Molinaro to Speak to Business Community during Virtual Contact Breakfast this Wednesday
Dutchess County Leads Region in Proactive Efforts to Address Business Needs During Pandemic

Poughkeepsie … Dutchess County Executive Marcus J. Molinaro announced today, in cooperation with the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce, an hour-long “Virtual Contact Breakfast” and Telephone Town Hall for local business owners and leaders will be held on Wednesday, April 15, at 8 a.m. County Executive Molinaro will discuss the many ways Dutchess County is working with the business community to react and respond during the COVID-19 pandemic, including proactive efforts to provide and collect information, resources and guidance.

Members of the business community can participate by calling (845) 765-7121 on Wednesday, April 15, beginning at 8 a.m., and it will also be streamed live on the County’s and Chamber’s Facebook pages.

County Executive Molinaro said, “Small businesses are the backbone of Dutchess County’s local economy and, as we face the Coronavirus pandemic together, many have had to rapidly change the way they do business. We understand the hardships being faced by our business community and have been working tirelessly to mobilize resources to help ensure business owners have the support they need.”

“Together with the Dutchess County Regional Chamber of Commerce and the many partners of the Think Dutchess Alliance for Business, we launched the Dutchess Business Notification Network which has been a critical information outlet for businesses during these unprecedented times,” Molinaro continued.  “I encourage the business community to join us for Wednesday’s Virtual Contact Breakfast and Telephone Town Hall to learn more about our efforts and update us on their needs.”

The Dutchess Business Notification Network (DBNN) shares important updates, guidelines and information for the businesses and nonprofits in the community at www.dutchessbnn.com.  Business owners are encouraged to sign-up for daily email updates as well as join the DBNN Facebook Group for frequent updates.

Dutchess County’s efforts through the Dutchess Business Notification Network include:

• Survey of business needs to analyze the pandemic’s impact on the local economy and assess future business community needs to be well-positioned to recharge the economy as restrictions are lifted.
• Coordination with the Small Business Administration (SBA) to promote disaster relief loans to eligible businesses.
• Daily updates on State guidance for businesses including essential vs. non-essential classification, Paycheck Protection Plan (PPP) loans, unemployment insurance, mortgage relief, and more.
• Collaboration with local businesses and residents to coordinate collection of Personal Protective Equipment donation for the County’s response efforts.
• Webinars for businesses with the Dutchess Chamber, such as the recent “Cybersecurity Awareness During COVID-19” to support business owners now operating remotely.
• Sharing “best practices” for essential retail and service industry businesses to protect employees and customers.
• Collaborating with Dutchess Tourism to promote “Take-out Tuesdays” to support local restaurants.

Later Wednesday evening, County Executive Molinaro will host the next in his weekly series of Telephone Town Hall and Facebook Live events for residents to participate and learn more about how Dutchess County is continuing to assist residents in need through its “Dutchess Responds” relief effort. Starting at 5:30 p.m., residents can call 845-765-7121 to listen and ask questions, or submit inquiries as Facebook comments.

Dutchess County Government continues to provide residents the most current information on its COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard, and further updates and guidance are available on its website, www.dutchessny.gov/coronavirus, its Coronavirus hotline, (845) 486-3555, and its Facebook and Twitter accounts.