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News from the Office of Economic Development | Vol. 1 No. 15 | June 9, 2020
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King County Moves into Modified Phase One under Governor Inslee's Safe Start Washington Plan
Need COVID-19 guidance posters for your staff and customers?
Public Health - Seattle & King County has informational posters for businesses to inform staff and customers on COVID-19 guidance.
Learn more here. Posters are available Amharic, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Khmer, Korean, Marshallese, Russian, Samoan, Somali, Spanish, Thai, Tongan, and Vietnamese.
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PPP Loans Are Still Available and with More Flexibility
 Last week, the Paycheck Protection Program Flexibility Act was enacted. Significant changes include:
- Decrease threshold required to spend on payroll from 75% to 60%
- Allowing for 24 weeks, instead of eight weeks, to meet the threshold
- Extended pre-COVID staffing levels from 6/30/20 to 12/31/20
Businesses are encouraged to apply for the PPP loan while funding lasts. OED provides FREE technical assistance to businesses to:
- Understand available financial resources, including loans and grants
- Check eligibility for loans and other resources
- Apply for SBA loans and complete the application, including Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), SBA Express Bridge Loans, and SBA Debt Relief
- Guidance on PPP Loan Forgiveness Application and Detailed Instruction
- Deadline to apply for PPP is June 30, 2020.
Please call the Seattle Office of Economic Development at 206-684-8090 from Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or email OED at oed@seattle.gov anytime to receive free assistance. You can ask for language assistance and receive interpretation over the phone.
Small Business Administration Scams and Frauds
The Office of Economic Development (OED) has received numerous reports of scammers posing as either lenders or providers offering to help businesses with their federal Small Business Administration (SBA) loan applications.
Report Scams and Fraud
If you suspect a scam: report the activity to the Washington State Office of Attorney General, by calling 1-800-551-4636 from Monday to Friday 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. or by completing a claim at https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhandler/ago/ComplaintForm.aspx.
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COVID-19 Lease Amendment Toolkit Now in Eight Languages
The City of Seattle’s Office of Economic Development (OED) partnered with Communities Rise and Perkins Coie to launch a toolkit to help small businesses and nonprofit organizations impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic explore options for their commercial leases with a goal of remaining in their spaces. The COVID-19 Lease Amendment Toolkit provides a suite of tools – including template lease amendment language – to assist small businesses and nonprofits who are navigating the negotiation of their commercial leases with their landlords. The toolkit is available in English, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified), Korean, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
Small businesses and nonprofits that have 50 or fewer employees are also eligible for a free, 60-minute consultation with a legal professional to assist with any COVID-19 commercial lease-related questions.
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OED Online Resource Hub and Blog
Stay up-to-date by visiting our resource hub and reading our weekly Resource Roundup blog! With loans and grants available at the state and federal level, OED has created a comprehensive resource page for workers and small businesses impacted by COVID-19, and is providing technical assistance to support our small businesses. Our weekly blog provides you with news and information about new policies and resources available from the City of Seattle, the State of Washington, the federal government, and our philanthropic partners
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Creative Industries Resources
Library Resources for Business and Nonprofits
The Seattle Public Library (SPL) is helping businesses find accurate market data to pivot and explore the viability of new services and products, and start new businesses too. SPL also provides nonprofits with remote access to a valuable grant seeking database called the Foundation Directory.
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Small Business Opportunities Now and Beyond. What's Next? Webinar
Join the Ethnic Chamber of Commerce Coalition, Northwest Mountain Minority Supplier Development Council, Seattle Office of Labor Standards for next steps in reopening.
What do you do now that you are getting ready to reopen. Do you know the Labor Standards? Have you considered being apart of the city of Seattle's business directory? Need help setting your HR as employees will be returning from unemployment or being hired back. Do you need additional funding?
Wednesday, June 10, 2020
2:30PM - 4:00PM
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/KJXjmeBahSFWATB57
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Grassroots and Community Partners Organize CID Murals
On June 5 and 8, grassroots organizers and neighborhood business district partners (Chinatown-International District Business Improvement Area, Seattle Chinatown-International District Preservation and Development Authority, and Friends of Little Saigon) connected artists and businesses to beautify boarded buildings with murals.
The City and community partners initially worked together to clean and board up businesses in the CID and downtown core in response to damages sustained from looters. Artists and community members came together to support small businesses and create beautiful artistic tributes standing in solidarity with the movement to end racism and police violence experienced by the Black community.
If you are able to, take a moment to visit the Chinatown-International District and Little Saigon to see the new community created murals.
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