This past year has presented everyone with a fair share of challenges. Those of us at Greater Grays Harbor, Inc (GGHI) wanted to take a moment to recognize the Top 10 achievements and highlights of the year.
10. Say “YES” to Local Welcomes Customers In – Local businesses have always needed to create curb appeal to welcome customers into their establishments and it became even more urgent with varying opening standards across counties and industries. GGHI printed and provided complimentary signage to local businesses highlighting that they were open for business and celebrating the value of shopping local.
9. Leadership Grays Harbor Shows Resiliency– This course in leadership principles has been a consistent feature in the area since 2012. The program provides next level leadership development to the local workforce and a cornerstone of the program is the development of relationships with professional peers. When in person meetings and classes were put on hold in March the program continued to thrive in a virtual environment with 16 participants completing the program in 2020. The course is scheduled to begin again in the first quarter of 2021. If you or your colleagues are interested in enrollment please contact me directly at lbuffington@graysharbor.org.
8. Online Directory Helps Businesses Find Customers Where They Are– In the past year, this online listing of nearly 500 local businesses has increased its viewership by 26%. With more consumers and visitors relying on businesses having a web-based presence the GGHI online directory has become the first stop in connecting with vendors and services in the region. An ever-growing listing of the regions local establishments including both GGHI members and tourism industry partners can be found on the www.graysharbor.org website.
7. Members Continue to See More Value and Satisfaction with GGHI – The 2020 Membership Survey continues to demonstrate that the membership values what GGHI has to offer and a continued growth in member satisfaction with the organization’s performance in its services. At the time of publication overall member satisfaction had increased by nearly 3% and all individual work areas continued to demonstrate a multi-year trend of improvement. Member feedback is inspiring our work for 2021 so please do not forget to complete the short survey you received from either Lynnette or Candie.
6. Discover Grays Harbor Website Launches to Support the Tourism Industry– Launched in early 2020 this expansion of the GGHI website” was built to include helpful information for tourists including a comprehensive database of restaurant and lodging establishments. Inspired by our vibrant tourism industry, GGHI staff develops original content and blog posts about unique experiences, geographic wonders, and places to eat, stay and shop. With less than a year of being active the site has had attracted 35,000 users from 98 different countries.
5. Membership Relief Grant – Through a generous donation from local business, Renewable Energy Group (REG) a fund is being created to support GGHI members facing economic hardship and wishing to maintain their membership within the organization. Maintaining a membership in GGHI can provide a member their web-based presence and access to exclusive resources to continue to promote their businesses. Stay tuned for news on this fund the week of December 7th.
4. Embodying the Cliché’ of “Pivoting” in 2020 – How does an organization that highlights its ability to build relationships and connect stakeholders continue to hold relevancy during a pandemic? Well, you must “pivot” and display your benefits in new ways. In a short matter of time GGHI staff transitioned to nearly 100% remote with one staff fielding the incoming calls and others distributing their personal cell phones to offer business outreach and assistance. Team meetings moved to Zoom and what used to be in-office communications found a home on Slack. Business Forum Luncheons and Business After-Hours moved online and focused on the most urgent topics and provided productive virtual gatherings. Business attraction activities elevated the organization’s well-respected customer service reputation and connections were developed on virtual platforms. Did we mention it was also an election year? Traditional in-person single-event candidate forums adjusted to FB Live events hosted by media partner AlphaMedia. In a year with endless surprises and challenges the GGHI Staff and Board have continued to “adapt”, “pivot” and rise to the occasion of these “unprecedented times”.
3. COVID-19 Resources Webpage Creates Centralized Information for Business – The fast and non-stop public health and economic resource information related to the pandemic was the equivalent of “drinking from a firehose”. Navigating the ever-growing and ever-changing information was overwhelming and could have caused anyone to throw their hands up. Just days after the economy shut down in mid-March, GGHI staff created and continues to actively update a COVID-19 Resource Page that has had nearly 6,000 visitors since it launched.
2. Business Assistance Breaks Records– Characterized as one on one support for businesses GGHI staff has provided support to nearly 300 businesses throughout 2020. Much of the support surrounded navigating financial relief options related to the COVID-19 shutdowns. This level of support marks a 354% increase in business assistance cases from 2019.
1. Economic Relief Grants Support Local Businesses – Starting in May and throughout the fall, GGHI has administrated four different grants to support local businesses experiencing hardship in relation to COVID-19. In all GGHI has supported over $400,000 in relief through Working Washington Grants Round 1 and Round 2 and assisted the cities of Elma and Hoquiam support their businesses on a local level. Developing a system for an entirely new program of work and services was characterized as “building an airplane while in the air” and the GGHI team rose to the occasion of building and activating a response that has been credited with saving over 90 jobs in the region with additional impact reports expected in the near future.
All of us at GGHI are wishing you the best for this holiday season and we look forward to continuing to serve our business community in 2021.