Regional economic development organization moves from crisis response to recovery of local business community
Baton Rouge, La. (June 18, 2020) – The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) today announced it is transitioning to a second phase of work to help the regional business community reopen and recover from COVID-19. In late March, BRAC shelved its original 2020 strategic goals and deployed its staff to work on a crisis response work plan, the outcomes of which are below. BRAC’s updated scope of work recognizes the economy’s transition from initial crisis to reopening and recovery, and responds to the changing needs of businesses.
The organization’s recovery period plan of work, as approved by BRAC’s Board of Directors, is as follows:
Actionable Intelligence: BRAC learned in its first phase of crisis response that timely, thorough, and trustworthy analysis is critical for businesses to navigate the web of federal programs and make decisions for reopening. The need for quality business research and data will only continue to be important to decision making in the coming months, which BRAC will provide in new ways in addition to its regular COVID-19 Economic Indicator Dashboards.
Beating Back Unemployment: Many small businesses are still struggling to make it, and the true unemployment rate will become clear after enhanced insurance benefits end on July 30. The economy needs as many people back into jobs as possible. BRAC will continue to assist small businesses with their recovery through guidance and advocacy related to federal and state laws for business needs, while also addressing workforce needs with short-term training solutions and intentional connections between the unemployed and current local job openings through BR Works.
Equitable Recovery: BRAC will support the recovery of Black and minority owned businesses across all of its efforts, but will specifically call on not only its existing Baton Rouge Procurement Opportunity Partnership partners, but all companies in the region, to be more intentional about offering equitable opportunities for minority owned suppliers, and work to connect Black-owned businesses with banking or credit partners to assist them with their application for a forgivable Paycheck Protection Program loan before the June 30 deadline.
Recovery Communications: Ensuring that businesses of all sizes and in every regional parish have access to the information they need to reopen, rehire, and recover is top of mind. Through the continued cultivation of the brac.org/recovery page to regular e-newsletters, social media activity, webinars, media outreach, and more, BRAC will work to make it easy for businesses to find the information they need. Scheduled upcoming webinars, free to any business in the region and sponsored by Horizon Financial Group, include:
- Last Call for the Paycheck Protection Program, June 18 at 11 a.m.
- The Data on Disparity, June 19 at 11 a.m.
- Phase Two and the Hospitality Industry, June 22 at 10:30 a.m.
Reshoring and the After-COVID Economy: Certain international supply chains that were disrupted by COVID-19 will be rapidly reconsidering the necessity for North American capacity. Just as BRAC will focus earnestly on supporting existing businesses in the region as they stabilize and recover, it is important to look forward to future opportunities to diversify and strengthen the regional economy. The communities that will win the reshoring wave are those that prepare now.
“From the earliest stages of the COVID-19 pandemic through today, our team at BRAC has demonstrated extraordinary energy and focus toward providing guidance, resources, and information to help businesses throughout the Capital Region,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC. “We anticipate this second phase of work to last for the next two to five months, but will constantly be reassessing to adjust our work to meet the moment for stabilizing businesses and the regional economy.”
Through the first phase of crisis response, BRAC has:
- Launched the PPE Marketplace to source and supply regional businesses with PPE necessary for reopening;
- Launched BR Works to connect displaced workers with local job opportunities. BR Works currently has more than 100 businesses listing openings;
- Produced more than 65 pieces of analysis and guidance, including daily COVID-19 Brief emails, a weekly economic indicator dashboard, a booklet on federal business aid programs, a recovery loan comparison chart, grey area guidance for opening, PPP v UI analysis, and more;
- Created brac.org/recovery as a business recovery clearinghouse that was updated daily to house all relevant and rapidly changing guidance, information, analysis, and BRAC initiatives related to the pandemic;
- Led the development of the Safe at Work framework, a guidance on safely reopening Louisiana’s economy, endorsed by nearly 60 organizations around the state;
- Hosted more than 30 free business webinars for over 2,800 attendees, featuring state and federal elected officials and subject matter experts on everything from federal aid programs to school reopening;
- Assisted 27 regional businesses in pivoting production to PPE;
- Partnered with the Health District to set up and source its PPE distribution center, which has received 100,000+ items; and
- Conducted 1,700+ outreach calls to regional businesses to assess economic impact and connect businesses with resources.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area, working to grow jobs and wealth and to improve the business climate and competitiveness in the region. Today, BRAC investors include more than 1,500 small businesses, mid-sized firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as individuals and organizations that support business and economic development. In this capacity, BRAC serves as the voice of the business community, providing knowledge, access, services and advocacy. More information is available at brac.org.
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Morgan is the Marketing Manager for the Baton Rouge Area Chamber. In her role, she manages writing organizational publications and materials, oversees BRAC’s social media and blog, and coordinates timelines for all internal marketing projects.