Home Contra Costa County #066: Wolfgang Croskey Talks Helping Local Business in Response to COVID-19

#066: Wolfgang Croskey Talks Helping Local Business in Response to COVID-19

by ECT

On this episode, I chat with Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce CEO Wolfgang Croskey about how the coronavirus (COVID-19) are impacting business owners. We chat about how Pittsburg launched the Support Now Shop Later Program. We get into business promotion and marketing, and what programs are available for small business. More importantly, we chat about how right now, everyone needs to help one another to keep our community strong.

Here is the timestamps within the interview on he topics covered.

  • 01:00 – Intro on Wolfgang Croskey as Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce CEO
  • 02:40 – Croskey explains Pittsburg Chambers Support Now Shop Later Program to help small business. This is about purchasing gift cards to get local business owners’ cash now. Explains the need to help small business as many are “just making it” right now.  Croskey explains the importance of keeping a local business payroll stay the same the better.
  • 09:15 – Croskey explains what he is seeing from local business right now and what fears they have.
  • 10:50 – Why are restaurants not going simpler on their menu? Why are all businesses not simplifying so they can outlast the coronavirus (COVID-19)? We get into the emotions right now for business owners, emotions are normal and need to find a way to cope with them to move forward.
  • 15:22 – CNBC article on a prediction of 32% unemployed and 67 million Americans are in jobs that could get laid off.  Croskey says this virus has cost some jobs of never returning due to technology.
  • 17:25 – Education… hypothetical of state creating a single video for each age group and what that could do?  Croskey talks about concept of “shopping teachers” do to online technology and content.  This transforms over to business such as which grocery stores will provide own delivery service or restaurants preparing meal preps.
  • 19:55 – Croskey provides tips for local business with some of the Federal Stimulus that is out. He shares some of the tools available.
  • 26:30 – Are landlords forgiving rent at this time? Is Croskey seeing any of that. He recommends tenants and landlords work something out right now.
  • 27:51 – Croskey provides information on the Forbearance program available.
  • 30:00 – We get into policy changes that could result in unintended consequences
  • 32:05 – Possibility of East Contra Costa Chambers begin to collaborate more going forward. We also get into the $1,200 checks from the Government,
  • 35:57 – Croskey talks about some tools of how to promote one’s business right now. He explains how business can get best bang for the buck to promote themselves on a limited budget—he discusses concept of free value.
  • 41:33 – We get into public transportation with Tri Delta Transit and Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART).  We then talk about Instacart and its increase in demand and grocery store traffic—Croskey predicts major changes coming in grocery industry
  • 45:25 – hypothetical discussion about going through Coronavirus (COVID-13) without the Internet. Impact that Zoom is having.
  • 49:15 – Croskey plugs the Chamber and helping small business

For more information about the Pittsburg Chamber of Commerce, visit them at www.mypittsburgchamber.org.  To support the Support Now Shop Later Program, click here.

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