We have been through a lot these past 15 months. We need to remember those who have suffered and mourn those who have died from COVID-19. And we want to celebrate the resiliency of everyone who worked so hard during this, hopefully, once in a lifetime, pandemic. The Franklin County Community Development Corporation has worked with hundreds of entrepreneurs and small businesses during this crisis, and we are amazed, humbled, and grateful for the resiliency, creativity, kindness, and passion they have shown.
The Recorder has done a great job telling us about the plight of our local businesses and how many of them pivoted or re-invented themselves to stay successful. We are proud in this region to support our small businesses with our “buy local” and “eat local” ethos. We at the Franklin County CDC want to show the other side of that. While we as consumers support local businesses, the local businesses support us. The products, services, and jobs they provide, and the money they spend locally on the services and products they need — all contribute to the local economy. And more importantly, they contribute to the well-being of our community.
For nine years, the Franklin County CDC held an event called Celebrating Entrepreneurs where we celebrated an Entrepreneur of the Year, chosen from among the great community-minded businesses in Franklin County. Last May we had to cancel the 10th anniversary event due to the pandemic and we did not schedule an event this year, due to all the uncertainty. But when our staff talked about it, we realized that it would have been impossible to even select a single Entrepreneur of the Year. During this crisis, we saw so many of our businesses persevere and go above and beyond to serve this community. We believe every entrepreneur and small business should be celebrated this year!
Most of our local businesses are not in business to get rich quick. (Although that would be nice too). They are in it because they believe they have something to offer and they care about what they do. And they want to keep going. We often say that small businesspeople wear many hats and are always juggling multiple tasks. This past year, in addition to the normal challenges of operating a business, they had to learn about the bureaucracy of the Small Business Administration, the Community Development Block Grant Program, the CARES Act, COVID-19 protocols, and so much more. Some closed for a while and re-grouped. Some pivoted quickly to fill a need. Some stayed open throughout and figured out a way to keep going with less sales.
The Franklin County CDC and other business support organizations helped by deferring loan payments, lowering interest rates to zero, reducing rents, helping businesses re-evaluate their business plan, and helping them get grants and forgivable loans from a variety of sources. We have been honored to do whatever we could to support these entrepreneurs and businesses who give us all so much. And now we ask the community to celebrate each and every one of the Entrepreneurs of this most Difficult Year by continuing to support them with your patronage so that they can continue to support us.
John Waite is a resident of Gill, the Executive Director of the Franklin County Community Development Corporation and enthusiastic about supporting our local economy.