And the winners are...

Issue 6.36

September 4, 2020

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Meet our 2020 Superstars in Business!

With small businesses and nonprofits among some of the most affected by the pandemic, the Delaware State Chamber is more proud than ever to shine a spotlight on companies in Delaware that are doing exceptional work. There has never been a more important time to celebrate the small business community in Delaware. We are pleased to announce this year’s Superstars in Business winners!

Read the full announcement

PRESTON'S MARCH FOR ENERGY

Nonprofit

ALPHAGRAPHICS

1-24 Employees

WHISMAN, GIORDANO & ASSOCIATES, LLC

25-59 Employees

TIDEWATER

UTILITIES, INC.

60-150 Employees

Legislative Priority

Rapid Workforce Training and Redeployment Initiative Good for Business and Workers

Last summer the State Chamber started developing the narrative around the increased need for a workforce retraining program to help better position Delawareans to be active participants in our changing economy.

Much like the successful Zip Code Wilmington – a time compressed, 40-hour a week curriculum focused on in-demand skills resulting in successful job placement for those who complete the program – the State Chamber searched for partners and, with the help of members, a focus on which industries could support a similar approach to training. Read more >

ASTRAZENECA

Combatting COVID-19 Through Collaboration and Innovation

Since the state of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year, AstraZeneca – consistent with its values to follow the science, put patients first, and do the right thing – has progressed a number of initiatives to ensure the continued supply of its medicines to patients, to safeguard the health and well-being of all its employees and communities, and to make available a potential vaccine or treatment options for the virus. Read more >

ChristianaCare Helps Employers Ensure Safety in the Workplace

To help employers manage the well-being of their workforce through the COVID-19 pandemic, ChristianaCare developed a virtual care service that provides daily monitoring of employees for COVID-19 symptoms, testing, if needed, and care for employees who test positive.

The Employee COVID-19 Symptom Monitoring and Testing Program is designed to increase safety and ease anxiety in the workplace by effectively monitoring employees’ health. For employees, it offers the convenience of access to a registered nurse to discuss their symptoms and the opportunity for a telehealth visit with a provider. Read more >

INNOVATION AND THE COST

OF HEALTH CARE

Innovation can and often does drive cost down. Innovation in health care is life saving and the benefits are exciting as we contemplate new drug discoveries and therapies that cure or better manage disease. However, simple math shows how costly the pace of innovation may be as we learn to cure or treat rarer and rarer disease populations. We as a nation need to figure out how to address this cost issue.

Take a flu vaccine for example. It is estimated to cost up to $500 million to develop a vaccine. Millions of Americans get the flu vaccine each year which is why it can be had at around $20 a dose. On the other hand, there are numerous rare diseases that only affect a small number of people. Read more >

Message from the President

Our Developing Delaware conference is scheduled to be held virtually on October 14. You can sign up here.

This year we will focus on big data and the insights it provides - Data in Delaware: What we know, what we don't know, and why it's important to your business. We will also pay particular attention to retail trends since shopping, and, well retail, is everywhere in Delaware! You can look forward to hearing from national and local experts, Gary Laben of Dynata and Patrick Callahan of Compass Red, and Brookfield Properties CEO Jared Chupaila, owners of Christiana Mall and many similar properties around the country. Read more >

DE Relief Grants:

Applications Open September 8

The DE Relief Grants program will help Delaware small businesses and eligible nonprofit organizations affected by COVID-19. The program is funded by $100 million from the federal CARES Act. The amount a business or nonprofit can receive is based upon 2019 revenue, and could be up to $100,000.

There will be three rounds of funding for DE Relief Grants. The application period for the first round will open on September 8 on delbiz.com/relief.