(Beaver County, PA) By guest columnist, Helen Kissick , President of the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce.

CURRENT HIRING CHALLENGES/SOLUTIONS – June President’s Message
The signs are everywhere: WE ARE HIRING! APPLY WITHIN! MAKE A REFERRAL! HIRING
BONUS! etc. Businesses all around us here in Beaver County and elsewhere are working hard to re-open and regain business/customers that may have been parked on the sidelines while we were in the worst of the pandemic. And customers appear to be responding well, armed with money in hand from the savings they were able to accumulate during the pandemic by not spending much, in addition to various stimulus programs by government to help shore up the economy.
There seem to be two significant mismatches as a result:

1. supply chains are strained to keep up with pent up demand and
2. many employers are finding it hard to find workers to hire.

I believe that some of that mismatch will resolve itself with a bit of time (within weeks or months), however I am also personally convinced that we are not simply going back to pre-pandemic ‘normal’. Following are some suggestions as to what employers could/should be doing to make themselves more attractive as a place where a potential job seeker will want to look  for gainful employment.

• Streamline work! Stop doing the same-old-same-old. Critically look at all that
consumes time and attention for your employees and see if you can find ways to
eliminate the work altogether. For example: incentivize customers to pay online using
credit cards, so you can stop processing cash and checks. For those familiar with Lean
Manufacturing principles, apply them to your workspace and see how much can be
outright eliminated or made more efficient.
• Job seekers still are held back because of childcare or eldercare challenges. Employers who help their employees solve this issue will be well ahead of the curve. This could bein the form of providing on-site access to such care, or providing funding for such care, or having flexible work hours that can accommodate care needs. Look around near your workplace and see if there is a service provider for child or elder care who is able to set up a customized solution for your workforce.
• Outsource the work! One of our Chamber members has found ways to contract work
with an agency located elsewhere in the world who has the expertise and time to get
the job done quickly, effectively and seamlessly. I realize this may not be a well received answer for those who believe strongly in buying locally, but for a struggling
business, this could be a lifeline that allows them to continue to operate under these
workforce shortage conditions.
• Flexible work arrangements are the name of the game: when possible, let the
employee choose work hours and/or work location.
• Ask your employees: can you make a referral as to who might be a good hire? Pay a
bonus to the employee who made the referral when it results in a positive hire. And
pay a hiring / stay on bonus to the new employee given they meet certain criteria (e.g.
have worked for at least a month). Consider giving the same ‘stay’ bonus to current
employees.
• Reduce the amount of time the business is open. For example, if the business is
normally open from 8 AM to 5 PM, consider having hours from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
instead for some or all (think how this may help with child elder care). For a restaurant, instead of offering breakfast, lunch and dinner, switch to only lunch and dinner instead.
• Share employees. Can you share a bookkeeper? Waitresses/waiters? Receptionists? Maintenance people?
• Retrain/upskill employees. If you have a good employee who is eager to learn and
improve their earnings, invest time and effort into training. Here in Beaver County,
there are funding and resources available to help with this! Contact Job Training of
Beaver County for further information. https://jtbc.org/
• Ask your employees! Show genuine interest in what they would like to see to make
their place of employment stand out and a better place to be. And if you think you
cannot afford to make changes upgrade, think twice about the cost of employee
turnover (having to spend time on the recruiting, hiring, training, learning curves, etc.).
• Pay a sustainable living wage! The days of paying the absolute minimum wage seem
numbered for many entry-level positions. With demand outpacing supply, now is the
time to increase wages AND raise prices on the products or services your business
offers. It’s a matter of being able to compete, and if your business doesn’t adjust to this dynamic, you are likely to find employees leaving for greener (=higher wage jobs)
pastures elsewhere.
• Ensure your business is doing all it can to keep workers safe/minimize exposure to the pandemic. While our current COVID19 situation is, thankfully, easing, this is not the case for all (think of those unable to get a vaccination). In addition, experts are warning us that other variations of the pandemic may be lurking around the corner. Do all you can now to build resilience into your work processes to minimize potential exposure to future variations or spikes in the pandemic.
I’m sure you have ideas as to what should be tried under these circumstances. Please share them! Email president@bcchamber.com with your suggestions on how to attract and retain a good workforce by July 14th. With each suggestion, we will enter you into a draw to win a Rooted Locally gift card (click on the link below to learn more about this program, where we encourage all to shop locally in Beaver County). And we’ll share those suggestions at the upcoming Beaver County Recovery Summit on July 15th at CCBC plus do the draw for the Rooted Locally gift card associated with this suggestion program.
https://www.beavercountychamber.com/rooted-locally-gift-card

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BEAVER COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNOUNCES A NEW BUY LOCAL INITIATIVE: “Beaver County Rooted Locally e-Gift Card.”
The Beaver County Chamber of Commerce is proud to announce an exciting new initiative to help support our local business community even more, with the launch of the Beaver County Rooted Locally e-Gift Card program.

Keeping Dollars Local: “Now more than ever, the objective is to keep spending local, and ramp-up our continued support of the Beaver County business community” says Helen Kissick, President of the Chamber. “Encouraging our community to shop local has been an ongoing theme, but even more so, especially in the wake of COVID-19. While local businesses work hard to reopen safely, many of us are wondering what we can do to help. The Beaver County Rooted Locally e-Gift Card makes it easy for ALL of us to play a role in boosting our local economy and strengthening our business community.” How it Works: All Gift Card purchases and business enrollments will be processed through the Beaver County Chamber of Commerce website. Business Enrollment-it is easy to participate. Exclusive to Beaver County businesses only, participation is perfect for restaurants, sports & fitness gyms, retailers, hair salons & spas, florists & garden centers, car washes, hotels, service providers plus more! No specialequipment or software is required; if a business accepts Mastercard payments, then it can accept the Beaver County Rooted Locally e-gift cards. There is a nominal enrollment fee for a 12-month long listing, and an Early Bird Enrollment Discount will be offered through June 30, 2021.

Gift Card Purchase: As we head into May, think about all of the gift giving opportunities that come in the form of graduations, teachers’ appreciation, Father’s Day, July 4th and so on. Imagine giving gifts that are guaranteed to support your neighbors here in Beaver County, rather than supporting businesses elsewhere in the world. The card appears on the recipient’s smart phone, and they are occasionally reminded to redeem the gift card at participating businesses through alerts. No more forgotten gift cards sitting at home. Completely contactless (a real plus during Covid), an online purchase can be made from the comfort of one’s home. There are a variety of denomination selections starting at $5 and up to $250.00. The purchase of the Gift Card is face value, plus a processing fee. Gift Card Recipient: The recipient will receive an email or text letting them know that the purchaser has sent them a Beaver County Rooted Locally e-Gift Card. A personal message from the purchaser is seen by the recipient. The recipient is directed to a list of participating merchants, retailers and restaurants that accept the Beaver County Rooted Locally e-Gift. The purchaser receives notifications when the e-Card is delivered, opened and redeemed. Sponsorship Opportunities: Our Chamber is actively seeking partners who will be prominently featured as we roll out and market the program. This is a terrific opportunity to be an integral catalyst for standing together to support our neighbors and local businesses. This program will support those who need it most and help keep LOCAL dollars LOCAL. Thanks to our Community Partners! This program was made possible through a sponteneous, collaborative group effort. Working together since last year to launch the Beaver County Rooted Locally marketing campaign, this will now include this exciting gift card option. Our sincere thanks to our friends at Beaver County Tourism, Beaver County PUSH, Paramount Pursuits, Minuteman Press, Brkich Design Group and Beaver County Council of Governments. Together, we make Beaver County strong!

Show your support and purchase a Gift Card, or enroll your business.  For more information, contact the Chamber office. Call 724-775-3944 or email info@bcchamber.com.

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BEAVER COUNTY RETAILERS AND CONSUMERS – WE NEED YOU!

October 2020 President’s Message
Together, we enter the last two months of a tumultuous year called 2020. Taking a moment to reflect, and getting ready for the winter months ahead, we have learned quite a bit about how the county’s businesses survive and thrive. Recall earlier this year we said we needed to:
1. Know where all of our small retailers and service providers were located;
2. Prepare and support those businesses to effectively market and sell locally under pandemic restrictions; and Find ways to encourage consumers to shop locally.

So we are thrilled to report status on all three fronts, with good progress made collaboratively thus far, and yet much ground left to cover, which we intend to do WITH YOUR HELP!

• We now have a working database of Beaver County based businesses, so we can find them and build upon the
  foundation. Click the link HERE to access the database, see if you find your favorite store/service provider, sort by
  category, and discover all that is right here in Beaver County!
• This month, we are rolling out a marketing campaign called ‘Rooted Locally’, poised to assist businesses to promote themselves and their neighboring businesses, all essentially free of charge to access. YES – FREE OF
  CHARGE to businesses in Beaver County, and with access to printing and development resources if so desired. You’re going to love the tools that are included in this campaign. For a taste of some of it, look at the sample
  material, and stay tuned for a further rollout (or contact our Chamber office).
• So now we need to drive/encourage consumers to spend dollars locally. There are so many ways that you can and have helped!
• We just finished our second Car Scavenger Hunt, featuring multiple routes and merchants to encourage local spending in a socially distanced, fun and engaging ways. Check out some pictures of great engagement.
• The end of year shopping season is upon us. Yes, it’s super easy to go to Amazon or Stich Fix or the many other online out-of-county merchants to find great stuff. Let’s convince and compel you to think about local merchants; imagine if you manage to drive just 25% more of your seasonal purchases to Beaver County based businesses, beyond what you normally would do, then we have a HUGE win for this county, its businesses and its residents. Think of all the positive spin off this could cause – a great ripple: local business does well, owners are able to hire/pay their employees, make a contribution to a local charity, pay taxes to local municipalities, take on more storefronts that may have become vacant or idle, attract workers from local educators or displacing companies, and on and on!

Help us finish the year with a positive BANG! We can do this Beaver County!

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Harry Kunselman’s Government Affairs article

With all the negativity surrounding he COVID-19, in the limited space available on this insert, the Chamber wanted to focus on some of the shining moments in Beaver County amidst the crisis.  By no means comprehensive, following are some “Silver Linings:”

 

Statistical Victories.  Because Beaver Countians exercised social responsibility, many areas have avoided or minimized infection.  Six zip codes in Beaver County had zero confirmed cases.  Twelve zip codes had 10 or fewer.  As of May 22, 2020, of the 539 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the County, 72% of them are confined to residents or employees of long-term care facilities.  This is not to minimize the tragic effects on those impacted in these facilities; but it is worth celebrating the successes outside these facilities.

 

Charity.  Hard times can bring out the best in people.  Through the United Way and other agencies, tens of thousands of dollars have supported local food programs.  Shell has generously donated to organizations in need, including a program by Shell employees for care packages for lower income families.  These efforts spawned other support for these care packages, including from such donors as the Highmark Caring Place, Serv Pro of West Beaver County, Walmart, Aliquippa Giant Eagle, the Beaver County Association of Realtors, Beverly and Philip Pietrandrea, Beaver Valley Piecemakers Quilt Guild, Alec & Helen Kissick, Spanos Group of Raymond James, and Design Inspirations, to name only a few.  In the coming weeks, you will hear more about this program, including the names of other donors.  Anyone wanting to support this effort should contact the Chamber office at 724-775-3944.  Many thanks to all who support such agencies as the United Way, Beaver County YMCA, Meals on Wheels, the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh, the Salvation Army, the Hugh Lane Foundation, and many more, all to relieve distress among those impacted most severely.

Good Government.­  Local officials have been nimble and proactive to manage the crisis.  As examples, the Courthouse has operated safely throughout the crisis, providing essential government services, including critical court operations.  So far, the jail has no confirmed cases– a remarkable accomplishment given the inherent risks of the facility.  The Community Development Program and the Corporation for Economic Development partnered to create a small business assistance program.  Our Beaver County state legislators have all been advocating zealously for Beaver County in Harrisburg, and our U.S. Congressman and Senators have been highly responsive to local needs.  It has been refreshing to see partisanship largely take a back seat to overcoming this crisis.

 

Support for Businesses.  Thanks to a tremendous staff, the Chamber created a COVID-19 resource page on its web site at www.beavercountychamber.com and remains open to assist businesses with navigating the crisis and saving jobs.  The Beaver County banking community has been an unsung hero helping businesses and individuals to access life-sustaining funding.  NBC News Now will feature Beaver County businesses in forthcoming coverage, hopefully attracting people to Beaver County as a place to live and work.  WBVP & WMBA (99.3 FM) have publicized the Chamber’s resource guide made available by My Benefit Advisor to help businesses to prepare for reopening.  These and other efforts are paving the way to emerging from the crisis and restoring prosperity.

 

Future Wins:  We encourage the community to stay tuned for more announcements from the Chamber in support of the community in the coming weeks.  As examples:

 

• In coordination with Don Williams from TAB Pittsburgh North, the Chamber will launch 3 sessions to help business owners to strengthen their businesses under stressful circumstances;

 

• The Chamber has been meeting with key stakeholders in the event planning/management business to prepare for a restart of that sector of the economy. Please contact the Chamber if you want to learn more and join this group.  It is open to members and non-members alike;

 

• The Chamber is working with the Beaver County Regional Council of Governments (COG), Beaver Underground, Brkich Design, Paramount Pursuits, Beaver County Tourism and Minuteman Press to make available a shared database for all retailers open for business. This will launch very soon and will underpin a marketing campaign to help retail businesses to get back on their feet in Beaver County.

 

These are but a few examples of the winning spirit of Beaver County.  The Chamber salutes the private and public sector alike for dedicating themselves to overcoming this crisis.  We urge everyone to keep their resolve so that Beaver County can emerge stronger than ever.

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