The Corporate Citizen, June 2007

[Editor's note: We asked Nancy Ploeger, president of the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce, to share her lessons learned about the role chambers play in times of disaster. Her advice and expertise is featured below.]

"You Have One Year"

The circumstances of many of our country's disasters are very different but also very much the same:  loss of lives, loss of homes and loss of jobs. 

In addition to what affects us all beyond the horrible loss of lives and property is the complete, catastrophic effect on the small-business community. Depression, confusion and utter chaos face every business owner in the wake of a disaster — they are the really underserved and under-recognized population.

I say this because the business owner not only has his or her own home, family, and personal losses to deal with. They also have the added burdens of their business, employees, and employees' families to contend with.

Depression, confusion, and utter chaos face every business owner in the wake of a disaster — they are the really underserved and under-recognized population. This fact often goes unnoticed.

This fact often goes unnoticed.

Chambers Provide Hope for the Future

Chambers play an important leadership role in helping to keep the spirit alive and hope in the forefront for the small-business owners — especially in the first few days and into the first year after such an event.

We learned this post 9/11. With support from the U.S. Chamber reaching out across the country, other chambers came to our rescue in the way of donations/one-year memberships in the Manhattan Chamber.

We began a "Small Business Grant Fund" and within the first five months after 9/11, we gave out more than $150,000 in amounts of $500, $1000 or $1500 to local businesses. I and various other chamber members and board members physically went down to the businesses in Lower Manhattan and handed them checks and talked with them about their issues.

This personal contact with us was one of the most important initiatives for these business owners, most of whom were not Chamber members. They appreciated the grants to help pay a bill or towards payroll or rent, but it was the hands-on caring that most of the business owners really needed. They felt lost and were very appreciative of our showing them support. 

We kept in touch with many of them during the first year, but a good many of them couldn't survive and eventually went out of business.

We kept in touch with many of them during the first year, but a good many of them couldn't survive and eventually went out of business.

Chambers Provide Leadership and Stability Amid Chaos

Our city, state, and federal governments and the business community also undertook several important programs to support and rebuild. Along with grants, SBA loans, and other nonprofit, private and government subsidies, many other initiatives began within four months of the attack:

• Chamber Member Volunteer Outreach Program, with businesses helping get needed goods and services to those companies in Lower Manhattan (done via website listings and postings and weekly email blasts)
• Adopt-a-Company website, encouraging other businesses to buy from and use the services of those affected businesses
• Small Firm Attraction/Retention Grant and Job Creation/Retention programs
• Special sale days in certain neighborhoods in the affected areas
• A variety of fundraisers

But one of the most important initiatives taken was the one that kept the communication lines open — the most critical need of your communities after a disaster strikes.

Our chamber, along with the NYC Better Business Bureau, FEMA, American Red Cross, libraries, universities, and city and state representatives, pulled together a 9/11 Small Business Council made up of about 40 different organizations. After 9/11 several neighborhood community-business nonprofits were established and they too were included in this Council.

We developed a group email and met every two weeks, sharing all of our experiences, successes, and challenges and taking it back to our respective members, neighbors, and business owners.

We kept on top of the legislators, letting them know the pitfalls of many of the programs and lobbied to get more funding.

We met with local legislators, keeping them abreast of what was going on at the ground level so that they in turn could communicate to their city councils, state assemblies, and other congressional leaders. And, we kept on top of the legislators, letting them know the pitfalls of many of the programs and lobbied to get more funding.

We held panel discussions and open forums, always including media, and made sure that all of the information regarding grants, loans, program applications, etc. were readily available to our constituents. 

One of the most crucial efforts the chamber and private sector can make is to act as a liaison between the community, the legislators, and the press.

By keeping everyone in the loop through all the local organizations — both government and non-profits — we helped to keep the dialogue open and cut down the confusion, making sure that everyone knew of all the programs to help them, where to go to apply, and what was and was not working.

One of the most crucial efforts the chamber and private sector can make is to act as a liaison between the community, the legislators, and the press.

One of the other components to taking a leadership role is constant vigilance in holding all government agencies accountable for their actions. As you may have heard, even today, six years later, we are finding that monies earmarked for businesses in Lower Manhattan went to businesses in Ohio and to companies in other states that were in no way directly affected by 9/11. 

In the process of mass chaos, there has to be a voice of reason and it is you, the chamber. Our legislators must hold all agencies responsible for grants and loans and the business community has to keep pressing them to see funding distribution reports. It's our job to keep the media pressure on the agencies and funders, as well.

In the process of mass chaos, there has to be a voice of reason and it is you, the chamber.

You Have One Year

After one year, when many of the grants had been set, public and private monies distributed, and thousands of SBA loan application submitted, many of the groups started to fraction off and pursue their own community needs.

In-fighting and "my neighborhood needs it more than yours" will occur, and you lose your ability to be an efficient group. Or, perhaps you will be lucky and your bond will continue. 

You only have one year to keep your communication lines open before this breakdown starts to happen. In-fighting and "my neighborhood needs it more than yours" will occur (maybe even before a year's time), and you lose your ability to be an efficient group. Or, perhaps you will be lucky and your bond will continue. 

But whatever the case, Chambers must take advantage of those first few days to channel all organizations into one, to support your community, and to be the conduit that keeps information flowing directly to your business owners and back up to the legislators.

To learn more about the Manhattan Chamber of Commerce and continuing post-9/11 recovery activities, visit www.manhattancc.org/.

Back to the June 2007 e-newsletter

By Nancy Ploeger, President, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce