SBA, White House Host Webinar on Economic Recovery, Vaccine Leadership

    WASHINGTON (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — On Thursday, June 10, as part of the “Vaccine Month of Action,” The White House, the U.S. Small Business Administration, and Public Private Strategies Institute hosted a briefing for small business leaders on COVID-19 recovery as part of their recently announced “Getting Back on Track: Help is Here” webinar series.

    More than 1,000 participants joined the briefing featuring SBA Administrator Isabella Casillas Guzman and Dr. Bechara Choucair, White House COVID-19 Vaccinations Coordinator.

    Guzman and Choucair discussed the importance of vaccinations and provided updates on COVID-19 economic aid programs, such as the Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program (EIDL), Targeted EIDL Advance, and Supplemental Targeted Advance.

    Guzman reaffirmed her optimism and support for small business owners as they begin to resume in-person activities.

    “Small businesses are beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel as marketplaces, and Main Streets start to reopen, as vaccination rates increase,” she said. “We are empowering small businesses to reopen fully and safely by connecting them with helpful resources and tools, including the Biden-Harris Administration’s tax credits that cover paid time-off for employees getting vaccinated. We all must double down on our efforts to help our nation’s small businesses survive and get our economy back on track.”

    Choucair expressed optimism about the efforts from the community to get all Americans vaccinated.

    “More than 95 mayors across the country are competing to boost vaccination rates in their cities,” Choucair said. “More than 580 colleges and universities are taking the pledge to vaccinate as many of their students, staff, and communities as possible. And many businesses are stepping up and offering incentives.”

    The event featured a roundtable with national small business organization leaders pledging to help small business owners become vaccine leaders in their communities and locate economic aid to recover from the pandemic.

    Ron Busby, CEO, US Black Chambers, Inc., discussed the impact companies have had on the vaccination rate for the Black community.

    “The ridesharing companies Uber and Lyft provide free rides to and from vaccination sites for Black business owners and their employees,” Busby said. “Other partnerships include CVS Pharmacy, Walgreens, and Reimagine Main Street, to name a few.”

    Participants also benefited from an in-depth question and answer session with Alejandro Contreras, a subject matter expert from the SBA Office of Disaster Assistance that implements EIDL and grant programs known as Targeted EIDL Advance, and Supplemental Targeted Advance.