News

THIS JUST IN FROM THE SBA"We now have a web page where everything you need to know about PPP is available to lenders, borrowers, and an  updated lender locator.  That site is www.sba.gov/paycheckprotection.  You can send borrowers who want to know how to participate, lenders who want info, and the lender locator.   EIDL loan dollars should start to be disbursed Today or tomorrow.  Anyone ...read more

The Sullivan Catskills Visitors Association is rallying local civic groups and economic development partners to join us as we honor our Health Care Workers, First Responders and Essential Personnel who continue working tirelessly, devoting their time to keeping us safe.     We are asking for our partners to show these workers support by Posting a Message, Posting a Video or Facebook Live every ...read more

Community MattersA newsletter from the Sullivan CountyDivision of Planning & Community DevelopmentApril 3, 2020Sullivan Census Promotion Needs a Boost!Response is lagging; Worst in State   Sullivan County has the next lowest census self-response rate in New York State with the exception of Hamilton.   A lot of things may be paused right now, but the Sullivan County Complete ...read more

NEW UPDATE FROM THE SULLIVAN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 4/2/2020    In Governor Cuomo's press conference today (Thursday), the governor announced that the health insurance market place will remain open until May 15.   Governor Cuomo also asked any company that can create personal protective equipment for hospital or emergency response personnel, to please call 212-803-3100 or ...read more

Updates: Tuesday, March 31, 2020SBA Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) Program Details Published!Overview: The Paycheck Protection Program is a loan designed to provide a direct incentive for small businesses to keep their workers on the payroll. SBA will forgive loans if all employees are kept on the payroll for eight weeks and the money is used for payroll, rent, mortgage interest, or utilities. ...read more

Greater Hudson Valley Health System Medical Group Offers Telehealth Service  Middletown/Harris, NY – The Greater Hudson Valley Health System Medical Group comprised of Orange Regional Medical Group and Catskill Regional Medical Group is pleased to offer telehealth to their established patients. “We are pleased to bring the benefits of telehealth to our patients,” said Dr. Gerard Galarneau, ...read more

15 Little Acts of Kindness to Implement During COVID-19   About a week ago the people in my county received a very different type of emergency communication. I'm in a popular hurricane area so those who signed up for emergency text messages are no stranger to them. However, even when we were evacuated due to Hurricane Irma we didn't receive anything like this.   The first line of the text ...read more

NEW RESOURCES  Senator Gillibrand has released a COVID-19 Disaster Funding Guidebook for businesses and communities across New York State  Sullivan County - The Chamber of Commerce, Visitors Association, Economic Partnership, IDA and The County are working on an easy to fill out questionnaire that will serve as a tool to determine need and availability of help for your business .  As soon as the ...read more

IMPORTANT UPDATES FROM THE SULLIVAN COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 3-25-2020The New York Small Business Development Council has created a website designed to help businesses navigate the Economic Injury Disaster Loan process. It can be found HERE.   Governor Cuomo has created a new website that will be used to update individuals and businesses on the new paid leave measures. The page is ...read more

Access Launches 24/7 Virtual Mental Health & Substance Use Urgent Care In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Access: Supports for Living Inc. has launched a Virtual Mental Health and Substance Use Urgent Care. Adults and children struggling with anxiety, depression, or any other mental health or substance use concern will have access to this new, virtual resource beginning Monday, March 23rd at ...read more

How to Write an Effective Coronavirus (COVID-19) Message for Your Business   If you have had time to look in your email inbox recently, it's likely cluttered with messages from big brands telling you what they’re doing as we're facing the global pandemic of COVID-19. The point behind these communications is to quell fear and reassure people that it’s safe to patronize these businesses.   If ...read more

The Sullivan County Chamber is a Good Neighbor in our Communities   Often assumed a business support organization only, the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce is a good neighbor in all communities in Sullivan County and the region! The Chamber of Commerce does have one certain common denominator with our fellow Chambers, and that is to encourage and promote local business. While individuals who ...read more

6 Law Changes That May Affect Your Business in 2020   Ahhh 2020. A year in which the futuristic movies Blade Runner and Back to the Future are both now set in the past. If that doesn't blow your mind, you’re either under 25 or not one for movies. Not impressed? Then how about some of the big changes that are taking effect for small business this year? Many of these were signed into law a ...read more

Western Sullivan Public Library Announces Children’s Story Hour in January Storytime: We'll read together, sing songs, learn age-old rhymes, participate in felt board type activities, craft and play with our friends! This program is intended for ages 3-5, but all are welcome. We’ll meet at 10:30 am on Tuesdays (January 7th & 14th) at the Tusten-Cochecton Branch of the Western Sullivan Public ...read more

Johnny the Bagger: a Customer Service StorySeveral years ago,  a motivational speaker at a convention shared the story of “Johnny the Bagger.” The presenter was hired by a large supermarket chain to lead a customer service program, and she shared that experience with us.In her presentation to the employees of this supermarket she said, “Every one of you can make a difference,” and she challenged ...read more

Help Your Customers Fall in Love Even If Your Brand Isn't George Clooney Customers want to do business with companies they know, like, and trust. You've likely seen extremely dedicated fans of the Fortune 100 brands. They wait in ridiculously long lines for product roll-outs; they refuse to buy from a competitor; and they think every other brand in that category is inferior.  But how can you ...read more

Chamber Membership: Getting Out What You Put InThere’s a saying in chamber circles that a chamber membership is like a gym membership. You get out what you put in. You can’t join a gym, never go, and expect to have abs like Ryan Gosling. But is a chamber membership really like going to the gym? That depends on whether you like going to the gym or not.Getting Out What You Put in to ...read more

Experience Is the New Marketing Gimmick I've worked with many businesses in creating content for their website. When I do, one of the questions I ask is what makes them different from their competition. Almost always they answer their customer service and their willingness to stand behind their product or service. Perfect. Except…   Every business thinks they have these things. And even if they ...read more

31+ Social Media Posts to Improve Your Holiday Marketing The fall and early winter are a treasure trove of holidays.  It seems like we go from one to the next. That's why it's incredibly important to make sure you're using these momentous occasions in your marketing.     Have you ever noticed how retail goes straight from one holiday to the next? One of the reasons for that is because holidays ...read more

4 Ways a Chamber Membership Can Balance Out Seasonal Business If your business is seasonal, it probably feels a lot like feast or famine. You may love your seasonal crowds but hate the fear you won’t last long enough to see your next one. Seasonal businesses or businesses in towns with a seasonal draw struggle with year-round consistent revenue. While you might not ever achieve revenue equality ...read more

Do you track the number of sales you make along with the revenue? Of course you do. How do your numbers look? Are you increasing or remaining the same? Hopefully you’re not down this year but if you are, these may be some of the reasons why and what you can do to fix them: You Can’t Compete on PriceI’m making a broad generalization here, but as a small business you can’t compete on price with the ...read more

In a recent survey by Daysmart Software, 54% of small business owners admitted to being worried about making enough money. Making money is a common concern because not only does it factor in bringing in enough clients or customers but also ensuring your products or services are priced right and negotiating any cash flow problems.   Small business owners have lots of stressors as they follow ...read more