As social-distancing restrictions start to lift and life resumes once more, businesses are mobilizing to adapt to a changing world.
And the Montezuma County Tri-Chambers of Commerce, which consists of the Cortez Area, Dolores and Mancos Valley chambers, hope to help with the process.
When the coronavirus pandemic began, the group formed and ever since has been working together to support local businesses, recently launching a “Love Local Montezuma” social media campaign.
“We decided we had to work as a unit because we do have a lot of overlap in our jobs,” said Rocky Moss, executive director of the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce, at a City Council work session June 9. “It’s worked out really well.”
In addition to holding a take-out blitz, creating a COVID-19 business directory, and connecting with businesses through newsletters and virtual meetings, the group has been conducting various surveys to gauge the needs of local businesses. At the council meeting, Moss shared the Cortez results of the latest “business situation survey,” which saw 33 local business respondents.
Of these respondents, 84.1% said they were open in some capacity, although only 20% were fully operational. About 40% reported they could continue doing business in this same manner, while around 40% replied they could not and 20% were unsure.
The majority of respondents said they could not meet all their financial obligations if business continued in the same manner, and businesses were evenly split between “yes” and “no” on the question, “Do you currently have positive cash flow?”
PPP loans were by far the most common type of loans that respondents had received to help them through this time, although 15% hadn’t received any loan support.
When looking at jobs from April and May of 2020 compared to the same time last year, April saw a decrease of 47 part-time jobs while May 2020 was down 31 part-time jobs compared with the same month last year.
Full-time positions were on the rise, though, with an additional eight full-time jobs this April and five more full-time positions in May 2020.
Now, in collaboration with the Cortez Retail Enhancement Association, they’re launching “Love Local Montezuma,” a hashtag and social-media marketing campaign focused on showcasing local businesses and encouraging community members to spend money locally.
“We’re really hoping that we can drive people to keep their money in this community and educate them on how much farther a dollar travels when it’s spent here, and how much more they benefit from it if they keep it here,” she said.
Moss said they hope to use all social media platforms to promote their campaign, and will be highlighting and profiling the people behind the businesses. In addition to celebrating locals, there’s a real benefit to increasing businesses’ online presence, she said.
“Having an online presence for as many businesses as we can, really helps when people are seeking out anything — moving here, recreating here,” she said. “We show up more in those search results if we have more presence on the internet.”
In other business news, Cortez City Manager John Dougherty reported June 9 that the city is receiving “in excess of $735,000” from the CARES Act (the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act). Currently, the city has spent about $35,000 of that, and staff are looking to set aside some money for a potential second coronavirus wave, Dougherty said.
“But that leaves a lot of money left that can be distributed around the community for anything that has affected businesses as far as COVID goes,” he said. Staff hope to set up a committee in conjunction with the Cortez Area Chamber of Commerce and CREA to recommend allocations of the CARES money.
The city will have to spend the money by Dec. 31, Dougherty said.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of need in this community and we want to get this out as quickly as possible,” he said.
