Support for Small Businesses

August 21, 2020

Dear Business and Community Partners;

Combating this pandemic has been challenging but it has also brought our community together. Thankfully, cases in Jefferson County are on the decline. On Monday, August 24th a virtual town hall meeting will be held with Jefferson County Public health on hand to provide the most up -o-date information on Covid-19 as well as some guidance and how to safely enter the fall months.

It is important to keep up momentum and stay on top of industry trends. With that in mind please take the time to register to listen to local business experts share their knowledge during Denver's Startup Week. No matter what size your organization is or how long you've been in our community, there is content that will be relevant and beneficial.

We will continue to inform and provide opportunities to connect as we finish up summer.

Covid-19 cases in Jefferson County have started to decline

Jeffco was recently notified by the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment that our COVID-19 cases surpassed the state’s two-week case limit set forth in our first variance (580 cases in a two-week period). That meant the county needed to take quick action to get our cases back below the threshold or risk losing our variance. We are pleased that the county has been able to reduce our cases over the past couple of weeks — but we’re not out of the woods yet! Continue to wear a mask in public, keep 6 ft. distance from others and wash your hands. Learn more about what’s at risk if we lose the variance and what you can do to help.

Jefferson County Public Health Community Conversations

Join Jefferson County Public Health on Monday, August 24th from 6-7 p.m. for a COVID-19 update, and a discussion about how to protect your family over the coming months. www.jeffco.us/4039/Community-Conversations

Fifty thousand Jefferson County residents will be called to take part in this telephone town hall. If you don't receive a call, you can still call in manually at 855-695-3486. Jefferson County residents can sign up to receive a phone call by texting JEFFCO to 833-898-5483.

Para escuchar en español por favor llame 855-543-3424.

Colorado 2020 Midyear Economic Update

In February 2020, the U.S. officially entered a recession according to the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). This ended a record expansion that began in 2009 and spanned 10 years and 8 months. National real GDP declined at an annualized rate of 5% in the first quarter and 32.9% in the second quarter of 2020 according to estimates from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA).

Heading into 2020, the Colorado Business Economic Outlook estimating committee projected job growth of 40,100 jobs, indicating that employment growth in the state would be the slowest since emerging from the recession in 2011. At a meeting held in late June, the chairs of the 14 Colorado Business Economic Outlook Forum committees collectively reported the destructive impact stemming from the pandemic. The revised outlook for Colorado employment growth in 2020 is -128,500 jobs (-4.6%), with losses spanning every major industry in the state.

To download the issue, click here. Be sure to add this e-mail address to your "safe senders" e-mail list to ensure that you receive our e-mail notices.

Click here to download the issue.

Denver Startup Week 2020 schedule is now live.

The Denver Startup Week 2020 Schedule is live and REGISTRATION IS OPEN. To learn more about Denver Start Up Week please head on over to DenverStartupWeek.org and register for the virtual 2020 event, build your custom schedule, and check out all the panels, special events, and speakers.

Sessions will be added daily so check back often to build out your schedule. There is plenty of content to explore over the September 14-18 dates.

The first 250 people to sign up for each session will be live in our virtual event room and will have the opportunity to ask questions of the presenter.

Missed one of our business panels?
Watch here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCTH5pW4bJZbvcvOWfLfRVUA

Jefferson County Business & Workforce Center
Business Services

Business Services offers a wide array of services and resources to help businesses of any size.

Information about layoff assistance and layoff aversion programs are available, please contact Jill Howard at [email protected] or call 303-271-4768.

If your business is currently hiring, we can assist with job postings, marketing to job seekers and virtual job fairs. Contact the Business Services team at [email protected] or call 303-271-4800.

Jefferson County Business & Workforce Center website:
https://www.jeffco.us/Business-Workforce-Center

Additional Resources

Jefferson County Business & Workforce Workshops: https://workforce.jeffco.us/workforce_public/workshop_calendar.cfm

General Unemployment Insurance Information Related to Coronavirus
Up-to-date information for employers, employees and FAQ’s about Colorado Unemployment Insurance programs and other resources.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/information-and-resources-coronavirus

Colorado Unemployment Insurance Employer Services website
Information about layoffs, labor laws, incentives and tax credits, audits, posting jobs on Connecting Colorado and more.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/businesses-employers

Work Share Program
Alternative to laying off employees and unemployment insurance if an employee is still able to work part-time.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/layoffassistance

Businesses Responding to Job Separation
How and why it’s important to respond to the Unemployment Insurance employee job separation notices.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdle/node/20121

Unemployment Insurance Guide for Employers
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/Employer_Guide.pdf

Families First Coronavirus Response Act
Learn what it means for employers.
https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/families_first_coronavirus_response_act.pdf

U.S. Department of Labor
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidance for the workplace.
https://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/osha/osha20200309

Jefferson County Small Business Resource Center
Non-profit organization supporting small businesses in the community including business plan development, brand and marketing material assistance, financing sources and more.
https://www.jeffcobrc.org/

Small Business Guidance & Resources
Information about Economic Injury Disaster Loan Programs, Guidance for Businesses and Employers, SBA Products and Resources, Government Contracting and Local Assistance.
https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources

SBA Disaster Loan Assistance
Federal Disaster Loans for Businesses, Private Nonprofits, Homeowners and Renters.
https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources

Jefferson County Economic Development Corporation
Jeffco EDC is an advocate for the county’s business community and is dedicated to building economic prosperity in the community. Current resources for businesses are included on the website.
https://jeffcoedc.org/

Clear Creek Economic Development Corporation
The CCEDC works to create and offer programs for Clear Creek County businesses. Information about emergency working capital loan program is on the website.
http://www.clearcreekedc.org/our-programs

Arvada Economic Development Association
Arvada Economic Development Association has community, government, and civic partnerships which allow AEDA to provide your business with the latest business information and resources.
https://arvadaeconomicdevelopment.org/

City of Edgewater
The City's economic development programs are designed to bolster the economic health and opportunity within Edgewater and the surrounding area for residents and businesses alike.
https://www.edgewaterco.com/index.asp?SEC=E2A42395-4AC3-449F-B502-65FEF8800E38&Type=B_BASIC

Golden Community & Economic Development Division
The City of Golden Community & Economic Development Division provides a network of resources to support existing and growing businesses including grant opportunities.
https://www.cityofgolden.net/work/economic-development/

Lakewood Economic Development Division
The Economic Development Division of the City of Lakewood provides services to businesses, including business attraction, expansion, entrepreneurialism, marketing, communications and resources.
https://www.lakewood.org/Government/Departments/Economic-Development

Littleton Economic Development Department
The Economic Development Department of the City of Littleton focuses on business development, retention and attraction by providing business resources for companies operating in or planning to locate within the city.
https://www.littletongov.org/city-services/city-departments/economic-development

Westminster Economic Development Department
The City of Westminster Economic Development Division provides resources to existing and growing businesses.
https://www.westminstereconomicdevelopment.org/

Wheat Ridge Economic Development Division
The City of Wheat Ridge Economic Development Division is dedicated to both the businesses and citizens of Wheat Ridge by providing an array of resources for the community.
https://www.ci.wheatridge.co.us/269/Economic-Development

Colorado Office of Economic Development & International Trade
OEDIT has a hotline for small business owners to call with questions at (303) 860-5881 or email [email protected]
https://choosecolorado.com/

Chambers of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce associations promote and protect the interests of the business community in a local community, and offer valuable resources and education to businesses

West Metro Chamber
https://www.westmetrochamber.org/

Arvada Chamber
https://www.arvadachamber.org/

Conifer Chamber
https://www.goconifer.com/

Evergreen Chamber
https://www.evergreenchamber.org/

Golden Chamber
https://goldenchamber.org/

Littleton Chamber
http://littletonbusinesschamber.org/

Westminster Chamber
https://www.westminsterchamber.biz/

Wheat Ridge Chamber
http://www.wheatridgechamber.org/

Wheat Ridge Business Association
https://www.wheatridgebiz.com/

Jefferson County Business & Workforce Center serving Jefferson, Clear Creek and Gilpin counties is an equal opportunity program; auxiliary services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities.