By Mary Jo Coulehan
Pagosa Springs Area
Chamber of Commerce
Three new members have been elected to the Chamber board of directors. The voting has been tallied and all candidates notified of the results.
The three new board members joining the board in 2021 are: Eric Hittle, Marissa Talamante and Tabitha Zappone.
These new board members will serve for a three-year period.
Due to business demands during this unsettling time, we also had an unexpected resignation to the board. This resignation was from Kevin Metzler, owner of Wilderness Journeys. Replacing Metzler for only a one-year term will be former board member Jen Pitcher with Pagosa Lakes Property Owners Association.
The rest of the board is made up of the following members: Dr. Katie McCalley, Shelly Cox, Dan Rosenblatt, Meg Wempe and Mona Cayard.
Know that these are your representatives to the Chamber board and are available to speak with you concerning any ideas or concerns.
Paycheck Protection
Program (PPP) 2.0
The Chamber will be hosting a PPP 2.0 informational seminar on Monday, Feb. 1, at 10 a.m. The registration for the link can be found on the Chamber website at www.pagosachamber.com. This is a free event for all interested businesses, gig workers or sole proprietors that would like to apply for PPP funds. This current 2.0 round has instructions for first-time applicants and those who have already applied for funding.
If you have questions about this round of funding, if you qualify, what do you do if you applied before, and any other questions, you should attend this seminar. The webinar will last about one hour. Questions can be directed to the Chamber at 264-2360.
Small Business Relief Grant applications due Feb. 1
The Small Business Relief Grant Program, geared specifically to our food industry, gyms and fitness centers and our movie theater, will stop receiving grant applications on Feb. 1. Restaurants, food trucks, caterers, bars, fitness studios and the like are highly encouraged to apply for this money. While it may not be a lot, it is certainly money that could help you with a month or two of rent or mortgage, payroll or other important costs in running your business.
This is also grant money, which means you do not have to pay it back. Businesses with revenues of $500,000 or less can receive up to $3,500 in funds; businesses with less than $1 million to $500,000 can request up to $5,000; and businesses between $2.5 million and $1 million can request up to $7,500. Applications can be found at https://tinyurl.com/y6g9p2wa. The money will be dispersed by mid-February.
Chamber virtual annual meeting Feb. 18
The Chamber has scheduled its annual meeting to be held virtually on Feb. 18 from 8:30 to 10 a.m. Guest speakers include Elizabeth Garner, director of the State Demography Office. Garner is one of the most popular speakers in the state with her engaging data information and style. Laura Lewis-Marchino, executive director of Region 9 Economic Development District, will be the other keynote speaker. Lewis-Marchino most recently presented at the annual Southwest Economic Forum.
After the speakers present, the forum will move into four breakout sessions: Broadband, Housing, Workforce and Community Infrastructure. Participants can attend two breakout sessions, as each session will be held twice during the meeting. There will be participants in each of the breakout sessions that will give some background on projects being worked on and a moderator will note your questions and comments.
Registration for the event will take place at the beginning of February. The Chamber annual meeting is free and open to the public; however, you will need to register for the event to access the meeting link. Stay tuned for more information about the break-out sessions and registration.
