PRESS RELEASE
KAMLOOPS, B.C.: Venture Kamloops, the economic development arm of the City of Kamloops, works to provide the most up-to-date information to our business community. For more and more businesses now closed or operating in a restricted environment, the time to start planning is now, and Venture Kamloops can help. The team has developed a COVID-19 recovery and support process through the Start Here online toolto provide greater access to essential resources for businesses during this crisis.
“We’re really cognisant that every business is unique, so we’re operating one-on-one to work with them to help get back to where they need to be” says Jim Anderson, Executive Director for Venture Kamloops. “Our team has been meeting with more than 200 entrepreneurs every year already to provide confidential and complimentary assistance with their business. Reaching out and building on these existing relationships speeds up the process, and now clients needing our support for the first time can propel continuity and recovery planning quickly with our COVID-19 Business Support online.”
Many government support programs addressing COVID-19 have been rolled out and accepting applications, yet businesses affected by restrictions are feeling significant impact on their revenue and operations. Addressing the health and eligibility of a small business for these programs, being open minded to any adjustments possible in the short term and pivoting to new ways of operating is are critical next steps.
“During this stage of restrictions on business operations, we’re already encouraging businesses that we’re connecting with to start considering the next stage of planning that they will need. Whatever that new normal will be, making sure businesses are putting in place a plan for whenever they can re-open will help their business stay relevant to their customers in that environment.”
Initially launched in the fall of 2015, the Start Here online tool was created by the Venture Kamloops team in response to a need they recognized for providing support and resources to the local business community. Teamwork with partner organizations has been another key mandate of Venture Kamloops, especially during this crisis.
“Local business support organizations have already pulled together using #YKAStrong for a streamlined communications and engagement strategy to address COVID-19 and the effects on business in our city. Now that Venture Kamloops has gathered better data on what local businesses are experiencing, we’re hearing that it could be more difficult to re-open a business than it was to temporarily shut down. Building a plan with each business we can connect with is a critical opportunity for us to provide help to get them through this.”
Those interested in receiving help with their business during this unprecedented time are encouraged to visit https://venturekamloops.com/covid-support
For More Information:
Jim Anderson
Venture Kamloops
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