GNO, INC Update – 4/16/2020

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 16, 2020 Update

News

• Opening Up America Again – President Donald Trump today released the White House’s guidelines on re-opening the American economy.  The plan consists of three phases to gradually reopen the economy. The recommended guidelines are not mandatory, and Governors have discretion in reopening their respective economies.
• Resilient Louisiana Commission – Today, Governor John Bel Edwards announced the creation of the Resilient Louisiana Commission.  The commission is tasked with examining Louisiana’s economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and making recommendations for more resilient business-related activities and future commerce in light of COVID-19.
• First $350B of PPP Exhausted – With over 1.6 million (applications) in committed loan applications, the first $350B tranche of the Paycheck Protection Program has been exhausted.  Lawmakers fell short of an agreement on the next $250B round of coronavirus emergency aid today, as millions more Americans filed for employment benefits, bringing fresh urgency to the negotiations.  “We think we’re going to need upwards of $1 trillion dollars in order to satisfy the demand of America’s small business,” said Richard Hunt, chief executive of the trade group Consumer Bankers Association.  You can read more here.
• Save Small Business Fund – The U.S. Chamber of Commerce launched the Save Small Business Fund, aimed at providing $5,000 grants to small employers. In order to qualify, businesses must employ between 3 and 20 people, be located in an economically vulnerable community, and have been harmed financially by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Applications will open to the public on April 20, at 11:00am.

Information

• “Loan Gumbo”:  Determining Which Loan is Best for You – Today, GNO, Inc. released the following information to help businesses determine which loan product and other assistance is best for their needs:
• Coronavirus Loan Comparison Chart – click here
• Loan Gumbo Webinar Video – click here
• FAQs on the Paycheck Protection Program and other loans – click here

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 the WorkNOLA Workforce Directory.
• COVID-19 Customers/Purchasers? – If you have pivoted your business to make a new, coronavirus-related product, register onGNOpivot.
• 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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