DANVILLE-BOYLE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

News release

The Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce is hosting a regional disaster preparedness workshop on Sept. 21 from 8:30-10 a.m. at the Boyle County Public Library. Chambers in Garrard, Lincoln and Mercer, as well as the Heart of Danville, are co-hosting the workshop.

Speakers include Michael Ashcraft, senior area manager for economic development and public information for the Small Business Administration in Louisville; and Alison Broady, stakeholder liaison in the Internal Revenue Service Communications and Liaison Office in Nashville.

Paula Fowler, executive director of the Chamber of Commerce encourages business owners to take 75 minutes from your busy schedule to learn information you hope you never need but is critical if disaster strikes and time is of the essence.

“We are all watching with heartache the unfolding disaster in Texas and surrounding areas and hope we never face such catastrophe. But where would you start if it happened here?” Fowler said. “Join us for a short time to begin that thought process for your business. As we have seen many times before, it takes years to build a successful business, but just minutes to be destroyed by a disaster.”

SBA provides training on disaster preparation and recovery, as well as information on disaster recovery resources for your small business or nonprofit organization. They also provide low-interest disaster loans to businesses of all sizes, private nonprofit organizations, homeowners and renters. SBA disaster loans can be used to repair or replace real estate, personal property, machinery and equipment, and inventory and business assets damaged or destroyed in a declared disaster.

Ashcraft will provide the workbook on how to assess disaster risks, how to prepare for a disaster, how to communicate during and after a crisis and how to recover more quickly. He will also share a copy of the PowerPoint and a couple other handouts.  Broady will share recordkeeping tips for your business and IRS hot topics, and she will discuss tax relief provided in disaster situations.

To register, call the Chamber at (859) 236-2361, ext. 120.