Dear Members:
In compliance with the Phase 4: Revitalization guidelines within Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker’s Restore Illinois plan, the Elmhurst Chamber of Commerce & Industry in late July safely resumed monthly networking events—likely the first chamber in the state to do so.
Considering how ECCI has maintained regular office hours and retained a furlough-free staff throughout the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic, our Chamber’s position as a business organizer leader is a given.
Not since the March 11 monthly Business After Hours hosted by Green St. Grille in downtown Bensenville—a span of more than four months—had members from our business community been able to gather for the purpose of widening their circle of contacts.
In-person networking started back up again July 22 at the monthly Membership Breakfast co-hosted by the Elmhurst Park District and Whole Foods Market at the Salt Creek Park Pavilion, with the Phase 4 maximum of nearly 50 members in attendance, including Illinois State Representative Deanne Mazzochi (R-47th District).
Our Chamber offered hand sanitizer, disinfecting wipes and face masks for attendees, all of whom came prepared with face masks of their own, the outdoor venue easily allowed our members to maintain the recommended six feet of social distancing if unmasked for any reason.
Rather than serving themselves from the typical hot breakfast buffet, members made do with fruit granola bar and an apple in an individual paper bag (as prepared by Whole Foods Market) along with a large bottle of water.
Serving food and beverages was even less of a concern at the July 28 monthly Business After Hours co-hosted by Elmhurst Brewing Co. and new member Workvana in Elmhurst Brewing’s outdoor patio, thanks to the well-tested wait staff.
Elmhurst Mayor Steve Morley, who represents two member businesses (Crown River Partners and Every Door Direct Media), updated attendees on the numerous pro-business Executive Orders, as so empowered by the Elmhurst City, that he has issued during this health care crisis.
Later this month, Lexington Square of Elmhurst will host our Business After Hours on August 19 and our August 26 Membership Breakfast will be co-hosted by Helping Hands Cleaning Service and new member PCT Disinfecting—both in outdoor tented venues.
30th Annual “Virtual” New Teachers Luncheon
Our Chamber’s 30th Annual New Teachers Luncheon will be “virtual” with members recording their 10-second greetings via Zoom video conferencing on Thursday, August 6, starting at 11 a.m. to play during Elmhurst Community Unit School District’s New Teacher Orientation on August 11. The video participate cost is $10 per member up to a maximum of 50 members. Click HERE to register. To donate to the teacher Goodie Bags, contact the Chamber office by phone at 630-834-6060 or e-mail.
Paycheck Protection Program
While the Republican-controlled United States Senate and Democratic-controlled U.S. House of Representatives continue to debate the contents of the next COVID-19 federal relief bill, they appear to agree on expanding Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) eligibility to include chambers of commerce, business and trade associations, and other 501(c)(6) organizations. Some $120 billion of more than $600 billion in PPP loan funding is still available.
Senate Republicans have proposed a stimulus package of $1 trillion that includes only $200 in additional unemployment benefits instead of the now-expired $600 per week, while House Democrats favor the $3 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act that they passed and sent onto the Senate back in May. In addition, the President Donald J. Trump wants to issue a second round of relief checks to individual taxpayers.
The potentially-forgivable PPP loans of up to $2 million per applicant are administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) in partnership with participating banks. Through the end of June, the SBA had funded more than 4.9 million PPP loans totaling more than $510 billion in financial assistance, and recently simplified PPP guidelines for both applying for a loan and applying for loan forgiveness.
For months, ECCI has had a PPP loan application on file with Community Bank of Elmhurst for some $47,500, or 2.5 times the monthly payroll. As no staff members have been furloughed, our Chamber will easily meet the SBA’s revised forgiveness guidelines of 60 percent payroll (down from 75 percent) and 40 percent operating expenses (up from 25 percent).
Our Chamber previously applied for and received an SBA-administered Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) of $100,100 for a 30-year term at a not-for-profit interest rate of 2.75 percent (as compared to the 3.75 percent rate for businesses).
Happy Anniversary
Two members are celebrating Chamber anniversaries in August as follows: 20 years—Cottage Hill Diamonds; and 15 years—All Suburban Plumbing & Sewer Service.
New Members
The Chamber welcomed four new members in July as follows: ARC Holistic Medicine, B P Staffing, Home Care Assistance and JEM MedSpa.
Dropped Members
The Chamber said goodbye to the following nine members in July: AB Production Associates, AccuQuest Hearing Center, Architects Studio, Corporate Communications, Egg Harbor Café, For Your K9, Gerber Collision & Glass, Il Romano and Impact Color.