A message from their President/CEO, Allison McGarity

Here is a quick overview of the steps we’ve taken to support local businesses now and begin planning for recovery:

• We added a COVID-19 Resource Page to our website and are updating it daily. This page includes the latest information on federal and state legislation, employer/employee rights & resources, city and county announcements, health & safety guidelines for businesses, tax relief, and loan options.
• We deferred membership renewal deadlines for members with January and April renewal due dates. January due dates have been extended to April 30th and April due dates have been extended to May 31st. Letters were sent to these members this week and should be arriving in mailboxes as early as today. We will continue to monitor the situation to evaluate the need for additional deferments.
• We have committed to use the 110% Giving Campaign funds on those renewal invoices to create a community fund. These funds will be used to help local businesses sustain operations and recover. More details will be forthcoming on applying for these funds.
• We are highlighting local businesses that remain open during this time and are stepping up to meet the needs of customers and the community. Check out our Simpsonville Strong list, as well as our recent Facebook posts. Share your news with us if we haven’t highlighted you yet (you can complete the form linked on the Simpsonville Strong page or respond to this email).
• We are also actively working to increase our virtual offerings (virtual programming, networking, and more). We expect to announce our first virtual event next week and will be sure to invite you and your colleagues.
• Our office is still open. We are striving to keep our regular hours in order to serve our members and the community.

Beginning next week, we will be calling each of our members to check in personally and offer our assistance. We want to make sure you are receiving our communications and are aware of the support we are equipped to provide. If your business has a need that we can support, please let us know.

We are here to be your voice during these difficult times and are committed to helping all of our businesses recover.