Tacoma-Pierce County Hosts First COVID-19 Business Response Webinar

3/17/2020

Tacoma and Pierce County are hard at work to develop resources for local businesses.

Tacoma Pierce County COVID-19 Business Resources

On Monday, March 16, 2020 the Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber of Commerce (COC) and the Economic Development Board (EDB) for Tacoma-Pierce County co-hosted their first COVID-19 Business Response Webinar. These will be hosted every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the foreseeable future to update community and business members of new information and resources available to local businesses. Questions can be sent to alisonb@tacomachamber.org with “COVID-19” in the subject line.

COVID-19 Business Response Webinar #1

The March 16, 2020 call included:

Pierce County Executive Bruce Danmeier
Jody Ferguson, Director of Pierce County Emergency Management
Gary Westcott of Pierce County Economic Development Department
Bruce Kendall of Economic Development Board for Tacoma-Pierce County
Tom Pierson of Tacoma-Pierce County Chamber
Mayor Victoria Woodards, City of Tacoma

Pierce County Executive Bruce Dammeier started the meeting with commendations for Tacoma and Pierce County community members who have been working together to get through this coronavirus situation by helping each other. Bruce shared that he was out delivering donuts to local permit reviewers as he views it as essential to keep construction projects moving forward to keep as many workers working as possible. Bruce signed an order granting temporary suspension of the noise ordinance in unincorporated Pierce County which is important to allowing trucking fleets into the area for restocking of essential supplies. In a moment of humor, he stated it is his personal mission to keep Happy Donuts open after his purchase of 16 dozen donuts.

Mayor Victoria Woodards shared that the City of Tacoma is working closely with Pierce County to preserve as much of our economy as we can in these extraordinary times. She promoted the cities MakeItTacoma.org website with particular note of the COVID19 page which will include regular updates on resources from the City of Tacoma. She closed her comments with this admonition, “The Pierce County way is to do it together.”

Director of Pierce County Emergency Management Director Jody Ferguson stated that the business community is the heart of the county and her department is committed to supporting ongoing efforts. She noted that efforts are underway to set up a call center to help businesses navigate the SBA assistance process.

Gary Wescott, Pierce County Economic Development Department shared about developing resources in partnership with the SBA.

Coronavirus Financial Resources for Your Business:

SBA Disaster Assistance in Response to the Coronavirus: Economic Injury Disaster Loans offer up to $2 million for up to 30yrs at 2.75% or 3.75%. (More information available on our COVID-19 webinar on 3/18. To RSVP for the webinar, please visit the event page
Preliminary Economic Injury Worksheet: Pierce County Department of Emergency Management assessment of damages to assist in qualification for disaster assistance
SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans: Small businesses in 32 Washington counties are now eligible to apply for low‑interest SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) to offset economic losses because of reduced revenues caused by the impact of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

COVID-19 Resources for Managing Employees

Employee/Employer Protections Q&A: “The new coronavirus’s spread is taking the relationship between employers and their workers into new territory—one in which both sides are trying to sort out their rights and responsibilities in containing the outbreak” from Wall Street Journal
Preparing Workplace for Coronavirus FAQ: “The steps employers should take are not unlike the approaches recommended to address the annual flu season as well as prior outbreaks” from National Law Review
Employment Security COVID-19 Scenarios & Benefits: Potential options for employees to offset lost income depending on the situation provided by the Washington State Employment Security Department
SharedWork Program Guidelines: Opportunities to provide partial unemployment insurance up to $395/wk during a temporary economic setback. Complete SharedWork website through the Washington State Employment Security Departmen

Don't Miss The Next Tacoma-Pierce County COVID-19 Call

There was an open format for questions and answers which the group addressed. The next COVID-19 conference call / webinar will include updates regarding state and federal resources for your business on Wednesday, March 18th, 10:30am - 12:00pm. US Representative, WA 6th CD, Derik Kilmer, will be on the call to share about new Washington State Department of Commerce and Small Business Administration resources available to support small businesses. Sign on to the webinar, questions can be emailed or messaged in to the group and will be addressed in the order that they are received.

While it is still difficult to get a firm grasp on what the extent of the implications of COVID-19 and what duration we can anticipate, it is helpful to have this level of access from those closest to the solutions. Tacoma and Pierce County representatives, along with business and community leaders, are doing their part to collaborate for solutions. These tri-weekly calls are a great way to keep as many as will participate updated with information and local resources. Stay informed and be a part of the solution.