The six Seacoast region Chambers of Commerce, including the Hampton Area Chamber of Commerce, Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce, The Chamber Collaborative of Greater Portsmouth, Greater Dover Chamber of Commerce, Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, and The Falls Chamber of Commerce, representing over 2,500 businesses, are excited to announce that they have formed a partnership with the State of New Hampshire, to work on business recovery efforts surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.
Governor Sununu and the State of New Hampshire’s Governor’s Office for Economic Relief and Recovery (GOFERR) Committee, had previously announced the creation of a Chamber Partnership grant, funded by the CARES Act, to partner with chambers of commerce in the state on business recovery efforts. Managed by the NH Business & Economic Affairs Department, this seacoast regional partnership is one of seven regional partnerships across the State of New Hampshire, that will develop and deliver programs and services that support COVID-19 economic recovery efforts, through the end of the year.
As our members continue to face challenges to their businesses due to the impact from COVID-19, our goal is to use the funds allocated to our region to bring programs and services that will strengthen our region’s economy and lead our business community through a successful recovery. To that end, the Seacoast Chambers have been developing a series of programs and marketing campaigns to be conducted, including:
- a Seacoast economic recovery program to assist business owners with recovery plans,
- a Seacoast destination marketing campaign to help rejuvenate affected businesses in the tourism industry,
- a Seacoast workforce development program to respond effects on the region’s workforce and bring relief to businesses and workers,
- a Seacoast Safe program designed to support businesses and increase consumer confidence,
- a Seacoast business to business plan to ensure businesses in the region have the tools to recovery successfully, and
- the development of a Seacoast landing page to provide area businesses with a dedicated place to obtain uniformed resources and materials designed to aid in COVID-19 relief and recovery.
According to Valerie Rochon, President of The Chamber Collaborative for Greater Portsmouth and the lead Chamber for this regional effort, “the Seacoast Chamber Alliance is well-versed in collaborating on regional efforts and we look forward to working together to support our members through economic recovery”.
The Seacoast region’s Chambers of Commerce greatly appreciate the resources and opportunity the state has provided to us through this partnership. Our priority continues to be supporting our members and the business communities throughout the Seacoast in recovery and beyond, and we look forward to implementing the initiatives these critical resources have offered us.