 Good afternoon and welcome. I'm so glad to be visiting with you Kathy Davis and Tom tortie of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce Thanks. Nice to see you both Nice to see you happy to be here. Yeah So when I got the update from you every week you send out a legislative update I thought it might be a good opportunity for us to speak together about the legislative agenda and You know more broadly the economic impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic It's I think rattling everyone, but as the caretakers of the economic health of our region I wondered what your initial response is maybe Tom you could start and how you have Set up ways to support the businesses and industries of our region Sure, I'll start and then turn it over to Kathy who has been really taking a lead on The work that we've been doing along with with our staff so We realized this was coming probably a week or so before We went into a formal shutdown we began working remotely and In talking to our contacts around the country had a good sense that we were about to experience something We hadn't experienced before didn't know what it was. I don't think anybody could so We put up a resource page very very early on pulling together state and federal resources and some local resources and made that available To the city to the state and we made it available to our members But also importantly we thought at this time this isn't about who's a member and who's not a member Who's on the bus off the bus we made it available to anybody who? Needed those resources right now our view was that this is a community effort It's not a chamber effort. It's not a political effort of Democrat Republican progressive effort. It's about helping Employers and their employees their employees families and the communities survive You know, we've always taken the attack that Businesses can only be healthy and do well if they take care of their employees and their families And if they do that then the community is all benefit. So this is a much larger Problem much larger issue than just the chamber of commerce and with that we launched a number of initiatives and I'll let Kathy kind of Jump into that because honestly she and the team have been taking the day-to-day operational lead on Wonderful. Thanks Kathy. Tell us a little bit about the programmatic response the chamber has had so the biggest thing that we Focused on initially Was like Tom said getting those resources out to members as quickly as possible Yeah, and having that information evolve as the resources evolved Secondary to that was we we launched a number of webinars specifically on the federal packages and the PPP loans those sorts of things and Made them available to all businesses regardless of membership Those are also available on our website now for anybody to view Hoping to get the information out to people as soon as possible And then finally right now we just completed reaching out to all of our members So we placed probably within the last week and a half or two weeks phone calls and emails to You know almost 1500 businesses The goal with those was one just to say How are you? Are you okay? And then second to see what questions they had and so our staff were really being case workers For those businesses one business needed a connection for hand sanitizer another You know needed help With a lending question Another was trying to find an answer with how the stay-at-home order affected their business. So doing that one-on-one Assistance for people as they were navigating this with the goal of just being sure we we know that the told That this will take on our business community will be difficult But the more we can do now to get them through it the better and then lots of work with different businesses that had Resources that they could share So one of the the brightest spots coming through this has been the number of businesses that are trying to help with the response Whether that's donations of personal protective equipment or trying to retool their manufacturing to be a part of the the effort and so We have been trying to make those connections as well for people It has run the the gamut from getting protective gowns to Seeing you senior care facilities so that their staff could be safe to getting eyewear to infrared Infrared ultraviolet lights to do sanitation our members the business community has Really stepped up to the plate while they're facing enormous challenges, right in terms of being able to pay their bills and make payroll and just Navigate this new world as you talk about They haven't lost sight of the fact that their neighbors need help as well So whether it's a a large multinational company donating or a small Cannabis business donating from the smallest to the largest people have said what can I do to help this community? And that is what makes this area great So are you satisfied with the federal response? I Think personally It it has made me that much more thankful that I live in Vermont I think without a doubt I've been pleased with how Vermont has handled this But I think that it was asked recently Should the state have been more prepared for something like this and my response was I really truly think that something at this level Is where the federal government needs to lead? and while I think our Vermont Congress congressional delegation has been So in touch and so focused on how we come out of this At the at the national level with them aside, I'm pretty discouraged and have been fairly discouraged Though not surprised unfortunately in terms of the leadership at the executive level And what about I'm sorry, Tom Just why don't we just hop on what do you think the state's response has been the governor's response Tom? I Think that if the rest of the governor is around this country if he president of the United States Responded the way that Phil Scott is responding in Vermont, which is much like Andrew Cuomo was doing in New York State this country be a lot better off in terms of the health of its population both Leading up to the crest of this and certainly during the period of time when states were clamoring and begging for personal protective equipment I think our Leadership in this state from the executive level and the legislative level have distinguished themselves By putting politics aside and by working in the common interest and best interest of all the monitors It is what we have always said about our Representatives and leadership in the state and it really is coming true now And I just want to echo what Kathy said, you know our federal delegation senators lady and senators and congressman Welch In the rest of the country should have this leadership every we're on calls with them twice a week We had an issue Around some nonprofit legislation that we heard was may be going a little bit sideways in in the house That raised in the afternoon that evening got a letter from Peter Welch with a gazillion other Congress people saying fix this I mean, where else but in this state can you have that type of representation? How are you keeping track of what's Going on in the What seems like a you know creative approach required Yeah, I mean, you know Even a decade ago What it would have been like we have these amazing tools now that allow us to all connect virtually But it has definitely become more difficult to keep track of what's going on in the legislature They still do have public schedules and their committee meetings are public as they should be But I would say that the ability to sort of provide I think one of the things what we strive to do as an organization is to provide thoughtful feedback and Feedback that is grounded in our members experience And when things move as quickly as they're moving When you don't have but you know when legislation is being drafted in a day or two and passed It definitely reduces our ability to sort of give that feedback and And improve, you know, we always strive to improve the legislation to make sure that it Has the most bang for the buck really and so that has definitely changed and has been a Bit of a struggle not that that deters us But so You know our Advocacy team as I would say working overtime trying to keep track of everything at the legislature Plus trying to keep track of as you probably saw the federal legislation and all of the potential impacts and benefits for employers that Was included in the federal response package thus far But but word we're committed to it so we're doing our best Are there some examples of legislation or decisions the legislature has made that will affect Vermont businesses and regional businesses? I Think the biggest thing Has been that the Vermont legislature passed some changes to unemployment insurance in advance of the federal CARES Act passing And so it wasn't it neither was a mistake But one influenced the other And so we're getting a lot of questions from businesses whose employees in many cases are being asked to be laid off Because the unemployment benefits are so generous Where the I think intent of the CARES Act was really to keep people on payroll And so that's it it that will have an impact on the business right now It'll have an impact on the business in the future And of course when it comes to things like keeping grocery stores open it could have an impact on all of us So that you know, that's one where And and I think we understand very much that this is a Frightening time So people's choices might be different than they would be Outside of a pandemic But so that's one where the you know the the combination of the two is having a concerning impact on employers Tom are there positions that the chamber would have taken Earlier that might change now. I don't remember your position on the minimum wage increasing that to $15 an hour family leave You know that those come to mind so just remind me of what the positions Were for the chamber and if you might change some of your views now in light of What's decisions that have been made for this period of time? I Think you are Without sounding too much like a politician our positions on those bills have really evolved as We kind of have come to understand the effects of the on business We supported the legislation that move forward this year We thought it was a kind of a reasonable compromise on the minimum wage bill. I think I got that right We were Hoping that the bill would have had if you will an automatic escalator and not sunset it because with its sunsetting every two years it just tees up Another must-pass bill every two years and we said pick the number set the benchmark Put an accelerator in a breath bench and a break on the benchmark and just let it go and you know We'll live with that net that allows businesses to plan The way it set up now we have a hard stop and it has to be renegotiated in two years and as you know Companies and businesses small or large like to have a little bit more planning lead time than the legislative cycle paid family leave I think we had an elegant solution that Made it more readily available to a larger population than what was being contemplated that would have basically been able to fund pre-k zero the five and It would have taken an investment frankly on behalf of the business community investment also means a tax or a fee but Our thought was being able to cover everybody zero to five as opposed to leaving out about fifty or sixty thousand people which the current bill does We thought that was a kind of a worthwhile investment I always go back to and we talk about this year after year the business community is not unalterably opposed to taxes and fees we just want them to be smart investments and so if we're going to make an investment in Pay family leave or pre-k. Let's kind of see if we can but can combine them together and do Something better than if you did one kind of unitary approach to those That was our view on stormwater and the Lake cleanup a couple of years ago Which was to do a statewide per parcel fee as opposed to some of the complex math That evolved in in the bill so I to answer your question. I don't know that this changes it because Until we know what the actual recovery is going to look like how long it's going to take I was talking to staff earlier. I guess last week, you know, some of the financial predictions coming out of investment houses in places like that or for a much steeper Recession Kind of looking like the Great Depression as opposed to the 2008 or after 9 11 or the 1998 recessions 1994 recessions that were Severe but we bounced and we came out. This one appears to be longer. So until we really know It's hard to predict what we would do differently with our legislation because we don't know the Size shape and scope of what we're playing with now Kathy is there anything you'd like to add? I Would add that I agree with Tom. Um, I Think that people will be surprised. I I do think that number one Hopefully everybody has seen through this for for better for worse how linked our business Communities successes with our communities success. I mean and and so I think Prior it's always been in us versus them Conversation what the business community wants is bad for the rest of Vermonners What's good for the rest of Vermonners is bad for the business community? It's been not our perspective, but I think a perspective held by many and hopefully The bright side as we come out of this is the concept that When it comes to Vermon and our community those two things are Intertwined and that we absolutely need the business community to recover and recover Strongly and as fast as possible because that is what returns health to our communities I Would also say that I don't think a single one of us can imagine what We will look like in a couple of months and So what our position may be when we don't know What businesses will potentially be left standing? My gut tells me that we have always advocated for the small businesses Because policies tend to affect them more And I don't think that that will change But I also think that Some of the things that we talked about prior will seem like a luxury as we come out of this It is almost impossible to predict what the next two months six months 18 months will be but as an intermediary organization you need to run scenarios and be ready for Possibilities so how are you how are you doing that? what kind of think tank brain trust or you bring together to think about the next the future and What are some of the scenarios maybe that you are thinking about is this going to be a complete meltdown for the Chittenden County in Vermont economy? I think It's going to be tough for the entire state Chittenden County once again because of the type of businesses the density of business Who's here who invests here will probably? Rebound more quickly than the rest of the state and will probably Survive this better than some other parts of the state. I mean, it's why people love to hate Chittenden County We are the economic engine of the state of Vermont, and I don't say that in a boastful way It's just a it's a fiscal factual reality We are pulling together actually this Thursday a meeting of our executive committee Which has financial institutions and small businesses, you know kind of the the alpha and the omega On on there kind of to talk through some financial scenarios that we're saying I think you will see businesses that were on the edge already unable to survive this and I think you're going to see unemployment Continue to be an issue Even when businesses start opening because I don't think people will be hiring back everyone that they were Laying off. I think it gives us an opportunity to Begin to do some training for positions that are still open and that people are recruiting for especially in the tech sector, which tends to be a clean and higher paying sector and our affiliation with Launch VT is an affiliate of the chamber the work that John Antonucci is doing a launch VT The work that we're doing with the city through BTB ignite and that economic development arm all converge together I think we're talking about training and investing in Displaced workers typically underserved workers underserved populations to get them the skills to be able to Apply for compete and get the jobs that will be available that right now are going on field Kathy have you seen any real innovation in this period that has been inspiring to you? Definitely I want to think about it for a minute um Yeah, I think We've seen a number of businesses Innovate in terms of how they could take a product that they were making And turn it into something useful right before we got on this call we received a message from a a senior care facility that had had an unexpected donation of Military face shields That they were intended for their frontline caregivers I Think and one of the things that I would follow up on what Tom was saying is that I think that the businesses That come out of this are the ones that will be able to pivot It's the word we keep using internally is how do you pivot? To where people are now or where your customers are And the ones that are able to be nimble Even the amount the the planning time has shrunk. I'm sure you've sensed this but you know doing a plan for a month right now seems like just Beyond your ability to fathom Um, yet you still have that impulse to want to do some long-term Planning, but long-term feels like a week now instead of a year So I do think where we're seeing Some ingenuity is Either in our own work figuring out, you know, our advocacy has always been important to what we do But right now The advocacy is almost a lifeline um So, you know that that has been sort of a pivot and then yes, we're seeing lots of businesses You know, maybe double down in terms of one way that they're serving customers But having to forget something else. I mean just just as simply as I think nobody has even Really thought long and hard about it. But what we've seen the restaurant and hospitality industry do Being places that you went to congregate and be in person To all of a sudden they're shipping and they're delivering and they're doing take, you know, and all of that really in a matter of Days they set that up and It it's there's so much actually that's inspiring right now for me um It's a difficult time for everybody Um, but it's also just one of those times where I feel like everybody um The number of times I've heard our businesses say I just want to do what's best Um, you know, it's it is inspiring at a time that is also difficult for so many So how are you doing at home with your children? How How's that not only are you doing your job adjusting to a pandemic, but your home schooling? Yeah, it's been interesting. I will be honest. Um, My husband has been my husband also works full-time. Um, he has been bearing the brunt of Of the homeschooling. Um, and um, it's it's um, thankfully We all love being at home um but our fifth grader um is You know just much more self-sufficient than our second grader And so yeah, just there are some days where He doesn't learn a whole lot and we just sort of have to be okay with that right now Yeah, that's a young brain. I think I think playing is probably just as good as learning anything Okay, thank you so much for joining us and also tom tortie and the work you're doing at the chamber. I really appreciate it Thanks for your time Thank you very much. Have a good afternoon. You too