The decision to reopen a business requires resources and finding ways to safely keep it open involves the difficult balance of considering the safety of employees and customers with the economic viability of the business. It also includes the accessibility of established and new supply chains.

The Rockford Area Economic Development Council has been assembling resources to help businesses understand the current situation and what steps are needed to protect employees, customers, supply chains. This also takes into considerations relating to the finances of the company, how they may have changed due to receiving loans, grants, or having less money in reserves.

Resources include finding personal protective equipment (PPE), videos of previously held webinars tackling leadership topics, legal obligations for employers, and obligations of companies who have received loans or grants related to COVID-19.

Employers have experienced change after change this year and with these changed come the need for additional support. During these changes there are four considerations: Recovery, Reopening, Reimagining, and the Nerve Center. Our region has recovered and reopened and we will continue to reimagine what success looks like, what the future looks like, and what roll we want to play as our community moves forward.

Recover

Address the immediate challenges that COVID-19 represents to the institution’s workforce, customers, technology, and business partners. Address near-term cash management challenges and broader resiliency issues during virus-related shutdowns and economic knock-on effects.

Reopen

Create a detailed plan to return the business back to scale quickly, as the virus evolves and knock-on effects become clear.

Reimagine

Imagine & Re-imagine the “next normal”. What a discontinuous shift looks like and the implications for how the institution/business should reinvent itself. Be clear about how the regulatory and competitive environment in your industry may shift.

Nerve Center

Managing across recovery, reopening, and reimagining may require a new architecture based on a team of teams approach. How does your current staff work into this team-based style?

You can find all these resources and more here: https://rockfordil.com/reopening-resources/

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