Conducting business in the new normal

The Bolingbrook Area Chamber of Commerce is facing head-on the challenge of serving its members during the incredible challenges that COVID-19 created.

“There’s no precedence for this time right now,” said Executive Director Kevin O’Keeffe. “Every single business, every single industry is affected.”

The Chamber’s first immediate response to the then pending COVID-19 appearance in the area was to postpone their annual awards gala which was slated for March 12.

After that it was all manner of pivoting and bending.

“Once the order to shelter in place was made, we cancelled all external and internal Chamber events until the order is lifted,” said O’Keeffe.

Plans were immediately made to limit the staff’s contact with the public: locking the office front door, limiting on-site hours and moving to remote locations.

“We are answering our phones, a staff member can always be reached at 630-226-8420 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.,” he said.

The biggest evolution was the Chamber’s move to online meetings and events.

“We’re an events-based Chamber; our members want to meet, get together, network, talk shop,” he said. “We had to take this premise and move it to an online forum.”

The Chamber is currently holding video conferences on various topics at 9 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Through video conferences the BACC was able to keep abreast of the ever-changing aid packages coming out of Washington D.C. and Springfield, Ill.

“Early on there was so much information to disseminate; it also kept evolving,” O’Keeffe. “There were several times that Grace Tucker (manager of communications and events) and I would be on two different video conferences at the same time because so much was coming information from the state and federal legislature and other chambers of commerce.”

“We are keeping our eyes and ears open for the information that is pertinent to the businesses and industries in our Chamber,” O’Keeffe said, “and trying to find a way to distill it down to manageable chunks of information. We are fortunate that the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the Department of Commerce & Economic Opportunity (IDC) have been really wonderful at getting us the most current information.”

Now that the order to shelter has been extended until April 30, the BACC is working to be a resource of information and a source of support to its members.”

“Our office manager Saba Rashid is calling every single member to check in on them, asking if they need anything from us,” he said.

“For the most part everyone she spoke with understands that we’re all in this together and the community, business, government, residents are doing the best they can during a more than difficult situation.