Dear Members:

Happy Fourth of July week to all!!!  I will spend this holiday weekend as I have many previous years…playing on a ballfield.  Here’s a piece of July 4-connected Elmhurst trivia for you:  The last city-sponsored fireworks show took place in 1986 as part of Elmhurst’s Sesquicentennial Celebration (150 years), but that was not our community’s fireworks finale.  Watch Elmhurst TV’s 2017 retrospective, “Elmfest Gone, But Not Forgotten,” if you don’t already know.

Paycheck Protection Program
June 30 marked the latest deadline for small businesses to apply with the United States Small Business Administration (SBA) for a potentially-forgivable loan of up to $2 million through the federal Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which has more than $100 billion in Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic relief funding still available.

Over the past three months, the SBA has funded more than 4.8 million PPP loans totaling more than $500 billion in financial assistance and, more recently, simplified PPP guidelines for both applying for a loan and applying for loan forgiveness.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which supports a deadline extension and expanded PPP loan forgiveness, also continues to push for local chambers of commerce and business and trade associations, ECCI among them, to qualify for PPP loans.  Only 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organizations, along with military veteran and Native American groups, are currently eligible.

Restore Illinois Phase 4
While Elmhurst’s municipal and business leaders fairly called upon Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker to validate his “Stay At Home” Executive Orders and reconsider guidelines within his five-phase Restore Illinois plan, our state’s Phase 4 re-opening on June 26 already stands in stark contrast to the COVD-19 outbreaks reported by some two-thirds of states across our nation—some of which are only now implementing public-safety shutdowns.

Issued through the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity (IDCEO), Phase 4 guidelines include five new industry categories and updated recommendations for existing categories from Phase 3.  Each set of guidelines includes a common set of guidelines that are expected and encouraged among all employers and activity types, as well as workplace and program-specific guidelines.

The by-industry guidelines cover manufacturing, office, retail, service counters, health and fitness center, personal cares services, indoor and outdoor recreation, day camps, youth and recreational sports guidelines, indoor and outdoor dining, film production, meetings and social events, museums, zoos, and theatres and performing arts.  Guidelines are provided for outdoor seated spectator events, indoor and outdoor tennis facilities, and RV Parks and Campgrounds.

Businesses also can download signage designed to keep their employees safe in the workplace and limit the spread of COVID-19 while interacting with customers.

A number of ECCI members—Dependable Printing Services, Helping Hands Cleaning Service, Mostardi Platt, ServPro of Elmhurst, Sir Speedy Print, Signs, Marketing and Villa Park Office Equipment—have marketed their products and services via our “Shop Members First” Member Message e-mail and social media program to fellow businesses in need of COVID-19 assistance ranging from signage to face masks, from shields to sanitizer, from dividers to disinfecting.

In partnership with the U.S. Chamber, Illinois Chamber of Commerce, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce and related business associations, ECCI has regularly posted information about available federal, state and county financial assistance programs on our Chamber website’s home page, and via our Facebook and Twitter pages social media pages.

Informing the Elmhurst business community continues to be an “all hands on deck” exercise and ECCI representatives have regularly interacted with elected members of Congress, SBA officials and business experts participating in online sessions to share insight and information.

Our Chamber hosted a June 10 visit by U.S. Congressman Mike Quigley (D-5th District), who toured the Elmhurst Farmer’s Market in the York and Vallette Business District and then we discussed needs for additional COVID-19 relief legislation with Erin Jason, our City’s Economic Development Coordinator, while lunching at nearby Riley’s Gathering Place.

Suspended Membership Dues
Come August, some of the 25 members for whom our Chamber has suspended their annual or monthly membership dues payments dating back to March will be asked to pay, if possible.

Happy Anniversary
Six members are celebrating Chamber anniversaries in July as follows:  35 yearsDependable Printing Services; 20 yearsARC Physical Therapy; 15 yearsElmhurst Panhellenic Association; 10 yearsKen Bartels Consulting and Konica Minolta Business Solutions; and 5 yearsThe Beauty Lounge.

New Members
The Chamber welcomed four new members in June as follows:  Crum-Halsted Insurance and Risk Management, Edie Boutique, HBIC Weddings and PCT Disinfecting.

Dropped Members
The Chamber said goodbye to the following 18 members in June:  A Sheer Encounter Salon & Day Spa, AMITA Health, Bacci Pizza, Balance Wellness Center, Citizen Advisory Center, Cutter’s Landscaping, Edward Jones Financial Advisor-Bandel, Edward Jones Financial Advisor-Janes, Elmhurst Jaycees, Halfway House Indoor Golf, Holiday Inn Express & Suites/Bensenville, Java Master International, LifeSource (Chicagoland’s Blood Center), New Prairie Counseling Center, Robert Pine, State Farm Insurance (Archibald), Unique Travel Services and West Studios.

School I Love, Elmhurst
Congratulations to Elmhurst College (Founded in 1871), my beloved Alma Mater (Class of 1977), which today officially became Elmhurst University.  Planning is already underway for the institution’s Sesquicentennial Celebration in 2021.