Participating & Supporting Each Other

By: President & CEO of the Atascadero Chamber, Emily Reneau

First and foremost, I cannot say enough how thankful I am for OUR incredible community of businesses. When regulations and circumstances can change quickly, it’s heartwarming to see local stores partner together to continue to provide service or develop innovative new ways of doing business or offer words of support and kindness. We are in this together. This includes your Chamber team; we are here for OUR community. We are here for you.

At the Chamber, we have a newly formed strategies task force who have been working hard to partner with local businesses. We’ve launched Atascopoly, which is in its final weeks of directing customers to participating businesses. Now, partnering with the Atascadero Kiwanis we’re getting ready to kick off Band, Burgers and Brew to highlight more local businesses, organizations and artists in our community. (You can learn more about this here and pick up your ticket to some tasty summer BBQ.) If you want to get involved in future events like this, email us! We’re always looking for businesses that want to participate.

We still have a couple of events in the pipeline that are coming up. I’ve been working hard with the team on something exciting. In August we will be launching Coffee Talk on Wednesdays at 8:30 am. This series partners with local speakers and experts from OUR community on topics that can help your business, along with some updates from our community leaders. Stay tuned to our regular newsletters and our social media for more details!

Lastly, I want to draw your attention to two new changes that may also help your business during this time. The first is that the City Of Atascadero has adopted some new temporary standards that can allow you to set up a dining area on a public sidewalk, or within a parking lot, or other locations outside your business. The City has also temporarily waived the permit fee to allow you to expand your business outside; you must contact the City first to have the fees to be waived. If you would like to talk further please call (805) 461-5035 to get started.

The second update is that the application for the Paycheck Protection (PPP) loan. The deadline to file has been extended to August 8, 2020 and the loan itself is extended until December. Approximately $125 billion in funds remain for those applying for the PPP loan. If you haven’t already and need the PPP loan, we want to encourage you to apply ASAP at a local SBA Bank.

We are all in new territory during this time and face unusual and difficult challenges. Please remember that you are not in this alone. Your neighbors, customers, local businesses, and Chamber all stand with you. After all, OUR community is stronger together.

Additional Resources:

For a detailed list of Chamber benefits, go here.
Discover an SBA bank near you for a PPP loan, click here.
To see a full debrief of current changes to county and state regulations, please click here.

President & CEO of the Atascadero Chamber | Emily Reneau

Emily Reneau is a longtime Central California local, having lived in the area for twenty-three years. She worked previously with HM Holloway and opened their Paso Robles office and coordinated outreach and marketing efforts for the organization’s three regional offices. She also worked as the Business Development Director for the American Heart Association and raised over $150,000 annually for the organization. She discovered her passion for working alongside the community when she worked in Southern California with the Walt Disney Company in Community Relations. Emily Reneau stepped in as acting CEO & President for the Atascadero Chamber of Commerce on April 23, 2020.