Last week, Germantown Info Hub sponsored a radio call-in show with G-town Radio aimed at Germantown business during COVID-19. The show was broadcast Thursday, April 2 at 5 p.m., and Germantown business owners called in to share their experiences and learn about resources for small business owners.
Diana Lu, Info Hub coordinator, hosted the call-in show. Lu who previously worked with small businesses at Philadelphia’s Commerce Department gathered guests with expertise in local businesses.
Amani Bey, Business Development Manager at Germantown United CDC (GUCDC), spoke about the organization’s response to COVID-19. GUCDC promotes and facilitates the revitalization of Germantown’s business corridors. Bey joined the group in July 2019 with a passion for community development and utilizes their position to connect businesses to capital and technical assistance.
Bey spoke about what GUCDC is doing to prepare people for the future of COVID-19’s crisis. Along with a resource list, the organization is providing additional information to make sure business owners can utilize resources effectively and apply for assistance.
“Because we see that as resources are coming in, they’re also going immediately out the door as well,” Bey said. “So having all of your paperwork compiled in one place is extremely important.”
This information is available through PowerPoint presentations, webinars and documents to help businesses stay resilient against during the crisis.
Guests also included Rojer Kern, Senior Business Service Manager at Philadelphia Commerce Department and Karl M. Kraus, Senior Business Consultant at Temple Small Business Development Center (TSBD).
Kern referenced the commerce department’s Business Technical Assistance Program (BTAP). The department provides funding to select nonprofit organizations that help businesses. The BTAP helps organizations equip business with business training skills training, lending, English language assistance, and legal aid.
Kraus and the TSBD are helping people navigate city resources for small businesses. He said their main focus is to help businesses “To plan for eventually getting out the other end of this and recovering, restarting and hopefully growing and getting back to where they were and beyond.”
The Germantown Info Hub, in partnership with G’town Radio, will continue to host community call-in discussions during the coronavirus outbreak. To suggest a topic, email us at Gtown.infohub@gmail.com and follow #Gtowninfohubradio.