Partnership Addresses COVID Impacts on Minority Businesses

Today, August 31, 2021, New Alpha Community Development Corporation along with their partners SC Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency and the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce are proud to announce a new initiative in the Pee Dee Region. We are all sadly aware of the continuing and devastating impacts COVID-19 and it’s Delta variant is having on our nation and the world. One of the seldom recognized impacts that the pandemic has had is its impact on minority owned businesses. It is estimated that between 30%-40% of black owned businesses are not expected to recover and reopen since their closure during the pandemic. Thanks to the bipartisan support of Senator Tim Scott and Congressman Jim Clyburn, a part of the COVID-19 recovery funding addresses this specific issue. We are proud to be working with the SC Department of Commerce Minority Business Development Agency as they provide a suite of business services free of charge to impacted minority businesses. We are equally pleased to be working with the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce to be providing both outreach and support this program. Due to federal COVID-19 protocols, these services can be provided only to a limited group at a time. However, we will be assisting and scheduling these services and registering interested participants. By all of us working together we can not only recover but turn adversity into opportunity, as we create a new normal that is both just and equitable.