Thanks to our Premium Members:
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Quick Links to Organizations offering Interim Guidance and Resources for Businesses:
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Camden Office:
2 Public Landing
Camden, ME 04843
207.236.4404
Rockland Office:
1 Park Drive,
Rockland, ME 04841
207.596.0376
Our Visitor Centers are
currently closed to the public, but your Chamber staff is here to serve you via phone and email:
Tom Peaco
Diane Norton
Amy Rollins
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Keeping You Informed
The Chamber website continues to be a resource for the latest
Coronavirus News, and we have re-formatted our "
Who's Open?" page to now include searchabillity by business category. Let us know if you would like us to add your business to the "Who's Open?" list.
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Join us online for the Chamber Cafe 9@9
Every Wednesday in April at 9:00 am
Your Chamber leadership invites up to 9 business members to join us online for coffee and conversation. We are offering them every Wednesday this month, with April 22 and April 29 still having slots available. Pick the date that suits you best and sign up
here,
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Upcoming Free Webinars via Zoom
Presented by the Maine State Chamber of Commerce
The Intersection of Workers’ Comp and COVID-19
Wednesday, April 22 | Starting at 11:00 am
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on employers, their employees, and our state and national economies has been remarkable. Across the state, businesses large and small are struggling with how to adjust to this new and dramatically different paradigm. Like many other groups, the Maine State Chamber has worked to bring our members and employers all around the state the latest and most accurate information on changes to our unemployment insurance system, paid sick leave, paid FMLA leave, the CARES Act, and the accompanying Paycheck Protection Program and EIDL assistance. However, forgotten up to this point is how another important aspect of the cost of doing business may be impacted by the pandemic – workers’ compensation insurance. Like so many other business factors, there are a significant number of unknowns surrounding workers’ comp going forward, including the compensability of COVID-19-related claims, claims that may arise while employees are working remotely from their homes, and how a shrinking statewide payroll may impact premium rates, and therefore, overall premium costs. Register
here.
Sponsored by MEMIC, MaineHealth, and United Insurance
Webinar for Sole Proprietor Businesses: Navigating the E COVID-19 Pandemic
Wednesday, April 29 | Starting at 11:00 am
This webinar will focus on the short- and long-term issues arising from the pandemic for sole proprietors – with suggested solutions. Topics covered will include a review of up-to-date federal and state legislative opportunities, tax issues to discuss with your accountant, insurance liability, health insurance options, credit protection, and steps for sole proprietors to take with customers. There will also be a brief review of pertinent estate planning options during the pandemic.
Sponsored by Lambert Coffin
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Opportunity Knox is Now Open!
Opportunity Knox is a local online platform designed to support and sustain Knox County’s small businesses through the COVID-19 crisis. Individuals can visit the
website to purchase a gift certificate or credit to one or more small businesses, or make a contribution to one or more non-profits in our region. Through PayPal, funds are passed through directly to the businesses and non-profits chosen by consumers who use the site. Businesses and organizations will receive a record of the transaction, and the customer keeps a copy of it as well for their records.
All businesses and organizations located in Knox County, Lincolnville, and Monhegan are invited to participate. There is no cost to get involved and it only takes 3 minutes to sign up. To read more about this program and to register your business, click
here.
If you have questions, please call Program Manager Vanessa Santarelli (Your Maine Concierge), at 207-215-4151, or email
admin@opportunityknox.me.
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Introducing the Chamber's YouTube Channel
Now you can find the Chamber's free webinars on our YouTube Channel. If you missed our virtual conversation with Senator King and Commissioner Johnson this past Wednesday, you can watch the recording
here.
We'll be posting more webinars here soon!
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Paying It Forward
As Maine business owners and their employees weather this unprecedented pandemic, the Penobscot Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce is partnering with several organizations in our state in a community support campaign called
Pay It Forward Maine. Find out how you can help
here.
And, if you're looking for some inspiration, or just a way to feel good about how your neighbors are paying it forward here in the Camden-Rockland Region, here are some shining examples:
District 94 Virtual Phone Bank Reaches Out to Local Seniors
State Representative Vicki Doudera has enlisted a volunteer team of telephoners to reach out to nearly two thousand area seniors, asking how people are doing during the COVID-19 crisis. As a result, sixty people have requested weekly phone check-ins, and the telephone team will stay in touch with these individuals for as long as they’d like.
Mid-Coast Pop Up PPE Making Masks in Camden
Volunteers are hard at work making a range of personal protective items needed by healthcare providers and others. Thanks to founder Michael Mullins, and all those who are giving their time, including Watershed student Pearl Benjamin and Camden resident Karla Doremus-Tranfield, pictured below. Those interested in assisting Mid-Coast Pop Up Factory with donations, volunteering or spreading the word about the new enterprise can call 691-7291 or email
midcoastpopupfactory@gmail.com or
mullins01@gmail.com.
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We look forward to sharing more Pay It Forward moments here next week! Please send them to Amy@CamdenRockland.com.
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SBA Certified Lenders in our Region
In addition to traditional Small Business Administration (SBA) funding programs, the CARES Act established several new temporary programs to address the COVID-19 outbreak. Here is a list of the financial institutions in our area that are available to offer assistance with SBA loans and other products. Click
here for more information.
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Member News...
Under normal circumstances, our Friday Report: Member News edition is published every other week. Submit your news releases to Amy Rollins at
Amy@CamdenRockland.com.
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West Bay Rotary
will match your donation!
West Bay Rotary has teamed up with United Midcoast Charities to support local nonprofits so they can serve the ever-growing demand for their services during the COVID-19 crisis. West Bay Rotary will match donations to the UMC Rapid Response Fund, up to a total of $5,000 in donations made at unitedmidcoastcharities.org/covid-19-response/wbr.
More...
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UMC Awards First Round of
Rapid Response Grants
United Midcoast Charities has announced its first round of grant recipients to receive awards from its new Rapid Response Fund, which the organization created to provide stopgap support for local nonprofits during the COVID-19 pandemic.
More...
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Camden Rotary Club mobilizes to address Pandemic and Support Graduating Seniors
The Camden Rotary Club has deployed an emergency task force to help nonprofit organizations in Knox County and Lincolnville that are most directly impacted by the current global health crisis. The Club has made funds available to support non-medical services directly related to the economic and human impacts of COVID-19.
More...
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Opera Maine Postpones 2020 Season until 2021
Opera Maine has announced the postponement of its 26th summer season out of concern for public health during the current COVID-19 pandemic. After weeks of careful deliberation, the Board of Trustees decided to reschedule the productions of Richard Wagner’s classic, The Flying Dutchman, and Philip Glass’s minimalist masterpiece, The Fall of the House of Usher, from this summer to July 2021. The Flying Dutchman will celebrate Maine’s Bicentennial, setting the production in 19th-century Maine.
More...
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Virtual National Library Week at the Camden Public Library
In the midst of its temporary closure due to COVID-19 protections, the Camden Public Library is marking a most unusual National Library Week, April 19-25, by ramping up efforts to unite the community virtually.
More...
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Member Events...
Our online calendar is your guide to virtual events happening in the Camden/Rockland Region.
Click here to view This Week's Events (Monday-Sunday)
Have an event to share? Members are invited to share events on the Chamber Calendar. Login to your Chamber Profile Page to get started.
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Member to Member Marketplace...
Packard Partners offers rental vehicles at special rates
If your business is offering delivery during the COVID-19 situation and you need an extra vehicle or two, AvisBudget has authorized us to offer special pricing. $20 per day, $120 per week. Your choice of what is on the lot. Business credit card. Please call the office at 594-2691 or just stop by. We're open daily, 9 am to 4 pm. Stay well. We'll get through this.
Schooner Heron offers 15% off day sail gift certificates
15 days in self quarantine? We will give you 15% off a gift certificate on Schooner Heron's daily sails. Choose from a Private Morning Charter, Educational Eco sail or Happy Hour Sunset Sail. We know despite everything, summer will come and there is no better place to be than breathing in the fresh sea air from the deck of Schooner Heron. Buy gift certificates at our website
sailheron.com. Stay well everyone!
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