Business Organizations Help Saint John Companies Weather COVID-19 Crisis
SAINT JOHN – Business organizations in the Saint John area and government agencies are trying to gather data on the impact of COVID-19 to focus efforts aimed at supporting local businesses weather the new economic reality.
The organizations and agencies involved are the Saint John Region Chamber of Commerce, Develop SJ, Economic Development Greater Saint John (EDGSJ), Uptown Saint John, ACOA, ONB, the National Research Council of Canada and the City of Saint John.
Ron Gaudet, CEO of EDGSJ, says they watched COVID-19 escalate in China, Spain and Italy and wanted to find a way to help local businesses deal with it.
He says they began meeting in early March and have created the Business Insights survey which includes 23 questions for business owners.
“We want to use that information so that we can as a group of agencies can prioritize to get our local businesses back and back strong,” Gaudet said.
“As we move towards a new economy, we must help the business community discover opportunities and overcome the challenges that we now face”, said David Duplisea, CEO the Chamber.
The survey must be completed by April 27.
Tamara Steele is a reporter with Country 94/97.3 The Wave, a Huddle content partner.