March 17, 2020
Dear Member:
These have been difficult weeks, with the world reacting with uncertainty to COVID-19. Your Yelm Chamber of Commerce has been monitoring closely the situation and its impact on our members and communities. Our commitment lies with serving you and our region in any capacity we can during this unprecedented time.
I wanted to provide you with an update on how we are responding. This is our plan as of now, but clearly things could change as new information arises.
Chamber Events
It is important that our members remain safe and secure from potential exposure to this virus. Therefore we are canceling our events through March. This includes our Drive 507 Business After Hours and Leads at Lunch.
We will be closely monitoring the situation and take any necessary precautions regarding April events and meetings as needed.
Nisqually Valley Home & Garden Show
At this time, we are rescheduling our Nisqually Valley Home & Garden Show. Please join us this fall. We will update you with a new date as soon as we have it.
Chamber Operations
The Chamber office is maintaining normal office hours, with special protocols in place. We want to make sure that we can continue to be a resource to you.
Business Community Conversation
Members of the Yelm Area business Community are invited to join in a discussion about how their businesses are being affected by the restrictions put in place in order to slow the spread of Covid-19.
Using the access information below, join in and listen to the moderators discuss questions and concerns posed by your fellow business owners in Yelm. All attendees will have their mics mutes, but can type in your own comments and questions and they will be read in the order received. The conversation will be led by Mayor Foster along with Line Critchfield and myself from the Yelm Chamber of Commerce. At the end of the conversation, we will consolidate your questions and concerns, then reach out to our County and State partners to get answers. This is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, at 3 pm. Visit our facebook page to get the call in numbers.
COVID-19 Information & Resources
These links connect to different resources to help educate employers and employees on how to prepare for and address the impacts of COVID-19. We encourage you to continue to monitor the outbreak and implement strategies to help protect your customers and employees, with the least possible impact to your operations.
Center for Disease Control
https://www.cdc.gov/
Governor’s Office
https://www.governor.wa.gov/
Thurston County Public Health
https://www.thurstonvounty.wa.gov/phss/Pages/coronavirus.aspx
Washington State Public Health
https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/Coronavirus
Employment Securities Department
https://www.esd.wa.gov
Post Outbreak Recovery Promotion
Our marketing team is strategizing a few different marketing campaigns to support small businesses in recovering from the disruption. If you have any thoughts or ideas, please contact Line Critchfield, our Chamber Executive Director.
In closing, we recognize that you may be feeling the impact of this crisis in an immediate and profound way. We are committed to helping you get through this. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us if we can help. We are in this together!
With you in business,
Angie Evans
President
Yelm Chamber of Commerce