Great Ideas Continue To Help Us All Succeed

I am always amazed to see the strength and resiliency of the businesses and organizations here in the Hudson Valley. This is a tight-knit community, and everyone has really come together during the last 15 months as we work to overcome this historical event.

Right from the beginning of the pandemic, members had to put their thinking caps on to keep their doors open, continue to serve their customers, and provide employment for their staff. Remember when everyone was participating in “Take-out Tuesday” as restaurants revised their business model and families picked up meals drive-thru style? There was also Farm-Fresh Fridays among other programs, and we were all “Honking for Heroes” to show our support for the medical community and first-responders.

As the pandemic continued, there was more and more innovation to be found. Even our Chamber re-invented the wheel many times by providing online resources and virtual events. This was a necessity to keep us going and to provide our members with the tools needed for them to survive. Now, as we continue on the long road to recovery, thinking outside the box has never been more important. I have seen many examples of great ideas, as well as people going the extra mile to support their fellow business owners.

Some examples:

• Millbrook Vineyards and Winery -- Uber credits offered to bring customers to location
• Revel 32 – event space repurposed with pop-up restaurants and special presentations
• Adams Fairacre Farms – stores open early for seniors to shop before larger crowds arrived
• Simply Gourmet – catering business became a weekly themed takeout sensation
• Personalize It – offered customized PPE made to order
• Hudson Valley Skincare – locally sourced hand sanitizer when it was in high-demand

We would like to know what kinds of programs and promotions your businesses has instituted. There are surely ways we can continue to help each other, and I would be happy to share those ideas that are sent to my attention. Please email me frank@dcrcoc.org so we can spread the good word to our membership. Remember, we are all in this together, and together we will come out stronger on the other side.

I look forward to seeing you soon, and please continue to Think Local First!