GNO, INC Update – 4/14/2020

Regional Stakeholders,

During a crisis, timely, accurate, and actionable information is important.  In order to help you get this information, GNO, Inc. is sending out regular updates.  Please see below, and feel free to forward.

April 14, 2020 Update

News

• Paycheck Protection Program Updates – The SBA provided data on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), showing more than 17,000 PPP loans, totaling $3.7B, have been approved in Louisiana.  Nationwide, more than one million loans, topping $247B, have been approved.  Also today, the SBA released additional guidance on the program, including information on how self-employed individuals (both with and without employees) calculate their loan amounts.
• Louisiana Federal Aid – At his press conference today, Governor John Bel Edwards announced that Louisiana is expected to receive $1.8B in aid within the next ten days.  According to the governor, approximately 45% will go to local governments to help with virus response, while the rest would remain with state government.
• Louisiana Election Dates Rescheduled – Governor John Bel Edwards has announced changes to election dates in Louisiana. The June 20 Presidential Primary Election will be rescheduled for July 11, and the July 25 Municipal General Election is rescheduled to August 15.  More information will be forthcoming from the Secretary of State.
• Ochsner CEO Meets with President – Warner Thomas, CEO of Ochsner Health, Louisiana’s largest nonprofit hospital system, appeared at a White House press conference today during an announcement that the administration was creating a public-private partnership that would allow hospitals to share ventilators.  President Trump announced the federal government will partner with hospitals across the country to create the Dynamic Ventilator Reserve, which would allow hospitals to distribute unused ventilators to other facilities in need.
• Crude Oil Storage Contracts – The U.S. Department of Energy announced crude oil storage contracts with nine companies, which will ensure that 23 million barrels of U.S.-produced crude oil are stored in the Nation’s Strategic Petroleum Reserve, helping to stabilize the global market.
• River Parish Testing – Today the Parish Presidents of St. John the Baptist, St. James, and St. Charles Parishes announced new testing sites in their parishes. The new announced sites include:
  • Hahnville High School
  • LaPlace Walmart and Teche Action Clinic
  • Gramercy Elementary

Information

• GNO, Inc. Webinars – This week GNO, Inc. will be hosting two webinars that are open to the public. These webinars include:
  • GNOthinc:  Winning the Talent Wars (Wed., 4/15, 9:00am)  – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Niki DaSilva will discuss initiatives to promote workforce training and upskilling, as well as resources developed in response to coronavirus. A higher ed panel with representatives from Delgado Community College, Northshore Technical Community College, Tulane School of Professional Advancement, and Southeastern Louisiana University will follow, sharing the workforce training programs offered online, so skills-building can continue in this “new normal” of social distancing and remote work.
  •  GNO, Inc. Webinar:  Loan Gumbo — Figuring Out Which Loan is Right for You (Thur., 4/16, 12:00pm) – This webinar addresses what factors to consider when identifying the best fit for a loan for your business. A panel of experts will address your most pressing questions, highlighting the differences between the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program, as well as other programs including the state-backed Louisiana Loan Portfolio Guaranty Program and the new Main Street Lending Program.

Resources

Are you looking for:

• Online Training? – A catalogue of opportunities for online training from the region’s higher education partners and private training providers can be found here.
• Work? – If you want a job in a sector that is surging right now, new openings are on WorkNOLA.com.
• Employees? – A database of local talent looking for new job opportunities, including quick employment history and skills summary, is on theWorkNOLA Workforce Directory.
• COVID-19 Customers/Purchasers? – If you have pivoted your business to make a new, coronavirus-related product, register on GNOpivot.
• COVID-19 Supplies/Services? – If you are looking for PPE, sanitizer, food providers, and other related products and services, search the GNOpivot Resource Tool.

As always, general information is on the GNO, Inc. Coronavirus Business Resource Page.

Please feel free to contact me [email protected] or VP Policy Ileana Ledet at [email protected] with any questions or suggestions.

Take care,

Michael

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