Columbia Chamber of Commerce hosting ‘webinars’ to help local business
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
"It is working with our community, working with our business community and our citizens to do the best that we can to make sure people are staying home and only going out whenever it's necessary," said Matt McCormick, the President of the Columbia Chamber of Commerce.
The chamber held its first webinar on Monday which included Columbia City Manager John Glascock, among other local health leaders.
"We're working through the different types of webinars that we can do what are resources that we can make sure that we have out there for our businesses," McCormick said. "So it's even for us just like everybody else we're pivoting on how can we, what does work look like now for the Columbia Chamber of Commerce, where does our business community and where does our community as a whole need this need us and need our organizations."
"We also want to know as we're talking to our businesses, what is it that you're dealing with how are you pivoting what are some needs and needs that you have for your organization and how can we help meet those whether it's something that chamber can do or somebody that is somehow that we can get you in touch with who can help you through those," McCormick said.
In the new stay-at-home order going into effect on Wednesday, essential business is mentioned when talking about which jobs may continue to have employees working out and about in the city. McCormick said those essential businesses can be more than just hospitals and grocery stores.
"It can be a number of things but you know a lot of times people think of healthcare of course is or transportation or infrastructure keeping the infrastructure running but it's also, it's also janitorial services its construction it's a number of different things to make sure that our community can keep moving forward and taking care of what they need to take care of so that our infrastructure as a community doesn't break down that we stay where we need to be and keep going," McCormick said.
The chamber will continue to host webinars and house informational forms regarding loans and social distancing for businesses on its website.
"We're really working together and saying how does this need to look and what's going to be best for our community as a whole for our citizens for employers and their employees," McCormick said.
"What's been great to see as the resilience of our companies in the coming together of our community as a whole, of saying we are going to move past this we are going to get, we are going to get through this and we're gonna get through it together," McCormick said.
