Montgomery Leaders Launch One-stop Hub for Small Business Support

Montgomery’s New Small Business Hub Will Help Unite the Businesses Community in a Network of Resources and Counseling as They Recover from COVID-19 and Beyond.
 
Montgomery, Ala. – April 29, 2020 – Today elected and business leaders launched the Recover Together Small Business HUB (Helping Business Unite), a free, one-stop clearinghouse to connect small and minority businesses to the resources and information they need most as they emerge from the COVID-19 crisis. This public-private collaboration is an early outcome of Mayor L. Steven Reed’s Economic Impact Task Force.

“From the very first meeting, task force members kept coming back to what was the most pressing need on everyone’s mind - finding ways to help local small businesses recover from the impacts of COVID-19 and be able to talk to someone locally that could point them in the right direction,” said Charles Jinright, Montgomery City Council President and Chairman of the Economic Impact Task Force. 

Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton Dean, task force co-chair, said a one-stop hub for small business was the kind of real relief local small businesses need. “Our local small businesses are the heart of our community, and they need to find one-on-one assistance to guide them right now and moving forward,” said Dean.
The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, The City of Montgomery, Montgomery County Commission and the Small Business Development Center at Alabama State University are the founding partners of the new initiative.

“I want to thank the members of the Economic Impact Task Force for their leadership,” said Mayor Steven Reed. “It’s important that we help businesses get back on their feet, so they can be positioned to provide the vital services and products needed for our economic recovery.”

A communications, counseling and case management vehicle, the Recover Together Small Business Hub will provide a free clearinghouse service that helps identify and prioritize small business requests, and then connect those small businesses to the resources they need most.

“We will have a virtual helpdesk for small business, where our frontline Hub team members can triage incoming requests and then either handle that request immediately, or connect that inquiry to a one-on-one counseling session targeted at their specific needs,”  said Chamber Chairman Arthur DuCote. “In the upcoming weeks, our goal is to scale this program to reach as many small businesses in our community as possible, and to include even more resource partners.”

In addition to receiving requests for help, the Hub will be initiating community outreach to engage small and minority-owned businesses across Montgomery.

Small businesses in need of assistance should call 334-226-7529 or visit recovermgm.com. Organizations and companies interested in joining the Hub as a resource collaboration partner can contact the Chamber at 334-834-5200 or recovermgm.com.

Interested parties who complete and submit their online form will have a Hub specialist reach out to them within 24 hours after contact. The Chamber is creating a database of all those companies needing assistance and the Small Business HUB will maintain communication with them as the recovery process continues and new opportunities arise.

“Ongoing collaboration and engagement of our small business community through the Hub will be a powerful catalyst for economic growth and entrepreneurial support as we move from recovery into resiliency and beyond,” said Chamber Chairman DuCote.

For more information about growing a business in Montgomery, visit www.montgomerychamber.com.

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ABOUT THE MONTGOMERY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
With a mission to create jobs and a better quality of life in Montgomery and the River Region, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce is a full spectrum economic development corporation representing 1,700 organizations and business and more than 80,000 employees throughout Montgomery and the River Region. The Montgomery Chamber is an innovative, consolidated organization that addresses destination tourism, economic development, business development, workforce development, and community strategies under one umbrella, linking the public and private sector around a shared vision and providing tremendous value to its investors.
 
MEDIA CONTACT:
Meg Lewis
Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce
mlewis@montgomerychamber.com
(334) 261-1104