Staffing shortages have been widely reported throughout 2021, and local businesses continue to struggle to fill positions.
Fortunately, two local organizations are teaming up to try and provide some information and support for businesses suffering from the labor shortage.
The Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Small Business & Community Roundtable event at Black River Farms on Wednesday, Oct. 13 from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
The Chamber will be joined by Nancy Dischinat, Executive Director of Workforce Board Lehigh Valley.
“(Nancy) is going to go over workforce trends in the Lehigh Valley, and then how to ensure that people are marketing their job opportunities to the best of their abilities and really getting it out there,” Lauren Bertucci of the Chamber told members of Hellertown Borough Council on Monday.
The first installment of a local small business roundtable series is scheduled to take place next Wednesday, Oct. 13 at Black River Farms in Bethlehem.
“We want to get Lehigh Valley back to work, and we also want to support our small businesses,” added Jessica O’Donnell, Executive Vice President, Affiliated Chambers for the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. “As you all know, I’ve been working closely with the Northampton County Executive for the small business grant, and one of the biggest things that I’ve heard this entire time is staffing, so we thought this would be a great resource.”
Although it is being hosted by the Hellertown-Lower Saucon Chamber, O’Donnell said the roundtable is being advertised to the entire Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, and registration is open to everyone.
Visit the Chamber’s website to register for the free event. Black River Farms is located at 2472 Black River Road, Bethlehem, PA 18015.
O’Donnell also told members of council at Monday’s meeting that COVID relief funds are still available through the Northampton County COVID-19 Relief Small Business Grant Program.
The grant is available to all Northampton County small businesses with 100 or fewer employees, even those who previously received funding through the 2020 CARES Act.
“We are meeting every two weeks to ensure that we are rolling this out,” O’Donnell said.
More information about the program can be found on the Chamber’s website, as well as the full guidelines and application.
