COVID - 19 Business Resources
The health and safety of the business community in the city of Suffolk, along with that of our residents, employees and guests are a top concern. The Suffolk Economic Development Department remains focused on supporting our businesses. We have compiled some resources, shown below, that may be helpful for employers and their staff as they navigate business decisions during this time.
Suffolk Economic Development Department can be reached by contacting:
Kevin Hughes 757-514-4043 Khughes@suffolkva.us
Gregory Byrd 757-514-4042 Gbyrd@suffolkva.us
Deanna Holt 757-514-4049 Dholt@suffolkva.us
Terry Smith 757-514-4045 Tasmith@suffolkva.us
Mitzi Carr 757-514-4047 Mscarr@suffolkva.us
To reach another City of Suffolk department call 757-514-4000
Small Business COVID-19 assistance:
A few important Hampton Roads Small Business Assistance recommendations are listed below.
- Reach out to your creditors and suppliers (throughout the process, answers and situations change) to negotiate some sort of holiday (delay) for your current payments. If this cannot be done, explore renegotiating the current terms of any outstanding loans. Additionally, reach out to those who owe you money and see if they can pay you sooner.
- If a business is able to pursue SBA Disaster Funds, here is some information to keep in mind:
~ Have good records that show how your business was stressed and impacted
- Monthly Sales History for the past two years
- Accurate year-end business financial statements (both Income and Balance Sheet)
- As time transpires, interim month-end statements may also be required
- You will need to show a downturn in sales from prior periods (details unknown at this time)
~ Based upon the specific disaster declaration requirements and the business loss, funding could be over a period of time or a percentage of current sales.
· ~ Financial assistance is based upon business impact; early application may be premature
Employer and Employee Business Services
If you are a business owner or HR representative for an employer considering work stoppages, layoffs or furloughs, we encourage you to contact the Business Services team at Virginia Career Works Hampton Roads. (Business Services – Steve Cook at 757-876-9054 or scook@vcwhamptonroads.org). They will get back to you within one (1) business day, or sooner, to discuss information and services that may assist impacted employees, including Unemployment Insurance, tax assistance, layoff aversion strategies, financial planning, remote access career services and more.
If you are a worker who has been totally or partially separated from your job due to COVID-19, please note that no claim for unemployment insurance may be filed or processed until an actual lay off from employment has occurred, or until there has been an actual reduction in hours. When filing your claim for unemployment benefits, please be sure to check the reason for separation as Lack of Work/Lay off. You may file a claim for unemployment insurance through this Website below by clicking the link below to File a new claim for unemployment benefits or through the Customer Contact Center by calling 1-866-832-2363 Monday through Friday 8:30am – 4:30pm. http://www.vec.virginia.gov/node/11699
Additional Resources:
Link to Virginia Department of Health guidance: http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/
Link to Centers for Disease Control: https://www.cdc.gov/
Link to Small Business Guidance & Loan Resources: https://www.sba.gov/page/coronavirus-covid-19-small-business-guidance-loan-resources
Link to Hampton Roads Small Business Assistance: http://www.hrsbdc.org/preparing-covid-19-virginia-small-businesses/
Link to LISC Local Initiatives Support Corporation Small Business Recovery Fund assistance: https://www.lisc.org/covid-19/
Link to U.S. Chamber of Commerce: https://www.uschamber.com/coronavirus
Link to City of Suffolk COVID - 19 updates: http://www.suffolkva.us/1399/Suffolk-Coronavirus-COVID-19-Updates