Wenatchee Valley Chamber Survey Reveals Businesses in Dire Need of Assistance

The Wenatchee Valley Chamber of Commerce released the results of their survey of local businesses regarding the impact of the COVID-19 shutdown on their operations Thursday.

Governmental Affairs Director Sasha Sleiman said the survey was conducted between March 24th and April 10th and over 270 local businesses responded. 10% of those responses were from Latinx business owners.

"It was about 18 questions or so and asked a little bit about their financial situation." said Sleiman, "No details, but just how they are doing, what their plans were, and how they were shifting their business model. Different things like that."

The biggest concern by business owners was a need for cash flow.

"More than half of our businesses who took the survey thought they could sustain their business for less than three months, with another 28% saying they weren't sure how long they could remain in operation," added Sleiman.

The majority of those that took the survey said they have lost 91-100% of their profits during the shutdown, and 30% of businesses said that revenue is off by at least eighty percent.

The Chamber will next week convene a Recovery Council, which will be co-chaired by Wenatchee Mayor Frank Kuntz and East Wenatchee Mayor Jerrilea Crawford and will be comprised of local business, civic, non-profit, and healthcare leaders. Sleiman added that the council will focus on economic recovery within the context of protecting the health and safety of the community.

The survey results will be provided to local leaders and business owners, state legislators, and local congressional representatives.