HomeMy WebLinkAboutPacket - 05/26/2020 - Economic Development CommissionECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION
MEETING NOTICE
DATE: Tuesday, May 26, 2020
TIME: 4:00 p.m.
PLACE: Zoom Web Conferencing Application
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://cityofmchenry.zoom.us/j/94373985337
Phone: +1-312-626-6799
Meeting ID: 943 7398 5337
AGENDA
The City of McHenry is dedicated to providing the citizens, businesses and visitors of McHenry with the highest
quality of programs and services in a customer-oriented, efficient and fiscally responsible manner.
1. Call to Order
2. Roll Call
3. Public Input - (five minutes total)
4. Confirmation of Appointment of Economic Development Commission
5. Transition to Economic Recovery Plan
6. Shop & Dine McHenry Promotion
7. #ReLaunchMcHenry Taskforce
8. Adjourn
Next Meeting Date: July 28, 2020
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INTRODUCTION TO ECONOMIC RECOVERY FOR BUSINESS
Economic Recovery requires a safe start as well as a healthy workforce. Workplaces will
continue to look and operate differently. Continued physical distancing, teleworking and other
measures will continue to be required to keep workers and customers safe. The following steps
should be taken to get people back to work safely and efficiently:
· Implement a phased-in approach: Businesses should prepare for interventions to be rolled
back slowly and deliberately; develop a phased-in approach for when certain industries and
venues will reopen based on their ability to address health risks.
· Maintain smart physical distancing and other public health requirements: Businesses and
public spaces will need to maintain physical distancing, prevent touching of surfaces,
construct barriers, and make modifications, as necessary, to keep employees, customers, and
the public safe.
· Implement requirements for employers and workers: Keep the workforce healthy and allow
businesses to reopen and stay open by frequent handwashing and worksite cleaning;
screening and clear plans if an employee becomes ill, including contact
identification/notification to other workers in close proximity; worker training; adequate
supplies available for worker protection; and continuing teleworking policies wherever
possible. Continue to make special accommodations for higher-risk workers.
· Leverage lessons learned from businesses adhering to new safety standards: Replicate best
practices from industries that have adjusted to new safety standards and apply them to other
industries for a safe start as appropriate.
Listen and Learn: Understand levels of preparedness for industry transition and assess what
businesses, industries and communities need to have a safe start.
· Assist Small Businesses with Preparedness for new Safety Standards: Prepare restaurants,
main street businesses and manufacturers that are critical to the local economy and paying
living wages to be able to meet the new safety standards as soon as it is appropriate for a
safe start.
· Make it Easier for Workers to Navigate the New Economy: Create pathways for workers to
find new jobs through training and upskilling and offer worker support for identified areas of
critical need.
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· Build Job Creation Capacity through Entrepreneurship and Small Business Development:
Empower small businesses with tools they need to transition back to work, restore trade
activity and promote supply chain resiliency.
3
PROCESS FOR SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS REOPENING INTO THE
ECONOMY
The following are recommendations for our businesses seeking to reopen, more micro in
nature.
Communication Communication Communication: Information is extremely important, as
well as the exchange of information. Be open, honest and transparent. Communicate clearly
and ensure access to resources is provided to all. Much has happened over the past several
weeks and the facilitation of clear communication cannot be overstated-between all parties.
Coordinate efforts across organizations and leaders and be adaptable and fluid as situations
change.
Ensure businesses are Prepared for calls from the Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA): Have talking points ready for when OSHA calls your business, such
as what you did and what you do to keep your employees safe.
Ensure businesses are ready to deal with an employee with COVID-19: It is inevitable a
business is going to have to deal with someone with COVID-19. They are going to have to
know how to react to the person, to the public, deal with the business, other employees,
potentially the press. A prepared press statement should be on-hand.
Act and Adjust: Along with pivoting businesses must be encouraged to act and adjust in
certain instances. Businesses may need to act differently and in doing so adjust on the fly
and pursue new initiatives which ensure their business survives. This may mean going in a
different direction but if that is what is required it must be done.
Communicate and Monitor: Businesses need to understand this will be a marathon and not
a sprint. The economic recovery will require patience, adaptation and pivoting and
thoughtful communication. It will also require monitoring of what is working and what is not
working. It is crucial to understand communication and monitoring will play key roles in the
process of opening a business up to the economy. Strategic thoughts and planning will be
paramount. Action and reaction will be constant. This has been a time like no other and it
will require communication and monitoring, patience and persistence to the same degree.
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The following recommendations are for the McHenry Economic Development Commission
to implement on behalf of the businesses, more macro in nature.
Assess the Economy: We must take a step back and assess the overall economy and
determine which sectors are more in need than others. We must assess the impact of the
contraction of key industries, sectors and clusters, as well as differentiate short-term and
long-term impacts. We must develop a strategy for short and longer-term economic
recovery.
Pivot where Necessary: Once we assess the overall economy we must take a step back and
potentially pivot based upon the impact of COVID-19 and the effects it may have had in
different areas on either the economy or possibly a particular businesses.
Ensure Main Street Survives: Ensure financial assistance is in place for businesses. Establish
a Main Street/Downtown task force to assist businesses as they remobilize; create a working
group of medical professionals to provide advice on health and wellness protocols and
partner with larger institutions to get commitments to temporary local buying.
Work with Strategic Partners: Public and private, McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce,
McHenry Economic Development Corporation, McHenry County Workforce Network,
McHenry District 15, McHenry District 156, McHenry Library, McHenry Township Fire
Protection District and McHenry County College: Lean on strategic partners throughout the
entire recovery process for advice and leadership guidance. Businesses will need guidance,
jobs will need to be filled and education will be paramount.
Partner with Northwestern Medicine and McHenry County Health Department: Partner
with Northwestern Medicine and McHenry County Health Department on all Covid-19-
related items and guidance. Use Northwestern Medicine and McHenry County Health
Department as a resource to assist businesses with mobilization. Businesses will need
guidance on all Executive Orders and complying with them, particularly the smaller
businesses and restaurants.
Encourage Businesses to plan on the Front End: Assist businesses with planning for their
needs, i.e.-getting their financial house in order if a situation similar to this were to occur
again. Call on resources such as SCORE and the Small Business Development Center or the
McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce to assist businesses to prepare profit and loss/financial
statements and other documents they may need to apply for a loan or some other type of
financial assistance.
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Conduct Neighborhood Meetings: The City will hold neighborhood meetings to determine
what issues are germane to the particular neighborhood. The goal would be to bring the
business community together from a specific area of the City and have a discussion of the
issues important to those businesses in that area. This will be an ongoing feature the City will
take on to maintain an accurate pulse of the business community throughout the City.
Hold Facebook Live Events on a Weekly/Biweekly Basis: Another weekly/biweekly feature
the City will be doing is a Facebook Live program. During each program a topic of economic
development interest will be discussed, often times with a guest. The purpose of the program
will be to inform and educate.
Market Shop & Dine McHenry Campaign: Economic development staff will be launching a
campaign entitled Shop & Dine McHenry. The purpose of the campaign is to promote City of
McHenry businesses, promote the City of McHenry as a tourism destination and to maintain
a vibrant economy.
Create a Financial Loan Source for Businesses through Local Banks: It’s important after a
disaster to ensure there are funding sources readily available, particularly for small
businesses. Typically this is short-term funding, through a low-interest loan offered through
local banks. These programs should be in place as soon as practical.
Create a Business to Business Mentoring Program/Concierge Service: The Economic
Development Commission will service as a business mentoring/concierge service to
businesses within the City of McHenry. The purpose of doing so is to assist businesses with
various activities such as getting up and running, marketing, using social media, accounting
or whatever service they may require. This “Concierge Service” will be marketed different
ways, through neighborhood meetings, social media, traditional media, etc.
Ensure Businesses follow the recommendations of the International Council of Shopping
Centers: The International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) has provided guidelines, which
follow, for retailers and restaurants for COVID-19 reopening best practices.
Ensure Businesses follow the recommendations of the Occupational and Health Safety
Administration (OSHA) and the Center for Disease Control: OSHA and Center for Disease
Control (CDC) developed guidelines for going back to work and cleaning and disinfecting the
workplace. Publications are attached to this plan from both agencies.
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Ensure businesses do not ignore the mental health of their employees: It’s important to
remember the mental health of employees, not just the physical health. If there is an
employee assistance service (EAP) available, ensure to make that is communicated to all
employees.
Ensure businesses are ready and prepared for a second wave: Many of the countries who
have experienced COVID-19 have experienced some sort of second wave and it’s crucial just
to be cognizant of this fact as well as be prepared for this situation should it occur.
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INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SHOPPING CENTERS GUIDELINES FOR
OPENING RETAIL STORES AND RESTAURANTS
Retail Tenants
• Plan for goods delivery and storage if temporarily needed as well as how inventory and
deliveries will be disinfected. Additionally, plan for how packages to be shipped will be handled.
• If the number of customers is restricted in stores, prepare and display a communication.
• Consider creating a one-way traffic flow through the store.
• Place floor stickers for social distancing queuing and consider mounting plexiglass sheets at
checkouts for additional protection.
• Encourage customers to respect social distancing, either through floor stickers or other
communications located within the store.
• Determine whether you will provide facial masks and/or gloves to patrons for use while in-
store.
• Plan for how returns or exchanges will be handled from customer to associate.
• Create procedures for how fitting rooms will be sanitized between customer use.
• Frequently clean high-touch areas such as counters, door handles and product displays.
• Will any new technology be integrated to create opportunities for customers to retrieve
purchases either in a designated location or curbside?
• Consider contactless payments options such as RFID cards, Apple Pay, self-checkout, and
online purchase to be picked up at a designated location or delivered to customer’s home.
• Consider your staffing levels:
o What are your general expectations for crowds when you open?
o Are you changing your hours of operations?
o Do staffing levels need to be lower than pre-pandemic?
Restaurant Tenants
• Conduct a pre-shift health check of every employee.
• Certify every staff member in food safety, with a certified manager on duty for each shift.
• Consider using disposable utensils, placemats, condiment packages and menus, or sanitize all
items after each use.
• Encourage frequent handwashing by employees and/or make hand sanitizer available to all
employees.
• Clean and sanitize all surfaces frequently.
• Consider contactless payments options such as RFID cards, Apple Pay, self-checkout, and
online purchase to be picked up at a designated location or delivered to customer’s home.
• If the number of customers is restricted in the restaurant, prepare and display a
communication.
• Observe health officials’ social distancing recommendations
Support Local Retail, Restaurant, and Service Workers and Their Families by
Shopping and Dining in McHenry
Developed by the City of McHenry Economic Development Department, Shop & Dine McHenry is a
promotion to support retail, restaurant and service employees and their livelihood. Businesses
throughout the City of McHenry can send us updated information on their hours, menus, delivery
options, and pick-up schedules, now through the Stay At Home Order and continuing after the Order is
rescinded. Please share this URL on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and by
email: https://shopndinemchenry.com
Why Shop & Dine McHenry?
The City of McHenry wants to make it easy for you to find our local businesses and have access to the
information you need to shop local and support our local economy on a daily basis. We also want you
to know it IS possible to shop curbside, take-out, and order delivery from local retailers, service stores,
and restaurants, and support our friends and family members who work there, while still following
officially recommended health and safety guidelines, when they are in place. In order to help spread the
word about this fact, we have created Shop & Dine McHenry.
We are gathering information from retail stores, service providers, and restaurants across the city by
asking them to register on this website so consumers can see who is open, what they are serving,
and how they handle curbside pick-up, take-out, delivery and any other information they want to
share.
Use #ShopNDineMcHenry when posting to social media to show your support for our friends and
family members in the local retail, service, and restaurant industry and for a chance to be featured on
other social media pages. Together we can lessen the financial impact on our community, and make
some great purchases and eat some delicious meals in the process! Add #McHenryMatters,
#McHenryStrong, and #ReLaunchMcHenry to show even more support! Tag, like and share posts
with @McHenryMarketPulse and @McHenryAreaChamberofCommerce to gain even more exposure.
A media promotion toolkit is provided to help spread the word through social media. Additional
opportunities will be presented through newspaper and radio advertising, promotional marketing and
products and ongoing promotional events in conjunction with the #ReLaunchMcHenry taskforce and the
McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce. Advertising opportunities may be offered in the near future!
Support Local Retail, Restaurant, and Service Workers and Their Families by
Shopping and Dining in the City of McHenry
ShopNDineMchenry.com Media Promotion Toolkit
website was created by The City of McHenry Economic Development
Department especially to support the livelihood of our friends and family members working in the
retail, restaurant and service industries within the City of McHenry. We put this media promotion
toolkit together to help you make the most of your participation in the promotion. Please read
below to optimize participation.
Participation Registration Requirements
• Business must be located in the corporate city limits of the City of McHenry, IL
• Business must provide curbside pick-up, take-out and delivery options, as well as a links to
their website, facebook page and menu, if available.
• Business is asked to include the hashtag #ShopNDineMcHenry in all social media posts
Program Timeline
• This is an ongoing promotion to keep the public informed in response to the health and safety
guidelines put in place with the Covid-19 Stay at Home Order in 2020. It will continue and be
updated regularly as a service to promote supporting our local economy by shopping and
dining local.
Keep us Informed
• It is critical that you keep the information up to date on the Shop & Dine McHenry website
so the most current information is being relayed to your customers. Please update your
information regularly as the hours of operation, menu, or curbside pick-up/delivery/take-
out options change.
• If you have questions or concerns, please contact Dorothy Wolf at 815-363-2175
dwolf@cityofmchenry.org.
Engage with us on Social Media
McHenry MarketPulse Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/mchmarketpulse/
McHenry MarketPulse Twitter - https://twitter.com/mchmarketpulse/
McHenry MarketPulse Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/mchenrymarketpulse/
McHenry Area Chamber of Commerce Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mchenryareachamber/
Use the promotion hashtags
#ShopNDineMcHenry (always) #McHenryMatters #McHenryStrong #ReLaunchMcHenry
Additional information to help you be successful
• To assist and help you publicize your participation, we have crafted a template social media post
below. We ask that you post a photo of your menu, carry-out, pick-up and/or curbside options
with the template text. Please feel free to alter the post to your liking, however we ask that
you always include the hashtag #ShopNDineMcHenry in the post. You can choose to include
the optional hashtags above in your posts as well to help obtain further exposure.
“Check out our (menu, services, curbside pick-up, delivery and take-out) options at ShopNDineMcHenry.com.
We, along with many other McHenry businesses are dedicated to keeping you healthy, clothed, and fed,
now during the pandemic, and into the future. We look forward to seeing your smiling faces again soon.
Stay strong. – the YOUR RESTAURANT NAME (crew/team/family)” #ShopNDineMcHenry
#McHenryMatters #McHenryStrong #ReLaunchMcHenry
Social Media Messaging • Be sure your social media messages include helpful information as well as messages of
encouragement and positivity. Cross-posting will get your business ultimate exposure. • Use a short script, hold phones horizontal and shoot videos inside if possible to minimize noise
and provide better lighting. • Remember to use the suggested hashtags ALWAYS and tag McHenry MarketPulse, the McHenry
Area Chamber of Commerce, and other businesses. • Encourage others to like and share your posts. • The public cares about you and we know you care about them. Everyone is looking for
inspiration, encouragement and useful information. This is one way to let them know how they
can help you.
Support local • Take the time to support other businesses listed on the ShopNDineMcHenry.com website. Tag
the other business in posts whenever possible. • Supporting one another on your social media pages will expose each of you to new
customers and bolster the economy and the sense of community we all desperately need.
Contact
Please feel free to call or email with any questions and concerns. We are here to help! Thank you for
supporting local McHenry businesses. We are all in this together.
Dorothy Wolf, Economic Development Coordinator 815-363-2175 dwolf@cityofmchenry.org