The City of Greenville, Greenville County, the Greenville Chamber and the Greenville Area Development Corporation launched a Business Recovery Task Force today to listen, guide and support as our community begins to emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The action-oriented alliance is comprised of eighteen members representing a variety of industry, business, nonprofit, education and financial sectors. The mission is to promote an environment that supports Greenville’s business community and its employees and provide a platform that offers information and access to local, state, federal resources.
The first meeting held virtually this morning addressed the following:
Insights from local business, medical professionals and community leaders
Resources to assist with local business recovery
Guidance from trade and professional associations
Support for small and minority-owned businesses
Takeaways, lessons learned and opportunities for innovation
Long-term changes and impacts
Greenville Mayor Knox White opened by thanking the group for their participation saying, “The last few months have been extremely difficult for our nation, state, and local community. As a leader in your respective industry, your insights and experience will help us identify how to best support local businesses, industries, and organizations as we transition from the pandemic emergency and focus on the path forward. We have a great tradition of creativity, perseverance and strong public-private partnerships in Greenville.”
Current Efforts to Provide Relief and Recovery
City of Greenville
ATAX/HTAX late payment relief
Continuing payments to City vendors ($1.2M last week)
Continuing to provide services to the development community - approving hundreds of permits and sharing resources and information with local businesses
Market Connect – connecting TD Saturday Market vendors directly with customers
Greenville Chamber
Formal outreach calls to investors to check pulse, gauge impact, direct to resources, and offer encouragement
Online Employer Resource Guide delivering updated information on state government messaging, federal assistance (CARES Act), and know-how to manage through the pandemic
Community Matters live webcast 2x weekly connecting participants to business and community leaders who share timely and vital information
Business Impact Survey partnership with City of Greenville and GADC to gauge impact of COVID-19 on area businesses
Greenville Area Development Corporation
Assist existing employers within established industry sectors to sustain and recover their workforce, and to source or provide essential supplies needed due to the COVID pandemic
Approach potential new businesses in manufacturing, distribution, and offices with added emphasis on healthcare, IT and software, pharma, food processing, and bioengineering
Provide specialized support to businesses with federal and state programs during the economic recovery
Review the County's economic development policy to see if adjustments may be needed during the economic recovery phase.
Assist launch and promotion of statewide SC COVID-19 Emergency Supply Sourcing & Manufacturing resource to connect those needing essential medical supplies with those who can provide or manufacture it (https://sccovid19.org/)
Task Force Leadership:
Greenville City Manager John McDonough
Greenville Chamber CEO Carlos Phillips
Greenville County Administrator Joe Kernell
Greenville Area Development Corporation CEO Mark Farris
Task Force Members:
Mark O’Halla,Prisma Health
Rebecca Leach, SC Retailers Association
Carl Sobocinski, Table 301
Fabian Unterzaucher, Poinsett Hotel
David Feild, Colliers International
Lynn Harton, UCB
Steve Bailey, Merus Refreshment Services, Inc.
Rick Davis, Elliott Davis LLC
Dr. Keith Miller, Greenville Technical College
Meghan Barp, United Way
Julie Brown, Godshall Staffing
George Acker, SC Department of Commerce
Liz Seman, Furman University
John DeWorken, Sunnie & DeWorken
Mike Bauer, ScanSource
Adela Mendoza, Hispanic Alliance
Chris Stone, VisitGreenvilleSC
Rich Hagins, US&S Services
The Business Recovery Task Force will meet weekly to determine responsible strategies to guide the Greenville business community’s recovery and safely get people back to work.
