Kankakee County Chambers, CVB Promote Buy Local Campaign April 11-18

The Kankakee County Chamber of Commerce, Manteno Chamber of Commerce and the Kankakee County Convention & Visitors Bureau are joining chambers and small businesses across the state of Illinois to launch the ‘IL’ove Local campaign to encourage people to support local businesses during the week of April 11 – 18, 2020, led by the Illinois Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives (IACCE).

The Kankakee and Iroquois Counties COVID-19 Community Response Fund announced today it has distributed more than $250,000 to 16 organizations serving Kankakee and Iroquois counties.

The U.S. Small Business Administration’s new programs to help businesses stabilize during the COVID-19 pandemic have brought a number of new issues, questions and frustrations to business owners around the country. The programs were being revised almost hourly prior to their recent launch. We break down some of the frequently asked questions about the Payroll Protection Program (PPP) here.

Change is the universe’s default. Progress, at its best, is positive change. As we together weather the unprecedented global reverberations presented by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, subsequent shelter-in-place precautions, and tremendous personal and business losses, it is tempting to abandon the notion of progress. But that would be a tragic mistake.

The United Way of Kankakee and Iroquois Counties and the Community Foundation of Kankakee River Valley jointly launched the Kankakee & Iroquois Counties COVID-19 Community Response Fund to support organizations providing vital basic needs, services and resources to disproportionately impacted individuals, families and vulnerable populations in Kankakee and Iroquois counties.

The programs and initiatives in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act that was passed by Congress are intended to assist business owners with whatever needs they have right now. When implemented, there will be many new resources available for small businesses, self-employed and independent contractors, franchise owners, as well as certain non- profits and other employers.

Business strategy can be a very large and overwhelming topic for small businesses. Many believe their pursuit of survival overwrites the need to consider long-term strategy. While this may have been true in the past, it can no longer be true in the ever-changing economic landscape that we are witnessing today.

To help hospitality businesses make ends meet in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Illinois Department of Commerce has launched the Hospitality Emergency Grant Program with $14 million drawn from funds originally budgeted for job training, tourism promotion, and other purposes. Grant funds are available to support working capital like payroll and rent, as well as job training, retraining, and technology to support shifts in operations, like increased pick-up and delivery. Deadline to apply is April 1.

Daily updates on the COVID-19 (novel coronavirus) economic response and recovery in the Kankakee, Illinois, metropolitan statistical area

The Economic Alliance of Kankakee County proudly supports Selling Happiness and The Lively One, twin PBS-slated documentaries by acclaimed filmmakers Tom Desch and Pat Wisniewski with Lakeshore Public Media that recount the thrilling story of how Kankakee’s Romy Hammes and his descendants developed new promotional, service and financing models that brought the automobile to the masses in its earliest days of production.