Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce COVID-19 (Coronavirus) | Bangor Region Business and Community Information

ZOOM and Facebook Live event – Monday, April 6

ZOOM and Facebook Live event – Monday, March 30

Livestream – March 23rd

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From the SBA | March 18

For Small Business in need of financial relief: Talk to your creditors NOW—many lenders will do what they can to help alleviate the financial impact, whether its deferred payments or interest only—but talk to your creditors now.

SBA Disaster Loans are available to eligible Maine Small Business: The ENTIRE State has been deemed covered by SBA thanks to Governor Mills & DECD leadership and efforts. Small Business can apply at https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela. Applicants may also call SBA’s Customer Service Center at (800) 659-2955 or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov for more information on SBA disaster assistance. Individuals who are deaf or hard‑of‑hearing may call (800) 877-8339. Completed applications should be mailed to U.S. Small Business Administration, Processing and Disbursement Center, 14925 Kingsport Road, Fort Worth, TX 76155. Loans can be used for fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills the small business could have paid had the disaster not occurred.

Important Note for Sole Proprietors: When applying, ALL Sole Proprietors must select Economic Injury (EIDL) in the Business Losses section for the application to go through. An incorrect selection will cause the applicant to have to start the application over.

All SBA partners (SCORE, Women Business Centers, Small Business Development Centers) are still up and running, albeit remotely like most of us. Please utilize their business development services. Many of them have also attended SBA training sessions regarding Disaster loans, so they may also be a resource there too.

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Statement regarding COVID-19

March 15, 2020

The Governor has released a statement regarding steps being taken to protect Maine’s businesses and workers impacted by COVID-19.

Please share this with any business you know who have been impacted or who are concerned about potential impact.

Governor Janet Mills is taking strong steps to protect Maine workers and small businesses impacted by the 2019 novel coronavirus, also known as COVID-19.
CLICK HERE TO READ

We will continue to share what we know as this situation unfolds.

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LIVESTREAM – COVID-19

Due to concerns about potential spread of the virus, the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce along with Rudman Winchell we decided to live stream this event on Facebook rather than host an in-person event. The uploaded video is below. We apologize for the graininess of the video.

The information to be shared is important for employers and businesses as we navigate this unfamiliar territory. Protecting your health and the health of our community is more important. This event took place at 10:00 am on Friday, March 13th as a Facebook livestream discussion with Dr. Noah Nesin, PCHC Medical Director, Anne-Marie Storey, Attorney at Rudman Winchell and Bangor Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director, Chief Thomas Higgins. The online discussion was moderated by Deb Neuman. You can view the video in it’s entirety (with comments) on the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce Facebook page.

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BRCC Response to COVID-19

March 13, 2020

The staff and Board of the Bangor Region Chamber of Commerce are closely monitoring the COVID -19 situation. Our top priority is the health and safety of our members, partners, staff, volunteers and visitors. We are continuing to monitor the recommendations from the Maine Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and state and local health officials.

Given the Governor’s recommendation to postpone events with 250 or more attendees, we have made the decision to immediately cancel, postpone or (when possible) live stream all Chamber events through the end of March, including events organized by our programs, Fusion Bangor and BRLI (Bangor Region Leadership Institute). This was not an easy decision but we feel it is the most responsible to reduce the threat of COVID -19 to our members, our communities and our state.

Moving forward, future events will be evaluated on a case by case basis. We will keep you informed via email, social media and our website.

In the meantime, we intend to keep our doors open and to do what we can to support our members and those in our community who are being impacted by this situation. We ask our members and our community to come together at this time to support one another while continuing to make well informed decisions to protect yourself, your family and your business.

Questions can be directed to Deb Neuman, deb@bangorregion.com or 207-947-0307

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