Today I am excited to announce the launch of a new COVID-19 Crisis Support Hub in partnership with Hatfield Media, the Louisville Independent Business Alliance (LIBA), Louisville Forward, and the University of Louisville College of Business. The website is a repository for COVID-19 resources for businesses and individuals, and was developed with content from KentuckianaWorks, Integrity HR, HR Affiliates, Stites & Harbison, Frost Brown Todd, Dean Dorton and Steptoe & Johnson.

Features of the site include:

• Up to date answers to Frequently Asked Questions regarding state and federal legislation, unemployment resources, operations, insurance, taxes and more in this uncertain time from our content partners.
• Access to a Displaced Workforce initiative, developed in partnership with KentuckianaWorks, where job seekers can access open positions through an online job board.
• A curated collection of resources and news links relating to COVID-19.
• Blog content and helpful information on how others are dealing with COVID-19.

We are facing a crisis unlike anything our community has seen before. It is incumbent upon us as a community to do all we can to educate and assist one another. GLI is honored to step into this role and provide much needed resources for businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic.

• GLI supports JCPS in its effort to provide virtual learning opportunities and resources for all of its students. Specifically, JCPS is looking for the 100e Chromebook (32GB SSD) and the Chromebook 11 3100 (16GB SSD). If you are a company that has a stock of unused laptops or tablets and they can be utilized for JCPS students please contact Deana Epperly Karem. Deana is working with our businesses and JCPS on an initiative that may allow these laptops to be cleaned and reutilized for student use.

• GLI is calling on companies who may have supplies that can easily transition to the healthcare sector. If your company has face masks, face shields, hand sanitizer, gloves, or equipment that could be useful to hospital personnel in this time of need, please contact Deana Epperly Karem and she will coordinate an introduction to the supply chain leaders at the various hospital systems.

• Is your company doing something innovative to help our community during the COVID-19 crisis? We would like to hear from you so we can spread the good word and shine a light on all of the good work our region does. Click here to tell us. #BetterTogetherINKY

GLI COVID-19 Help: Updates from U.S. Congressman Trey Hollingsworth & U.S. Small Business Administration
Monday, April 6 ● 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.

Join GLI for an important update from U.S. Congressman Trey Hollingsworth (IN-09) on the CARES Act. Stacey Poynter from the U.S. Small Business Administration will also be joining the conversation with new information on the Paycheck Protection Program and answering your questions

GLI COVID-19 Help: Advanced Manufacturing & Logistics Virtual Roundtable
Wednesday, April 7 ● 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

GLI, in partnership with the Advanced Manufacturing Logistics Network (AML), will host a webinar for industry leaders. This online event is an opportunity for manufacturing and logistics-related companies to connect with one another and learn more about community resources. We’ll discuss workforce issues, policy questions, and share best practices. Please join us!

GLI COVID-19 Help: Leadership in a Crisis, Presented by ActionCOACH Louisville
Wednesday, April 8 ● 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Working remotely has become the new way the business community is handling their day to day business. Leadership now must find new ways to manage and lead their team members during this crisis from their home. Join GLI and Foster McCarl with ActionCOACH Louisville as we discuss general communication tips to the new world of accountability. We will take an in-depth look at how to be a better leader without having your team on-site and will break down the pivots that leaders must take now in order to support their team members from a far.

GLI COVID-19 Help: Strategy Update & Best Practices with the UofL Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases
Friday, April 10 ● 9:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

Join GLI and Professor Ruth Carrico PhD with University of Louisville’s internationally recognized Department of Medicine’s Division of Infectious Disease to learn about our region’s COVID-19 response strategy including what is being done in our region and why. Participants will also hear what to expect in the weeks, months and years ahead as well as learn what their companies and employees may do to support the effort including best practices related to operations, communications, etc. The discussion will close with a live Q & A session so be sure to submit your questions in advance or come prepared to post during the webinar.

• Today Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) announced that schools will remain closed through at least May 1, 2020 in accordance with Governor Andy Beshear’s guidelines. Non-traditional instruction will begin on Tuesday, April 7, 2020.

• The University of Louisville has increased its efforts to help combat COVID-19. Researchers are now processing test results from 12 hospitals, UofL Campus Health and four outpatient clinics in Greater Louisville. UofL is hoping to answer questions about how the virus is spread, who becomes sick, and how the illness progresses.

• April 7^th has been named the Great American Buy Local Day. This is your opportunity to support the millions of local businesses that employ tens of millions of people in our community. You can order online from their stores, order pick up or delivery, buy gift cards and refer your friends to your favorite retailers. Support our local businesses and tell your friends by using #buylocal and #greatamericanbuylocal.

• Researchers and faculty from multiple disciplines across the University of Kentucky are coming together as part of the global effort to treat, understand and eradicate COVID-19. The COVID-19 Unified Research Experts (CURE) Alliance team, a new workgroup within UK’s College of Medicine, is bringing together UK experts from across the campus to focus on advising COVID-19 patient care and clinical trials based on emerging research and potential treatment options.

• V-Soft Consulting and the Artificial Intelligence Innovation Consortium (AIIC) have developed and will deploy disaster recovery intelligent chatbots. County and city officials looking to provide specific information regarding COVID-19 cases in the area, local testing centers, qualifications for testing, additional Q&A, and chatbot surveys to capture relevant feedback on COVID19 within their community residents, can do so via the chatbot platform. The platform can be deployed on any community page in as quickly as 72 hours, and will embed seamlessly. For more information on the Disaster Recovery Intelligent Chatbots, please click here.

• Nearly 10 million people filed for unemployment in the last two weeks and 701,000 jobs have been shed. But experts at the St. Louis Federal Reserve say that total job loss related to COVID-19 could total 47 million, equating to a 32% unemployment rate, topping that of the Great Depression, before it’s all said and done.

GLI is collecting the questions we’ve been asked about how COVID-19 impacts your business. To see those responses, click here. If you have a question that you would like answered, submit that below.

Stay safe & healthy,
Sarah Davasher-Wisdom