Chamber Updates April 15, 2020
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April 15 is traditionally Tax Day. It’s a day that gives many anxiety about payments due and the arduous task of completing before the filing deadline. This Tax Day, we all have been given a brief 3-month reprieve; however, we have exchanged the tax anxiety for some greater challenges and concerns. When school will reopen? How long before we can go back to church? When will we be able to go out for a leisurely brunch? How will my business survive this time period? And of greatest concern, will I or one of my loved ones be affected directly with this deadly virus?
I have been blessed with positive feedback about the approach we are taking as a community and have been thankful for the support so far. My hope is that YOU have felt that support from the Colerain Chamber of Commerce. We want to serve as an authoritative resource with relevant information and a place to connect; albeit electronically today. Our updated newsletters are posted to our
news web page
, where you can look back and find SBA and Cares Act resources and updates on the latest information available.
Last Friday, we hosted State Senator Bill Blessing and State Representative Cindy Abrams for our
Life in Colerain during the COVID-19 Pandemic series.
They provided legislative updates from Columbus, specifically about House Bill 197. They both appreciated the feedback and learning about the challenges our local business owners are experiencing.
This Friday, on our
ZOOM conference (11 am)
we
will have expert Carrie Pastor,
Director of Community and Investor Relations for REDI Cincinnati (Regional Economic Development Initiative). For more information about REDI, you can follow this
LINK
You can register for the event or find the conference call information
HERE
The Women’s Networking Luncheon was a huge success.
A special thanks to. Sylvia Dwertman who hosted a wonderful event with 18 attendees. Various chamber members shared their concerns about the COVID-19 situation and Assistant Township Administrator Jeff Weckbach provided a brief update on our Township preparedness. Based on the positive feedback, we will host a similar virtual meeting in May. We hope to continue to grow attendance to network with other women in the community and eventually bringing this event back to our local restaurants. Some fun photos can be found on our
Facebook Page
.
If you have an update that you would like to share about your business or any feedback, please send them to me directly at
President@colerainchamber.org
. Otherwise I hope that you find the following information valuable and relevant to your business concerns.
Be well and stay safe.
Dave Moravec
President, Colerain Chamber of Commerce
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Governor Mike DeWine, Lt. Governor Jon Husted, and Dr. Amy Acton, MD, MPH, provided the following updates on Ohio's response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
MEDICAID WAIVER APPLICATION
In addition to previous emergency measures taken by the Ohio Department of Medicaid to help increase access to healthcare for millions of Ohioans, Governor DeWine announced today that his administration is submitting its first waiver application to the federal government, known as 1135 or Appendix K, to provide the needed flexibility to address this crisis.
This waiver will allow Ohio to:
- Bolster the use of telehealth and other technology for health assessments and care planning;
- Waive signature requirements for a variety of providers to ensure safe distancing without compromising access to care;
- Ease obstacles to access nursing home care;
- Allow services to be provided at alternative locations; and
- Remove staffing-level requirements to give providers more flexibility.
"Removing restrictions like these during this pandemic will allow health care workers to focus on meeting the needs of Ohioans," said Governor DeWine.
Upon approval, the waiver will be retroactively applied from March 1, 2020.
FIRST RESPONDER SAFETY
To protect our first responders and to ensure consistency across the state, Dr. Amy Acton announced that a new order has been issued that requires local health departments to provide to their jurisdictions' dispatch agency or agencies the names and addresses of COVID-19-positive individuals.
Dispatch agencies are required to keep this information confidential.
By knowing in advance if they will be interacting with someone who has tested positive, first responders will be better prepared when they arrive at a scene with appropriate protective gear.
ESSENTIAL JOBS
"These employers have created safe environments for their employees," said Lt. Governor Husted. "These employers need you if you can answer the call."
Examples of companies that are hiring include LiveOps, Amazon, Walmart, Kroger, Cincinnati Children's Hospital, CVS Health, FedEx Ground and Rumpke.
ALCOHOL SALES
This past
Tuesday
, the Ohio Liquor Control Commission passed an emergency rule to allow establishments with an existing on-premises liquor permit to sell and deliver alcohol, including high-proof liquor in limited quantity, for off-premises consumption.
OFFICE OF SMALL BUSINESS RELIEF
Lt. Governor Husted announced the Office of Small Business Relief, a new office developed within the Ohio Development Services Agency (DSA) to better coordinate Ohio's efforts to identify and provide support for Ohio’s nearly 950,000 small businesses.
The Office of Small Business Relief will:
- Serve as the state’s designated agency for administrating federal recovery funds awarded to Ohio for small business support and recovery;
- Work with federal, state, and local partners to evaluate and determine possible regulatory reforms that encourage employment and job creation; and
- Coordinate efforts of Ohio’s Small Business Development Centers and Minority Business Assistance Centers.
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We've included three documents below from the US Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship specific to the CARES Act and stimulus update. If you are in need of a resource for a specific question, please let us know. Call Chamber President Dave at 309-838-1947 or
email.
The Ohio Chamber of Commerce
has provided business owners with necessary information about what is going on at the state and federal levels in regards to the
SBA and CARES Act
with this
link
.
SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available thanks to a concerted effort by the state of Ohio and the U.S. Small Business Administration. Ohio small businesses are now eligible for SBA's Economic Injury Disaster Loans. Please see below for more information:
Ohio’s Bureau of Workers' Compensation (BWC)
announced the deferment of insurance premium installment payments for March, April and May until June 1, 2020. For more information, visit
bwc.ohio.gov
Grace Period for Health Insurance Premiums
All health insurers are required to provide the option of deferring premium payments, interest free, for up to 60 calendar days from each original premium due date. This means that employers can defer their premium payments up to two months, giving them some relief on costs, while keeping their employees insured. More information
here
.
Hamilton County Public Health (HCPH)
would be pleased to receive homemade face masks made by those in the community who have these special skills. More information
here
.
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Anthem and SOCA have
announced that the Southern Ohio Chamber Alliance (SOCA) Benefit Plan will soon be available to sole proprietors
. Quoting starts April 20, and enrollment begins July 1. An eligible sole proprietor must:
- Meet underwriting requirements.
- Work more than 30 hours per week (documentation required).
- Submit a cover page for Form 1040 with Schedule C or Form 1040 with Schedules F and SE.
Regulations limit sole proprietor membership to 10% of total SOCA Benefit Plan membership. This plan is limited to sole proprietors. Presently this offer is not intended for non-profit organizations with one employee. Please contact Scott Marston at Cincinnati Benefit Solutions for more information at 513-661-1114 or email at
smarston@inscbs.com
A special welcome to student intern Ana Lu Gehner.
Ana Lu will be providing updates to the Colerain Chamber Facebook page and increasing our social media presence. She is a Junior at Colerain High School and is enrolled in the Butler Tech Financial Services program. We are excited to partner with Butler Tech and appreciate Chris Trentman's help in facilitating the relationship.
Gibbons Insurance Agency -
Owner Doris Gibbons welcomes their newest fully Licensed Indiana & Ohio Agent,
Katie Webb
! Katie resides in Lawrenceburg with her husband, Quinn. She is a hard-core soccer and football mom to Ethan & Sydney, and she will be able to help with ATV’s, boats, trailers, jet skis, golf carts, flood, log homes, rental dwellings, mortgage protection, business insurance, and so much more. She said she loves living in the Hidden Valley community, and her favorite thing to do is to throw some weight around in the gym. She has even completed two professional body building shows!
The Ohio Chamber Research
Foundation is conducting its latest quarterly economic survey of business leaders in Ohio, called the
PROSPERITY PULSE.
They would love to share this survey with our members so they can show how business leaders are feeling and responding to this crisis.
The Colerain Chamber of Commerce Golf League
will begin soon. If you have an interest in participating, there are still a few spots open. For more details or to sign up, please go to the registration page
here
or contact Dave Moravec at
president@colerainchamber.org
If you are interested in potentially being involved in a
Young Professionals
program locally or are interested in
Sales Professional
Development (Sales Summit), we will be hosting informational meetings in early May. YP groups are formed to provide networking, philanthropy and professional development for the 20 to 40 year-old demographic and is vital to the succession of businesses across the community. The concept of a Sales Summit grew out of an idea that sales professionals need to have iron sharpening iron connections. We will begin meeting on a regular basis in June but gathering momentum over the next several weeks by networking locally. For more information on either program, please contact Dave Moravec directly at
president@colerainchamber.org
or by calling 309-838-1947.
Have you been traveling across the state for any reason? If you’ve stopped at an interstate rest area, you may have seen one of many Food Truck vendors that have been welcomed during the COVID-19 Crisis. For a recent article about how they are making a difference, visit
Food Trucks
and if you are know someone with a food truck and want to share the
Ohio Food Truck Regulations
,
please do so.
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