Following their earlier efforts to help Mountain businesses during the
pandemic, the Mt.Hood Area Chamber of Commerce has partnered with
Clackamas County’s Economic Development Division to connect businesses
with resources to support them. This program, called business recovery
centers (BRCs), is funded by $2 million in CARES Act funding and includes a
number of chambers throughout the county.

BRCs will provide funding for each chamber to hire and deploy staff to support
businesses, including offering connections to services such as legal assistance,
accounting and childcare.

“We’re doing it as slim as we can to make as much money available to the
businesses,” said Jeri McMahan, Mt.Hood Area Chamber Business Recovery
Center Representative.

McMahan said the chamber submitted a proposal and budget, including
planning to use space at the Hoodland Senior Center and hire up to three
outreach workers.

She noted that while the program could begin at the start of November,
funding still needed to be approved before it began.

The program is expected to last until the end of the year.

McMahan added that the outreach program offers person to person contact
and that the approach should be better than generic emails that might not
even be read.

“Boots on the ground and personal contact are more successful,” she said.
The chamber has not held its monthly membership meetings due to the
pandemic, while board meetings have been held online. McMahan noted that
this year the chamber will not hold its annual volunteer breakfast, a
celebration of volunteerism that draws a crowd of people every December.

Earlier this year, the chamber created a promotional video that aired on
television and announced that there would be no membership dues for the
2020-21 year to help support Mountain businesses during the pandemic.

For more information about BRCs or the chamber, visit
www.mthoodchamber.com, email mthoodareachamber@gmail.com or call
503-622-3017.