The business situation we find ourselves is not good and getting worse quickly. In some respects, the challenge it presents can strengthen individuals and businesses, many however, through no fault of their own will not make it. Others will refuse to make changes through this lock-down of the economy. Still others, through tears and fears, will make change happen. It is the choices we make that will make us. Attitude is not determined by what happens to you, but how you respond to what happens. This virus has robbed the majority of businesses in Lodi of revenue, including the Lodi Chamber. That is bad, but in our spirit, we have decided to fight. Fighting back by doing our best work responding with quality work in supplying businesses with valuable information at www.lodichamber.com/covid-19.  Meeting needs, reducing the pain if we are able, that is the focus today. We are calling each member to tell them of resources and just to ask, “How are you doing?”  Through the efforts of volunteer members of our Small Business / Multicultural Committee, the Lodi Chamber has just surveyed our membership, so we would know first-hand what is happening to their Lodi businesses as a result of the lock-down. 
 
Main Street America, an organization that preserves Historic Downtowns throughout America, and small business in general, has just published their survey of the effects COVID19 on small business. In the U.S., five-thousand eight-hundred and fifty business owners completed their survey from across the US. The results of the two surveys are very close. Truly in many respects Lodi is exceptional, humbled by this virus Lodi Businesses are like the rest of the businesses in America.
 
How has your business revenue changed since Mid-March when the COVID-19 lockdown started? Lodi answered: 55 percent of respondents said, revenue decreased 50 to 100 percent.
USA answered: 57 percent of respondents said, revenue decreased by more than 75 percent.
 
If business disruption continues at this rate, how soon will your business be at risk of closing permanently?
Lodi answered: 60 percent of respondents said, less than 6-months, 40 percent said 1-2 months. *
USA answered: 67 percent of respondents said, between 3-5 months, 26 percent said 1-2 months.
*20 percent were Unsure
 
In a concluding statement, the Main Street survey said: Among businesses that have fewer than five employees nearly, eighty-five percent indicated that between one and five employees were at risk of losing their job. This could mean 35.7 million Americans employed by small businesses are at risk of unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 crisis.
 
What is currently happening to Lodi Businesses should be very important to you, and every citizen because business makes it possible to have a safe, attractive, livable community. Business provides jobs so people can achieve and work for the quality of life they want, and businesses generates the taxes fueling our local government. The business community is our economy, and today the business community is not in control of its future success. That is frightening.
 
I am urging you to make some noise with our elected officials. They need to hear from someone besides the Lodi Chamber. To remain silent and trust our state government is very risky, every business owner understands why. We need to make sure our locally elected understand the long-term loss is real. Please understand this, I do not want to take undo risks with even one person’s health and safety. But you have heard as have I, “We the People” are credited with bending the curve, perhaps even quelling the surge of infected citizens. “We the People” did it, we are told by being good at social distancing, sheltering, washing hands and sanitizing door handles, counter tops, wearing masks, gloves and more. I believe “We the People” can do those things in the workplace. We can socially distance, sanitize the copy machine, wash hands, one person at a time in the restroom, reduce and spread breakroom tables, and more. If we can do it at home, we can do it in the workplace, in fact our businesses depend upon it. 
 
An individual who has invested their life savings or more in their business, will do these tasks easily if it means being open and making the public feel welcomed and safe. It is a choice owners will make. At the Chamber will be busy creating new solutions and powering positive change for everyone in our community we will seek out new paths and new partnerships wherever we can. We are all about positive CHANGE.