading up to the crisis, there is no reason to think that companies that weather this downturn will experience bottomed out valuations.

Multipliers will be more dynamic and intelligent. If your business thrived and continues to do well in the months after normalcy is established, you might see an increase in multiples, while if your business hit a brick wall financially during the crisis but jump started afterwards and is cruising back to profitability-then your multiples should sustain a reasonable value for your efforts. Will valuations most likely be lower than in the beginning of 2020? The answer is yes but with intelligent presentation and narrative, you should be able to present the best scenario for value in the market.

Reliance on SBA Lending

It’s still too early to predict but if the last recession was any indication, access to SBA lending will tighten and most likely thurstonchamber.com

become more difficult, especially for transactions that don’t quite fit into a tidy box for a lender. From a seller’s standpoint, showing resilience through the crisis and progress afterwards will be one of the main factors an SBA lender will be looking at. The other will be direct industry experience of the buyer. This will be far tighter than it’s been in recent years as lenders would call for ‘translatable’ experience which was a broad enough definition that could cover a large variety of vague experience levels. We’re fairly certain that the definitions are going to be extremely strict for the near future.

What this means is that while SBA 7a and 504 deals will still exist, most sellers should be open to pathways outside of the SBA world.

Deal Structure

One of the best tools a seller can have in the post-COVID-19 world to

maintain value and assist in a successful transaction is to be open to creative deal structure. This most likely means a heavier reliance on temporary seller financing, benchmark terms, or some other creative means of accomplishing the transaction.

Due diligence is always an important piece of any transaction and that fact won’t be changing anytime soon. It’s noteworthy that buyers will most likely be diving deeper into the companies they are interested in. Sellers should just be prepared for this. Maintain clean books, respond quickly and with transparency, make your professionals and yourself available to the buyer and the heightened level of due diligence shouldn’t be anything to worry about.

If a buyer is interested in acquiring a business in your vertical, be the one the buyer wants to look at! Have a

plan in place upon which your business operates and bases its strategic decisions upon. If your plan is well crafted and executed, your company will be perceived as being the less risky proposition.

Be the option the bank perceives as being the least risky alternative.

It’s easy to get lost in the gloom of the COVID-19-response and what it is doing to our economy but we believe that once we’re through this, the market will return and the pathways to sell and acquire business opportunities will again open. It’s up to us to recognize what’s different and adapt to new surroundings and opportunities.

Questions?

Feel free to email the authors at Charles@soundbusinessbrokers.com or Wes@soundbusinessbrokers.com.

Serving All of Thurston County ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THURSTON COUNTY

1. Provided $70,000 for the renovation of the Historic Oddfellows

101

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Building.

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101

Olympia

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2. Provided $75,000 to complete the Master plan for the SW

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Washington Innovation & Business Park.

Lacey

3. Provided $10,000 for the installation of wider sidewalks,

bulb-outs and landscaping along Binghampton Street to build downtown character and enhance the setting for local and visiting shoppers.

510

Tumwater

4. Provided $20,000 to assist with the design and construction of

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the community center.

5. Provided $15,000 to support investment in the Lacey Yelm

121

3 2 5

Tenino

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Rainier

MakerSpace project.

6. In partnership with the City of Tumwater and U.S. Fish and

Wildlife, developed a Habitat Conversation Plan to provide long-term preservation and management of protected and endangered species.

7. In partnership with the Frank Family, Squaxin Island Tribe and

Salmon Defense, developed and maintains the Billy Frank Jr. Park and Trail to provide a historical and educational self-guided walking tour.

PORTOLYMPIA.COM 360.528.8000

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Bucoda

Inquiries@PortOlympia.com

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Community Youth Services is embarking on 50 years of excellent service to youth-at-risk and youth experiencing homelessness in the South Sound region. With over 20 interrelated programs and service to 6,500 youth and families each year, we are in need of some building restoration and improvements to ensure continued excellence for the next 50 years! We hope you will join us in this endeavor to change young people’s lives.

To learn more, please visit:

TIME AND MONEY. WE GIVE YOU BOTH.

Three Girls Media

We listen to you and your business needs—then tailor a loan that fits. Our loans are custom-made,

not mass-produced. Every business is different, so rest assured your Columbia Bank loan will be designed specifically to your needs, your business, and for you.

1-877-272-3678 ColumbiaBank.com

Member FDIC Equal Housing Lender

We offer world class marketing and custom quality content for small & mid-sized businesses. Services include social media management & ads, blogging, email marketing and much more. Contact us today for a complimentary consultation!

360-955-1410 • ThreeGirlsMedia.com

Workforce Solutions

to Help with Your Business Needs The Thurston Chamber’s Workforce Solutions team serves any business within the five-county region (Thurston, Mason, Pacific, Lewis and Grays Harbor counties ) that needs help hiring quality employees, improving their hiring practices, retaining quality employees and developing training programs. In

some cases, we’ll assist businesses who need assistance laying off employees.

We always begin with what we call a ‘Business Needs Assessment’. When we meet, we’ll assess what the business needs are and we’ll develop customized solutions to meet those needs.

Typically, businesses need help with recruitment, retention or contraction:

RECRUITMENT •

We create customized recruitment events and related services for employers including targeted job fairs.

These can be in-person or virtual.

• •

We help employers access local, State, and Federal tax credits.

We’ll compile labor market information for specific employers, sectors, industries or clusters.

RETENTION •

•

We offer Human Resources consultation services, e.g., writing and reviewing job descriptions and employee handbooks; Developing performance evaluation and personnel policies; Creating orientation sessions for new workers; Honing job interview techniques for efficiency and compliance; Analyzing employee turnover; or Explaining labor laws to help employers comply with wage/hour and safety/health regulations We convene industry or sector partnerships that bring together multiple employers within an industry to collaborate with colleges, schools, labor, workforce agencies, community organizations,

•

•

and other community stakeholders to align training with the skills needed for that industry to grow and compete.

We develop and deliver innovative workforce investment services and strategies for area employers, e.g., career pathways, skills upgrading, skill standard development and certification for recognized postsecondary credential or other employer use, apprenticeship, and other effective initiatives for meeting the workforce investment needs of area employers and workers We develop customized training programs for industry sectors

CONTRACTION •

We offer workforce reduction or aversion support including assistance in managing reductions in force in coordination with rapid response technical support activities and with strategies for the aversion of layoffs, and the delivery of employment and

•

training activities to address risk factors We also help assess economic injury and provide referrals to access available local, state and federal resources as needed.

PROGRAMS Business2Youth Connect features business connected learning programs like Math4Life and Find Your Future.

These programs are a great way to expose high school students to a variety of careers and real-world skills.

Each program features different levels of intensity and preparation, and continues through early adulthood.

Through PacMtn's Future of Work Employee Development Program, employers can apply for up to $15,000 per year to upskill their workforce.

This program enables companies to maintain competitive business edge in a rapidly evolving environment.

thurstonchamber.com

As a military Career Skills Program (CSP), WorkEx is a customized internship program that serves the transitioning military community.

WorkEx provides vetting of employers to ensure quality work experience and maximize potential employment; 2) Flexible internship times (1-6 months in length); 3) employment and career coaching and workshops; and 4) support services including work clothes and transportation cost reimbursement.

Talent Magnet is the podcast where we help businesses become magnets attracting talent – by focusing on recruitment, training, and retention best practices.

WorkSource is a partnership of state, local and nonprofit agencies providing an array of employment and training services to job seekers and employers in the state.

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Business AND Community Resources FOR WORKERS & EMPLOYERS THURSTONSTRONG.ORG

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Federal Resources State Resources CARES Act Round Two (New Funding Available!) Congress has passed the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Health Care Enhancement Act, which provides critical additional funding for workers and small businesses affected by coronavirus. This impacts the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) & Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL).

Governor Announces Washington State COVID-19 Recovery Plan On April 22, Governor Jay Inslee presented a new plan for reopening Washington State for business. The plan includes continued social distancing, and then a phase-in of various economic sectors, built around three primary focus areas:

1. Protect the Health and Safety of Washingtonians: Guided by data and science, we must continue to suppress • the virus, protect our most vulnerable and treat those who are sick. We must • ensure that COVID-19 infections and deaths are decreasing and that we • have sufficient testing and contact identification in place before taking steps toward loosening restrictions.

To learn more about this new funding, 2. Facilitate a Safe Start and Transition visit: home.treasury.gov/news/pressreleases/sm987 to Economic Recovery: A healthy workforce is needed for a healthy How Washington State Fared economy. When it is safe, we will take in the First Round of SBA Funding measured steps to get people back Nationwide, the SBA Paycheck Protection to doing what they do best in a way Program (PPP) issued over 1.6 million loans that protects themselves and their through April 16, totaling over $342 billion. communities’ health.

Washington State businesses received 3. Support All People and Communities: just over 30,400 loans totaling nearly $7 We will use an equity lens for recovery billion. About three-quarters of loans were efforts to enhance people’s physical, for $150,000 or less. As shown below, emotional and financial well-being, about half of all funding went to four major with particular attention to those industries: Construction; Professional who have been disproportionately Services; Manufacturing; and Health Care. impacted by COVID-19, including Accommodation and Food Services and communities of color, individuals Retail were the next highest recipients. experiencing homelessness, individuals with disabilities, as well as those Federal USDA Rural Resource Guide experiencing unemployment, poverty, The USDA has published a resource guide and food insecurity. to help farmers, ranchers, cooperatives, hospitals, tribes, local government and More info at : www.governor.wa.gov/ other rural businesses and families. sites/default/files/Washington%27s%20 Recovery%20Plan%20.pdf.

Get the guide at: www.rd.usda.gov/sites/ default/files/USDA_COVID-19_Fed_ In early May, we will publish Rural_Resource_Guide.pdf a Re-Opening Toolkit.

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If you have already applied for the PPP, you should not have to apply again.

If you have not applied for the PPP, check with your lender to see if they are SBA approved.

If not, consider checking alternative lenders including PayPal, Intuit, Square and Kabbage.

If you have not applied for EIDL since 4/3 you will have to reapply.

Thurston County Chamber VOICE

thurstonchamber.com

Local Resources City of Olympia Permit Operations Continue Apace The City of Olympia recently converted Community Planning and Development permitting operations to a digital portal using a program called SmartGov. In addition to creating broad system efficiencies, the digital portal has ensured permitting assistance and review remain uninterrupted during the pandemic. Customers can still submit applications, pay fees, request inspections and review status online, while staff review and stamp approval virtually. Even before the pandemic, the City was processing about 87% of permits (more than 5,000 per year) via the web portal vs. in-office visits. Customers have expressed their support vis a vis a recent user survey showing a 95% approval rating.

City of Olympia – Olympia Downtown Alliance Team Up To Help Local Business A new campaign, “Why I Go Downtown” has been launched by the Olympia Downtown Alliance (ODA) with funding from the City of Olympia. In addition to promoting downtown, the initiative includes a business directory to help people find establishments open for business whether online or via drivethru storefront whyigodowntown.com/ supportlocal. All downtown businesses are eligible to participate and submit information, whether they are ODA members or not. Over 6,000 people have visited the site in the first three weeks of operation. The ODA will soon launch “Promising Notes,” in partnership with Olympia Artspace Alliance and Octapas, to paint murals on boarded storefronts and create short music videos featuring local musicians.

Learn more at: governor.wa.gov/sites/ default/files/Washington%27s%20 Recovery%20Plan%20.pdf thurstonchamber.com

United Way–Community Foundation COVID-19 Fund Paying Off Charitable giving by our community has helped the Community Foundation and United Way of Thurston County to make a real difference for local families and service organizations. Highlights include: •

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Funding to support a quadrupling of Meals on Wheels deliveries to 10,000 per month Doubling the number of food backpacks to kids through the Thurston County Food Bank Funding and staff to support growing demand at the Food Bank, which has now served over 13,600 individuals Purchase of homeless food backpacks to be distributed to homeless school students

In addition, the fund has enabled expanded support to the Nurse Family Partnership Program which serves 300 no- and low-income families with infant children. To date, donations have included: • 899 containers of infant formula • 351 packages of baby wipes • 640 jars of baby food • 431 packages of diapers • 2,249 units of toddler and children’s foods

WE ARE THURSTON STRONG

Funding for Catholic Community Services has helped their Community Kitchen serve nearly 13,000 in March alone, while the Community Action Council has provided emergency rent and utility assistance to more than 300 households at a cost of $1,170.00 on average.

Finally, the United Way-Community Foundation COVID-19 Response Fund has made it possible for Together to bulk purchase supplies for distribution to hundreds of local families trying to meet basic needs. Items include: • Toilet paper • Laundry soap • Dish soap • Pasta and pasta sauce • Infant formula • Diapers • Wipes • Boxed and canned foods Thank you to our partners and everyone who has donated. For more information: www.unitedway-thurston.org/covid-19

Funding and donations have also been made to the Childcare Action Council in their efforts to support 11 childcare providers countywide. The few operators remaining open are caring for the children of first-responders and other frontline workers. Donated goods include: • 210 packages of toilet paper

• 25 containers of sanitizing wipes • 15 gallons of bleach • Paper towels (unknown quantity)

Job Search Portal Available for Those Seeking Work While many people continue to work from home or have secured temporary unemployment benefits, neither option may be available to certain individuals, especially independent contractors. If you or someone you know needs to work, the PacMtn Workforce Development Council has assembled a list of current in-demand jobs accessible at pacmtn.org/job-search.

FIND MORE RESOURCES AT

THURSTONSTRONG.ORG

Thurston County Chamber VOICE

I

May 2020

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19

NOW OPEN

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Now open and serving Kaiser Permanente members, our new West Olympia Medical Center makes it even easier to get the care you need.

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Tune Up Your Business with ScaleUp

I

n this unprecedented time, customers are wary of taking any unnecessary trips outside of their homes.

As a result, many businesses are finding their revenue streams diminished, and many business owners worry about the long-term sustainability of their businesses. Fortunately, there are several cost-free steps that business owners can take to stabilize their revenue and see increases in their leads, sales and income. Build Your Market is an online workshop, where instructor Daryl Murrow will cover the strategies business owners can use to weather the COVID-19 crisis and current economic downturn, and ways you can actively grow your business so that it’s even more resilient in the future.

WHO: Thurston EDC Center for Business & Innovation WHAT: Build Your Market WHEN: The first session begins on Friday, May 22 from 8:30 a.m. until noon.

WHERE: Online Webinar COST: Due to special funding from the Cities of Olympia and Lacey, businesses located within those cities are generally eligible to attend at no cost (limited to the first 30 registrants).

The City of Tumwater will pay 80 percent of the registration cost for Tumwater businesses, if granted a scholarship.

Apply today at ScaleUpThurston.org FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact James Davis, jdavis@thurstonedc.com, or (360) 464-6051.

About the Thurston Economic Development Council and The Center for Business & Innovation The Thurston Economic Development Council has been supporting a strong economy in Thurston County since 1982 with a mission to create a dynamic and sustainable economy that supports the values of the people who live and work in Thurston County. At the foundation of the work we do are three main principles: recruit, retain, and expand.

We work to maintain the health of local businesses by offering technical assistance, and providing advocacy on their behalf. We present market opportunities to Thurston County employers, providing support for them to expand their operations. We actively attract investment and employment opportunities into our region through outreach, promotion and trade missions.

“TuneUp helped improve our business systems and taught us how to run our business so our business doesn’t run us. Now that we’re in the COVID-19 crisis, we realized that going through the ScaleUp program gave us the tools to be able to weather this storm.” -Dean Jones, Encore Chocolates & Teas

Caught On Screen DURING QUARANTINE

Send your funniest screen captures to info@thurstonchamber.com for next month's issue. We'll include our favorites and keep you laughing through quarantine.

A Caught in the Lens Production

#CaughtOnScreen

For more photos, follow the Chamber on Facebook at www.facebook.com/ ThurstonCountyChamber.

Continued from Page 4

The Task Force is also pursuing several additional initiatives, including: •

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The Olympia Downtown Alliance will soon launch Promising Notes, (in partnership with the City of Olympia, Olympia Artspace Alliance and Octapas) to paint murals on boarded storefronts and create short music videos featuring local musicians.

Developing a Thurston Strong Job Corps, which would connect people seeking paid employment with nonprofits serving essential community development or social service needs once it is safe to do so.

Standing up a Thurston Strong Childcare Coalition with support provided by the Child Care Action

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Council. The Goal is to develop funding and safety strategies to help child care centers reopen and support front-line workers and eventually, other parents returning to work as various industries are phased in.

Identifying vendors and manufacturers to help ensure adequate supply of personal protective equipment (PPE) for businesses as the economy reopens.

Creating a new ThurstonStrong.org website section that provides general and industry-specific guidance for re-opening safely and effectively.

To date, the Chamber, VCB and EDC have made 3,000 contacts with businesses, helping with everything from resiliency planning to workforce restructuring strategies and help completing business loan and grant applications. Stay up to date at ThurstonStrong.org.

"I'm encouraged for Thurston County's recovery based on collaborative efforts and strong partnerships. By coming together, we are finding creative solutions in a meaningful and impactful way.

Even as we absorb the shock of what just happened to us, we must also begin planning how to get back on our feet. All of the things that make this such a great place to live, work and play are still true.

We just need to make sure we can put the connecting infrastructure – namely our first-class businesses and destinations, back in place as efficiently as possible."

– Shauna Stewart, CEO, Experience Olympia & Beyond "We will endeavor to provide local businesses and impacted workers relevant information and resources as available.

As we look toward re-entry into the economy, we're putting systems in place to make sure we're available to help our business community rebound quickly and stronger than ever."

– David Schaffert, President/CEO, Thurston County Chamber

hosted by

Thurston EDC Executive Director

Michael Cade

Thurston Chamber President/CEO

David Schaffert

A Virtual Talk Show for Small Business Owners

Congressman Denny Heck Mayor Cheryl Selby Mayor Andy Ryder

Suzanne Dale Estey Schelli Slaughter Ramiro Chavez

Previous Guests Include:

For a list of resources, go to www.THURSTONSTRONG.com.

For more info, contact info@thurstonchamber.com or call 360-754-6320

The Thurston County Chamber of Commerce

The Thurston Economic Development Council

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