The City of Thornton, Colorado has taken a bold step in providing one of the most valuable assets any community has…small business…some much-needed guidance in navigating and surviving one this most tumultuous time in our history. COVID-19 has wreaked havoc on every part of our nation, and that includes the ability of small businesses to provide products and services to their communities and customers while at the same time, providing paychecks for the employees and the owners of those businesses. In order to help small businesses, The City of Thornton Economic Development group has established a program known as The Alliance/Alianza Business Assistance Center.
As part of their educational outreach program, Alianza reached out to Ramos Law to see if Dr. Joseph Ramos would be willing to come in and share his expertise on COVID-19, and offer some suggestions on how businesses can deal with the effects of sick employees, lost revenue, and low morale during this unprecedented time. In the hour-long ZOOM event, Dr. Ramos made it a point to share the latest statistics that show the virus to be VERY contagious, but not nearly as deadly to the general, healthy population as the media is portraying. The point of this part of the message was to allow business owners to avoid the sense of panic that should their doors stay open, every employee and every customer is in grave danger of dying should they be exposed to the virus. This message was well-received by the attendees, and the program then shifted to how to survive and thrive as a business during COVID-19.
Through a series of real-life examples, Dr. Ramos explained how businesses can take great care of not only their customers, but also of their team members by creating a safe work environment, being flexible with work schedules, being creative in supplying products and services, and looking for new ways to lead team members…all while innovating new ways to operate more efficiently.
The program was broadcast on Facebook Live and received a lot of positive feedback from attendees. Ramos Law and The Alianza teams have scheduled a series of future presentations and “legal-nights” where community members can meet with attorneys at no cost to get their legal questions answered at no charge. Ramos Law is deeply grateful to the city of Thornton for the opportunity to participate in helping small businesses, not only during COVID-19, but in the years to follow as well.