Economic Development
Working Washington Small Business Emergency Grants
Update April 24, 2020: The amount of money available for this grant has been expanded to $10M. However applications are closed. Pierce county alone received over 4000 applications. Word is that Pierce County businesses who applied will be notified if their applications have or have not been forwarded to the state. On April 7, Gov.…
Read MoreLaid Off?
Unemployment has seen a massive spike with Covid-19, but efforts at relief are making it slightly less painful. If you have lost your job, then read on. The CARES Act provides businesses with an incentive to retain employees through the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program). Additionally, Unemployment Insurance is now said to be on steroids. For…
Read MoreCARES Act
With the $2.2 trillion stimulus package signed today, there is tremendous relief available for small businesses, who are struggling to keep their employees on payroll. Congress has approved the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. It allocates $350 billion in emergency loans for small businesses to help them keep workers employed. In fact,…
Read MoreConsolidated Corona Info
Who else is feeling a true sense of information overload? I’ve spent more time watching the news in the last couple weeks than I could have imagined. On a conference call today, I was directed to a comprehensive website that consolidates information and is regularly updated. The webpage is pretty easy to navigate with the…
Read MoreChildcare Issues and Workforce
As I tuned into the AWB’s (Association of Washington Businesses) Workforce Summit webinar today, one of the sessions was about Childcare costs. Without a doubt, this is an issue with which employers and employees have continuous struggles. Since my kids are older, I had not thought a lot about it during this current crisis, but…
Read MoreAction List for business owners impacted by COVID-19
Is Covid affecting your bottom line and cash flow? Today I listened to a Workforce Summit Live Webinar with AWB. One of the speakers was from the Thurston Economic Development Council and Center for Business and Innovation. She had some great information that she encouraged others to share. For that reason, this is copied and…
Read MoreSmall Business Resiliency Guide
The SBDC (Small Business Development Center) says, “As you all know, the best time to craft a business resiliency plan is before you go into business. The next best time is now. An actionable resiliency plan could mean the difference between business continuity under adverse conditions and business closure.” They have links for Business Resiliency…
Read MoreResources for Businesses impacted by Corona
Information about these opportunities is changing frequently. As soon as information is gathered, updates will be posted here. Updated March 23: On March 22, the SBA posted the following. Update: Disaster Assistance Now Available to all Washington Small Businesses Economically Impacted by COVID-19 As of 7:30 am on Monday, March 16… The SBA may be…
Read MoreBusiness Resources amid Covid – Columbia Bank
The FME Chamber is actively searching for ways to support our members during this unprecedented time. We know that Corona will have a significant impact on some of our members so we will be sharing resources as we find them. Columbia Bank sent me a message saying, “ “Hi Kara, Columbia Bank does offer quick…
Read MoreCovid and the possibility of SBA Disaster Loans
In January, we had a representative of the Small Business Administration visit our C3 group. Desiree gave us all sorts of information about the resources SBA has for small businesses. Prior to now, few thought of Covid-19 being a disaster for our region at the time. Therefore, Desiree didn’t mention it. But an economic disaster…
Read MorePierce Transit Destination 2040 Long Range Plan Update
Pierce County, along with our region as a whole, is growing rapidly. At the RAMP meeting this month, there was a statistic that floored me. In our 4 county Puget Sound region, in 2019, our population grew 68,470 over the previous year. Divide that by 365 and we had an increase of 188 new residents…
Read MoreRegional Airport Capacity
This morning, Lora and I attended the RAMP (Regional Access Mobility Partnership) meeting at the Port of Tacoma. One of the speakers was Josh Brown from the Puget Sound Regional Council. A few of the things he shared were incredibly interesting and thought provoking. The study specifically addresses aviation concerns in our region over the…
Read MoreSponsorship Opportunities
Luncheon Sponsorships are a great way to keep your name in front of our business membership and the FME community. Contact Lora for details! Also included in your sponsorship. . . Two complimentary admission tickets Dedicated Chamber Ambassador to assist with setup and tear down Your business name and logo on all promotional materials One…
Read MoreMarch Luncheon – Connecting to Resources
Please join us for our March Chamber luncheon with Betty Capestany, Economic Development Director for Pierce County. Betty will be giving us important updates on business in Pierce County. She’ll also give us a glimpse of the newly launched, extensive online search tool. This tool, InvestPierceCounty.com, is from the Commercial Broker Association (CBA) listings. Summing up,…
Read MoreC3 – Chamber Connection Cohort
Tuesday Morning Networking – New Format – “C3”(Chamber Connections Cohort)We are revamping the Tuesday morning networking. But we still will be generally meeting from 8-9 am at the Edgewood City Hall . Contact Kara Jovag for more details or get signed up on the Facebook group so you can stay more connected! On January 7th, we will have…
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