You should be proud to be Washingtonians in these trying times “Staying Home and Staying Healthy”. It is warming to see our communities come together to support one another. While there is no shortage of information out these days, I’d like to highlight some relevant information. 

A. Best practices for playing outdoors
B. Outdoor Recreation Businesses Answering the Call
C. Business Recovery Resources
D. Industry News
E. Washington State Tourism Resources 
F. Events update

https://www.seattlechamber.com/home/events/events-detail/2020/04/29/default-calendar/executive-speaker-series-april-2020

A. Best practices for playing outdoors

Our latest reflection on guidelines for going outside: Oh, Behave Washingtonians!

 

 

 

 

 

From the Desk of Jon Snyder

 

 

 

 

It’s still great to go outside for fresh air but our recreation guidance is:

–          Do outdoor activities only with folks in your immediate household (not extended families)

–          Do outdoor activities close by your home, instead of traveling to do them  (if you have to take a car, maybe it’s too far)

–          If you encounter others maintain a minimum of 6-feet social distance

–          Gatherings of any size are not allowed outdoors, just as they are not allowed indoors, that includes buddies getting together to go on a hike

Adventure can wait. The more we can social distance the quicker we can get through this.

B. Outdoor Recreation Businesses Answering the Call

We are proud of our Alliance Members for stepping up to Answer the Call. 

SUPERFEET TO PRODUCE VITAL MEDICAL SUPPLIES FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE, March 31, 2020 – “It took less than a week for Superfeet employee-owners to mobilize their product development and operations departments to pivot from insole production to making life-saving equipment using their Ferndale 3D printing and manufacturing facilities. Approximately 30,000 of these PPE masks will be produced and distributed to hospitals in the Pacific Northwest immediately.”

 

EDDYLINE KAYAKS RESPONDS TO DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT  Press Release, March 20, 2020

“As a US manufacturer, Eddyline stands ready to help. Eddyline welcomes inquiries from governments, non-profits, and other manufacturers in this critical time.  The company’s capabilities include:

• Ability to quickly produce composite tools for heavy gauge thermoforming applications
• Heavy gauge thermoforming of extruded plastics
• A 20’ by 5’ thermoforming oven for large parts or for multiple parts per cycle
• 5-axis CNC routing table for automated part cutting and trimming
• Experienced and capable personnel for hand-cutting, trimming and assembly

The team at Eddyline wishes everyone safety, health and peace in this difficult time.”

Other related responses across the state. 

Outdoor Research promises 200,000 masks a day by June SNEWS, ANDREW WEAVER
UPDATED:MAR 31, 2020

“Outdoor Research has pledged to start producing masks for medical workers at a substantial clip—200,000 a day by June, according to an announcement the company made Monday. To do so, the gear and apparel brand will convert its Seattle factory to comply with FDA Class II guidelines, meaning it will be able to produce surgical masks and the much-needed N95 masks, in short supply across the nation, for workers on the front lines of the pandemic.”

Check Out wegotthisamerica.com to help support a small business!

JOIN THE MOVEMENT TO SUPPORT INDEPENDENT BUSINESS

We’re doing this for the mom-and-pop, the brick & mortars, the movers and shakers.

We Got This America is an initiative to provide some assistance to small businesses as they feel the impact of COVID-19 on their employees, communities and bottom lines. We are giving $10 of every shirt sale back to small businesses through our affiliate partner program. Now is a time to come together to show our support for the people and businesses that have built the communities we love. – Brist. 

C. Business Recovery Resources

Whatcom Unified Command 

Dear Local Businesses and Partners,

Under Whatcom Unified Command’s direction, the Economic Impact Task Force, led by Don Goldberg, has compiled five tools/resources for local businesses to utilize so that our team and partners can begin to assess the extent of the economic impacts stemming from the COVID-19 outbreak.

The first is a survey that was developed in partnership with the Whatcom Unified Command, the Regional Economic Partnership at the Port of Bellingham, Western Washington University’s Small Business Development Center (WWU SBDC), and the Bellingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. This survey will help our organizations understand the economic effects of COVID-19 on local businesses. If you own or operate a business in Whatcom County, please fill out this survey at your earliest convenience: https://form.responster.com/EsA58H

The second resource we wanted to direct your attention to is technical assistance from WWU’s SBDC: https://sbdc.wwu.edu/business-continuity-resources

The third resource allows you to register for business re-entry with Washington State: https://mil.wa.gov/business-re-entry-registration

The fourth resource is designed for companies that may have the capability to make donations or repurpose your facility or manufacturing equipment to produce Personal Protective Equipment and infection-control products, please contact the Department of Enterprise Services to discuss options: https://des.wa.gov/about/agency-overview/covid-19-information-%E2%80%93-des-guidance/personal-protective-equipment

Finally, please check Unified Command’s new website https://whatcomcovid.com for regular updates. There you’ll find a link to the Economic Impact Task Force’s Resource page.

The City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development has been allocated $1.5 million to help qualifying small businesses located in Seattle with 5 employees or less. 

D. Industry News

We seek to help be the voice for our industry. In service to our industry members, the outdoor recreation sector, and the public, we are in a position to share exciting industry news from our Alliance Members. The following is a press release from Seattle Manufacturing Corporation (SMC).

SMC TO PRODUCE OMEGA CARABINER LINE

SMC, a specialty rescue and climbing hardgoods company, to carry forward a range of Omega Pacific’s top selling ISO forged carabiners. 

Ferndale, WA. February 25th, 2020 – Seattle Manufacturing Corporation (SMC) announced today that it has purchased the tooling and machinery to produce Omega Pacific’s top selling carabiners – specifically the ISO forged D’s, Ovals, and select HMS models. Read full press release. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E. Washington State Tourism Resources 

Introducing showWAlove.com, a new website that connects Washingtonians to businesses they love and want to support. Any tourism-related business can list themselves for free on the website, as long as they have an online gift card. If they don’t have an online gift card, they can quickly and easily create one here.

Washington Hometown is using their extensive data set of recreation to create a web map to help people navigate  through the crisis, including information on recreation that can be done while maintain proper social distance, while clearly showing places that are currently closed. 

We are also trying to help local businesses that are struggling. Restaurants that offer carry-out or delivery can submit to be on our web map at no charge. And any recreation business (even if not currently open) can put themselves on our recreation maps for free through the crisis and for two months after the stay at home order are lifted – we are hoping to help people plan their next adventure while they are stuck inside. We will be launching a new recreation web map Discover WA early next week with all of the recreation information we have, and we already have a series of maps tailored to different activities.

F. Event updates

All of our Alliance Gatherings are obviously on hold. We will look to reschedule and get back on track. We have had to cancel our Parkscriptions Day and week celebration and our expanding EXPO scheduled for May. 

 

 

Online event 

Seattle Chamber Executive Speaker Series: Outdoor Recreation 

Join the online panel of local executives and experts as they discuss how they are keeping up in a changing market and what opportunities they see ahead for the outdoor recreation industry. Tom Pettigrew, General Manager
Stevens Pass and Jill Simmons, Chief Executive Officer Washington Trails Association.