Supporting Forsyth County's Businesses and Economy

Beginning Monday, March 16th:

·        All Chamber activities involving the gathering of 50 or more people have been suspended until April 6th. This includes the Power Networking Lunch previously scheduled for March 24th and the FOCONNECTION Touch-a-Truck event previously scheduled for April 2nd.

·        The Chamber Office will be closed to all visitors and non-employees until April 6th. Please continue to connect with us via www.focochamber.org, 770-887-6461, fccoc@focochamber.org and Chamber social media platforms.

With uncertainty and a variety of resource options available to you at this time, I would encourage you to:

·        Learn about the CDC Recommendation(s) for Business Preparedness and Response to COVID-19 HERE

·        Register to receive CDC.gov e-mail updates HERE

·        Watch a webinar from Dr. Nancy Messonnier, staff lead for the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases HERE

·        Review information from Forsyth County Government HERE

·        Review information from the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) HERE

·        Before traveling, consider the information from the U.S. Travel Association found HERE

·        Find out updates on SBA Disaster Assistance for Businesses HERE

To support your fellow Chamber members and your community, I would encourage you to:

·        Make a donation of food to The Place of Forsyth County

·        Make a financial donation to United Way of Forsyth County

·        Give blood at Northside Hospital Forsyth’s Blood Drive on March 20th from 7 AM to 5 PM (This is a safe way to ensure our healthcare providers are well-equipped to help all those in need of medical attention this season.)

·        Buy gift cards from local businesses (especially small, independent businesses) for future use or to give as gifts

·        Order carry-out or delivery meals from local restaurants (Find some of my favorites HERE.)

·        Take a break from social media and make a phone call to family, friends and neighbors

·        Before heading out on an errand run, call friends and neighbors to see what they need and save them a trip out

The Chamber is taking the lead on supporting the Forsyth County business community in dealing with the economic consequences of COVID-19. Over the weekend, your Chamber staff worked to create an interim communication plan that we are deploying this week. The primary purpose of this effort will be to engage local businesses in providing support to the residents of the community and other community businesses in responding to COVID-19.

You can expect to see an aggressive social media campaign, a new, stand-alone website and platform for local businesses to communicate their services and products that may be useful to the community as well as to secure services, guidance and products that will improve their ability to respond to economic consequences of COVID-19, webinars and access to subject matter experts and other opportunities for you to respond positively to the challenges ahead. Please lean-in digitally with us in these efforts by completing surveys, passing along content and sharing both your needs and resources with the entire FoCo business community.

Our mission is and always has been to advance positive business growth and community partnerships to promote a superior quality of life in Forsyth County. This mission is the same no matter the circumstance and it is our pleasure to work toward this mission no matter the season. Please know that the Chamber is here for you and for every business and for every resident of Forsyth County. We are all in this together.