For immediate release
For more information, contact
Bonnie Prigge
or
Caitlin Jones
ST. JAMES—Meramec Regional Planning Commission (MRPC) is seeking help from business owners throughout the eight-county Meramec Region with participation in a brief survey to assess the economic impact of the Coronavirus 2019 outbreak. The results from the short survey to document the impact and best practices as it relates to resiliency and recovery.
The survey will gather information on the severity of COVID-19 on the business, employee retention or loss, how the business adapted to handle the pandemic, if there are continued impacts on the business due to the pandemic and what types of financial assistance, if any, a business was able to access to help with impacts from the pandemic.
“March 7, 2023, marked the three-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case in Missouri,” Executive Director Bonnie Prigge said. “Now, three years later, it is important to look back at the impact the pandemic has had on businesses in the Meramec Region and try to assess the impact and identify what worked and will and should be considered best practices. We know some businesses, were innovative and made changes to continue to do business. We want to look at the numbers but we also want to here the stories of how businesses evolved and survived the pandemic.”
The survey is available at www.meramecregion.org/surveys/ for business owners operating in Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski or Washington counties. Responses must be received by the close of business May 12.
This work is part of a CARES grant awarded by the US Economic Development Administration and was a recommendation from MRPC’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy committee.
Formed in 1969, MRPC is a voluntary council of governments serving Crawford, Dent, Gasconade, Maries, Osage, Phelps, Pulaski and Washington counties and their respective cities. Steve Vogt, representing the city of Belle, serves as chairman of the board. A professional staff of 33 offers technical assistance and services, such as grant preparation and administration, housing assistance, transportation planning, environmental planning, ordinance codification, business loans and other services to member communities.
To keep up with the latest MRPC news and events, visit the MRPC website at www.meramecregion.org or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/meramecregion/.
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