by Heidi Smith
“We found that, across disasters, survivors and communities with stronger social infrastructure – the ties that bind us to each other – did better. The only factor that we saw which reduced anxiety was social ties.” –Daniel Aldrich, Ph.D., author of Building Resilience: Social Capital in Post-Disaster Recovery
By any measure, the Thurston County business community is staunchly supported and connected by a network of private and public organizations. In 2020, those bonds have been tested like never before as the economic fallout of COVID-19 has continued to unfold. The damage across industries has been too immense to ignore. Still, because of the work of Thurston Strong, an economic recovery task force effort created in response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and its specific impacts, it has been lessened.
Participating organizations include the City of Lacey, City of Olympia, City of Tumwater, City of Yelm, Experience Olympia & Beyond, Olympia Downtown Alliance, Pacific Mountain Workforce Development Council (PacMtn), Port of Olympia, Thurston Chamber of Commerce, Thurston County, Thurston Economic Development Council (EDC), Community Foundation of South Puget Sound and local Tribal Nations.
As soon as the pandemic hit, the group began providing critical funding, technical support and resources to the business community. Since March, Thurston Strong has helped facilitate access to SBA loans worth over $1 billion in federal forgivable loans at an average of $33,000 per business and distributed nearly $9.3 million in CARES Act funds to support critical sectors. After Thurston Strong established a business hotline to answer questions and direct people to resources, it received over 10,000 calls.
One key to the group’s effectiveness is the partnerships that existed pre-COVID as part of the Thurston Economic Alliance Plan. The key players in Thurston Strong are the same, along with numerous additions. “Early on, we had pulled all of these community partners together,” says Jason Robertson, owner of J Robertson & Company (JRO + CO), the consulting firm responsible for coordinating the collaboration. “That made it easier and faster to act. Instead of cities and organizations trying to do things on their own, we could leverage resources and have one central clearinghouse.”
When COVID-19 hit, Thurston Strong triaged the damage and provided immediate support to the business community. This took on numerous forms, including the development of technical support and resources. The Thurston EDC and the City of Olympia set up the Business Hotline. The Thurston Chamber helped develop the Thurston Strong website and resource hub. The Chamber worked with PacMtn to increase workforce development services as shifts in employment occurred, and Experience Olympia increased communications with the hospitality industry to provide services and support. The Thurston Chamber and the Thurston EDC also handed out thousands of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) sets to local companies.
After triage, one of the initial tasks was identifying areas most in need of help. The childcare industry was already in crisis before the pandemic, but today 40% of providers within Washington State have shut down. “What do you do if you’re an essential worker, but there is nowhere to send your kids?” asks Robertson. The first round of CARES Act funding focused on grants to support childcare facilities and retail and restaurant workers. A second round of grants supported nonprofits, minority-owned businesses, childcare, micro-businesses and agricultural businesses.
Cities and the county have contributed their funds in addition to the federal monies. The partnership model has been significant, according to the City of Olympia Economic Development Director Mike Reid. “The virus doesn’t care about jurisdictional boundary lines,” he notes. “There’s a need for us to work together, but each of our cities has economies that are built a little bit differently, and our residents have different needs. All of us are working to inform each other about our objectives and what those needs are.”
Thurston County Manager Ramiro Chavez also believes the model has been successful. “Thurston Strong provides the best and most effective conduit to distribute federal dollars to help businesses affected by the pandemic,” says Chavez. “The Thurston County business community has benefited greatly from the strategic approach Thurston Strong has taken to help in the recovery.” Thurston County utilized Thurston Strong to administer over $7.5 million of CARES Act funds.
As the Associate Economic Development Organization (ADO) for our region, the Thurston EDC has been responsible for grant application intake and assessment, distributing and tracking funds, setting up the business hotline and directing business owners to appropriate resources.
Thurston EDC Executive Director Michael Cade says the partners did whatever it took to ensure businesses had the resources they needed. “The staff of the EDC and that includes our Center for Business and Innovation, technical service providers, counselors and trainers, have rolled up their sleeves and committed to making sure every resource is found and pushed out, and every penny is put to maximum use,” says Cade.
Whether Thurston Strong will continue in its current form once the pandemic ends is uncertain, the lessons gained from the collective response will remain. “We’re looking at updating the Economic Alliance Plan to include a stronger economic equity section,” says Robertson. “How can we create more opportunities for all, be more inclusive of all races, income levels and educational levels and stimulate higher-wage employment opportunities here?”
Cade agrees. “Our mission is building a resilient community for all.”
“It’s been a remarkable effort from day one, and has evolved as the needs and resources have changed,” said David Schaffert, Thurston Chamber President/CEO. “The partnerships and collective efforts have demonstrated how communities need to come together to support each other to provide critical services, assistance and resources for the success of all. Thousands of businesses in our region have been supported in meaningful ways, which has provided them an opportunity to keep people employed and evolve their business model”.
He states that the leadership of local governments has been critical to the success of Thurston Strong. The recognition that business success is dependent on the entire community and not just the geographical location has been at the center of serving and supporting business needs. And other regions are noticing and are following the Thurston Strong model, creating similar collective impact initiatives within their communities.
“I am incredibly proud of the collective effort of all the partners,” said Schaffert. “Community development is our common bond, and Thurston Strong has provided the opportunity to deliver on mission as independent organizations while being one collective in our approach.”
The Thurston Strong website has had more than 10,000 visitors and over 30,000 views to date. Learn more about this incredible community resource at www.thurstonstrong.org.
