Covid19

Help us Help our Small Businesses!

Show your Community Pride and Help our Small Businesses

During these unprecedented times, the Mount Pleasant Area Chamber Alliance wants to show the world that we are a community that is tough enough to withstand this challenge. But more importantly, we are a community that has the heart and compassion to care for each other. That is why we are hosting a fundraiser to help our small businesses that have been shut down due to COVID-19.

Using our tagline “Built with Heart”, we are selling Mount Pleasant items on our website. For every item you purchase, you will designate a local business to receive the proceeds from the sales. The businesses are all chamber members and are on the list of the Governor’s mandatory closures.

Thanks to the help of Anywear Apparel, Custom Impressions, Safeguard and Staats, the chamber is able to purchase these items for just $5.00. The remaining portion of the purchase will go to the small business of your choice. Sales will take place between now and May 8. You will be notified by email when your items are ready to be picked up.

We want to say a special thank you to Van Dijk Consultants, who is also a local small business, for helping us to design this site. Go shopping at www.mpiowa.org/store

Press Release on Covid-19

Gov. Reynolds signs new proclamation continuing State Public Health Emergency Declaration

On Thursday, March 26, Gov. Reynolds signed a new proclamation continuing the State Public Health Emergency Declaration, suspending elective and nonessential medical and dental procedures, extending and expanding retail business closures, ordering health care facilities and nursing homes to engage in advanced health care screenings, and removing additional legal barriers to ensure a continued strong response to this disaster. The state of public health disaster emergency shall expire on April 16, 2020, at 11:59 p.m., unless sooner terminated or extended by the governor. For more information, please click here for the full proclamation.

 

Governor Announces Much Needed Small Business Relief

This week, Governor Reynolds announced the launch of a new Iowa Small Business Relief Program that will provide financial assistance to small businesses that have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers eligible small businesses grants ranging from $5,000-$25,000 in addition to offering Iowa businesses a deferral of sales and use or withholding taxes due and waiver of penalty and interest.

In addition, a fund has been created to support Targeted Small Businesses (TSB) with zero employees that have been economically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers eligible small businesses grants ranging from $5,000-$10,000 to businesses that are sole proprietors or single-member LLCs that are also TSB certified, or have an application submitted to the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) by April 10, 2020 to become TSB certified.

For both of these programs, plus information from the Small Business Administration Disaster Assistance Loan, log on to www.ioweconomicdevelopment.com.

 

Additional Resources:

US Dept of Labor News Release 

What is an Essential Business?

Supply Chain Disruption Planning