JEDE's February 2021 Small Business Roundtable

During the course of the conference call we will be referring to documents and links on this page and the JEDE COVID-19 Resource Page.

The February 18, 2021, agenda is included within this PowerPoint.  The primary discussion topics are related to the California's response to the coronavirus and COVID-19 epidemic.    

We will be building upon these six COVID-19 small business recovery challenges and the work of the WGO mini-workshops:

1. Small businesses, especially women- and BIPOC-owned businesses, must be a priority in the state’s recovery efforts.   Data continues to suggest these businesses are having the greatest challenges in accessing technical and financial assistance.

2. Guidance on business operations continues to evolve making it difficult to identify, understand, and implement.  Small businesses are concerned about COVID-19-associated legal liability.

3. State contracting opportunities remain limited and with traditional procurement outreach methods on hold, small businesses are finding it difficult to meet prime contractors who may be bidding on state contracts. It is not clear as to all the factors resulting in small businesses and DVBEs being excluded from this important source of revenue.

4. COVID-19 is creating many new business operation challenges, including accessing PPE, testing kits for employees, local broadband capacity, and additional costs of operation during the pandemic.

5. COVID-19 is amplifying old business operation challenges, including local broadband capacity, access to capital, and the cost of meeting regulations.

6. Small businesses need grants, even low-interest loans are not sufficient.  Eligible entrepreneurs face major hurdles in accessing Pandemic Unemployment Insurance, which has lagged behind traditional UI payments.

Partner Presentations Scheduled

• Lorrie Aiello with CMTC - California Manufacturing Consulting, the California MEP

• Bianca Blomquist with Small Business Majority

• Kristine Johnston with the Northern California SBDC Lead Center

• Alicia Lewis on behalf of the Worker-Owned Recovery CA (WORC) Coalition

• Jai Sharma with the Silicon Valley Consulting Group

• Sean Varner and David Beier with the Little Hoover Commission

• Phil Vermeulen with the Coalition of Small and Disabled Veteran Businesses

• Nicole Rice with CMTA - California Manufacturing and Technology Association (rescheudled to March)

Future Meeting Schedule

The next meeting of the JEDE Small Business Roundtable is on Thursday, March 18, at 2:00 pm.