Join the Denver South Business Resource Slack Workspace to Connect with Neighboring Businesses in Your Industry
Denver South Economic Development Partnership, in coordination with local cities, counties, and regional economic development organizations, have created a Slack workspace to help connect business owners and leaders throughout our region.
The purpose of this Slack workspace is to encourage communication across the business community by industry, connect businesses to necessary resources, and help business leaders navigate the current challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Join the Business Resources Slack Workspace Here
New to Slack? That’s OK. A tutorial will be available for those new to Slack who are looking to connect.
Statewide Business Impact Survey
Downtown Colorado Inc. (DCI), The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), state agencies, and regional economic development organizations have partnered with the National Research Center/POLCO to survey Colorado businesses.
Assessing the challenges and needs businesses have during this time of crisis will help inform state and local public policy decisions.
Please complete the Survey of Colorado Businesses.
Liquor Enforcement Division Announces New Guidelines
The Colorado Department of Revenue’s Liquor Enforcement Division has issued new guidelines in response to the COVID-19 emergency. Retailers selling alcohol beverages for takeout or delivery pursuant to the Governor’s Executive Orders can now fill any new, unused container, not to exceed 64 ounces, one time and for single-use—including growlers and crowlers. Read the full directive here.
Many Businesses Continue to Hire
The Arapahoe/Douglas Works Workforce Center has created a resource flyer with businesses currently hiring and their contact information. It is available here.
Job seekers are encouraged to also sign up on https://www.connectingcolorado.com/ to learn about available career opportunities. Businesses looking to post hiring opportunities can do so.
Colorado Creates Business Emergency Operations Center
The mission of the Colorado Business Emergency Operations Center is to facilitate communication and operational coordination between the private sector and the State’s Emergency Operations Center during emergencies. The response to the COVID-19 emergency will take a collaborative effort from public and private stakeholders. Register with the BEOC here.
Understanding PPP and EIDL
Looking for more information on the differences between the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL)? The Colorado SBDC has created this helpful flyer. As always, please visit Coloradosbdc.org/covid to stay up to date.
Chambers of Commerce Offer Resources & Virtual Webinars
Local Chambers of Commerce are offering business resource information and virtual webinars to help local businesses navigate the COVID-19 emergency. Check out your chamber’s website to learn more and register.
Denver Metro Economic Development Corporation Launches #WorkingToKeepUsWorking
As we collectively strive to support the people and businesses who are most deeply impacted by COVID-19, the Denver Metro EDC also wants to honor the Colorado companies that are working night and day to ensure our communities have access to essential services.
The Denver Metro EDC has launched a social media initiative aimed at thanking and highlighting the businesses that are keeping the lights on, the patients treated, the money flowing, the internet reliable, the groceries shelved, the construction happening, the airplanes soaring and our nation defended. The campaign is called “Working to Keep Us Working.”
If you are a business working to keep others working, please share your story/shout-outs/photos/highlights of your business with your community by tagging @MetroDenverEDC and @CentennialGov and use the hashtag #WorkingToKeepUsWorking.
SBA Announces Amount of Currently Approved PPP Loans in Directive to SBA Employees and Partners
The devastating impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) has tested the will of millions of small businesses throughout Region VIII and the nation, but help is on the way. As of today, nearly 500,000 loans valued at more than $130 billion dollars from over 4,000 lenders have been approved nationwide. By joining forces, and leveraging the power of private industry, the Paycheck Protection Program is working and providing the businesses with the capital and certainty they need to retain their employees and continue serving our communities. This program is one of the largest economic recovery efforts in our nation’s history and was built in just seven short days, a true testament to the American spirit and demonstration of what is possible when we come together to serve a higher cause. The entire SBA team is working tirelessly to do everything it can to help small businesses recover from the COVID 19 pandemic and get back on their feet. Each day, SBA staff in the region are answering hundreds of calls from small business owners needing help and asking for guidance. The SBA will continue to fight for America's small businesses until this battle is won. Thanks to your continued efforts to support small businesses, many are being saved by the collective work you’re doing.
For additional resources, small business owners are encouraged to visit sba.gov/coronavirus, and remember to follow @SBArockymtn.
TrafficSafetyStore.com Offers Ideas to Local Restaurants for Curbside Pickup
A message from Will Snook, President of TrafficSafetyStore.com
Like many of you during this COVID-19 crisis, my family is doing its best to support local restaurants by ordering ‘curbside’ takeout meals. Unfortunately, most of my pickups have not gone as well as I would have hoped.
Things like customers anxiously standing outside, not sure if they are supposed to go in and give someone their name or simply wait to be called, delivery drivers standing in the restaurant next to one another, often without masks, waiting for their orders to be ready so that can get them on their way, are just a few things I personally have witnessed.
While no one could have foreseen this shift in the way our nation’s restaurants now have been forced to serve us, their grateful customers, we have to do a better job of facilitating this transfer.
As people who spend our days thinking about traffic control products, we at TrafficSafetyStore.com have a few suggestions.
1) “Cell Phone Waiting” signs in parking lots like at airports. Individual customers to one side, delivery drivers to another.
2) Temporary numbering system on parking spaces so servers don’t have to waste time looking at license plates. Rather, they go directly to space # XYZ.
3) Signage with the telephone number different from the main number customers call to place their order, so the customers can call and tell their name and, if using idea #2 above, the parking space where they are parked. Staff can then write names in parking spot #’s on a ‘white board’, then erase and write next name there as new customers call.
4) High Visibility Safety Vests for your servers when they are walking to and from the restaurant. In addition to improving safety for servers, this makes it clear to customers servers are coming to them and that they should stay in their car.
5) Signage making it clear which areas are reserved exclusively for curbside pickup.
Visit the Restaurant Resource page on the Traffic Safety Store website to learn more.
Centennial-based Liteye Builds Shield Boxes for Medical Center of Aurora, Announces $6 million CUAS Contract from Feds
The Medical Center of Aurora reached out to local business for help in building these shield boxes. Liteye, Inc, a world leader in Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (CUAS), answered the call Liteye’s Matt Kepler got this project organized and found a way to work it into a heavy production queue. If you have an urgent need to get something built in this challenging time, reach out to Liteye and other Colorado manufacturers. Find out more information.
Liteye Systems also announced the receipt of a $6-million add-on production order bringing the March & April 2020 total award to $9 million. The recent award by the US Government continues a three-year span of production that delivers life-saving technology to our warfighters. Learn more.
General Business Resources
Aurora - South Metro Small Business Development Center | Business Licensing & Registration | Arapahoe/Douglas WORKS! | Arapahoe Libraries Business Support Services
WANT TO KNOW MORE? Contact Centennial's Economic Development Division
Neil Marciniak, Economic Development Director | 303-754-3351 | nmarciniak@centennialco.gov
Stewart Meek, Economic Development Specialist | 303-754-3410 | smeek@centennialco.gov
City of Centennial, 13133 E. Arapahoe Road, Centennial, CO 80112 | 303-325-8000