% >> THE GRADUAL REOPENING OF THE
% WISCONSIN ECONOMY IS BASED ON
% SEVERAL KEY TRACKING FACTORS IN
% THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
% AS THE GOVERNOR HAS SAID, IT'S
% MORE THAN JUST FLIPPING A
% SWITCH.
% THE NEW NORMAL ISN'T ANYTHING
% LIKE WE'VE SEEN BEFORE.
% THE WISCONSIN ECONOMIC
% DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WILL
% OFFER ADVICE AND GUIDANCE TO
% BUSINESS OWNERS ON HOW TO
% PREPARE WITH SAFETY IN MIND.
% SECRETARY AND CEO OF THE WEDC,
% MISSY HUGHES, JOINED US EARLIER
% FROM VIROQUA.
% AND, SECRETARY HUGHES, THANKS
% VERY MUCH FOR DOING SO.
% >> GOOD MORNING.
% >> SO YOU DESCRIBED THIS WEEK
% THE IMPACTS OF COVID-19 ON
% WISCONSIN BUSINESSES AS
% INCREDIBLY DEVASTATING AND NOW
% WE SEE RESULTS OF THE SURVEY OUT
% OF UW-OSHKOSH RELEASED THIS WEEK
% THAT SHOWED 35% OF BUSINESSES
% POLLED IN WISCONSIN SAY THEY
% WILL BE FORCED TO CLOSE IN THE
% COMING MONTHS, AND THAT'S JUST
% FROM THE IMPACT SO FAR.
% WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THAT
% SURVEY?
% >> YOU KNOW, THAT SURVEY IS PART
% OF THE DATA COLLECTION THAT
% WE'RE DOING TO UNDERSTAND THE
% IMPACT.
% WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THREE LEVELS
% FOR THAT.
% ONE IS WE'RE LOOKING AT BIG
% DATA, WHAT ARE THE CONSUMER
% TRANSACTIONS THAT ARE HAPPENING
% AROUND THE STATE AND TRYING TO
% UNDERSTAND WHY ARE WE SEEING
% THINGS, STEADY AS SHE GOES AND
% REAL DROPS IN ACTIVITY.
% WE'RE ALSO USING OUR NETWORK OF
% ECONOMIC DEVELOPERS TO TELL US
% WHAT THEY'RE SEEING.
% IT IS IN LINE WITH WHAT WE ARE
% ANTICIPATING AND SEEING, AND IT
% IS DEVASTATING TO SEE THE DROP
% IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY AND KNOW
% THAT THAT'S REALLY HITTING SMALL
% BUSINESSES IN PARTICULAR.
% >> HOW HAVE FEDERAL FUNDS COMING
% INTO WISCONSIN HELPED SMALL
% BUSINESSES?
% >> SO WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE WELL
% IN THE APPLICATION PROCESS AND
% THE APPROVAL PROCESS FOR THE
% SMALL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
% LOANS.
% WE HAVE ABOUT $8 BILLION WORTH
% OF FEDERAL FUNDING HEADED OUR
% WAY TO 43,000 BUSINESSES, ABOUT
% $190,000 PER BUSINESS.
% AS WE SEE THE NEXT TRANCHE OF
% FEDERAL DOLLARS COMING THROUGH,
% WE HOPE TO COMPLETE THE APPROVAL
% PROCESS.
% OUR SMALL BUSINESSES HAVE GOOD
% RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR
% COMMUNITY BANKS AND CREDIT
% UNIONS.
% THEY'VE BEEN WORKING EXTRA HARD
% TO GET THOSE APPLICATIONS IN AND
% WE'LL KEEP SEEING THAT COME
% THROUGH.
% >> IS IT POSSIBLY ENOUGH,
% THOUGH?
% WHAT KIND OF HELP WOULD YOU LIKE
% TO SEE AT THE STATE LEVEL IN
% TERMS OF GRANT PROGRAMS?
% >> YEAH.
% I THINK MORE IS GOING TO BE
% NEEDED ACROSS THE BOARD.
% AND WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT IS AN
% OPPORTUNITY TO TARGET GRANT
% FUNDING SPECIFICALLY TO HELP
% BUSINESSES IN THAT MOMENT WHEN
% THEY'RE REOPENING THEIR DOORS.
% SO IF WE HAD AN ABILITY TO GIVE
% A $2500 GRANT TO A BUSINESS,
% THEY COULD USE THAT TO BUY THEIR
% PERISHABLE SUPPLIES, MAYBE TO
% HELP FLOAT PAYROLL, DO SOME
% MARKETING TO LET PEOPLE KNOW
% THAT THEY'RE OPEN.
% I'M JUST LOOKING FOR THAT LITTLE
% BIT OF GREASE THAT WILL HELP
% THAT ECONOMIC ENGINE RESTART.
% WE'RE LOOKING UNDER THE
% MATTRESS, WHEREVER WE CAN TO TRY
% AND FIND RESOURCES TO HELP THE
% BUSINESSES OF WISCONSIN.
% >> THIS GREASING THE ENGINE TO
% GET THE ECONOMY STARTED AGAIN IS
% SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE CALLING
% "WISCONSIN READY."
% AND WHAT DOES THAT ENTAIL?
% >> SO THERE'S THREE PARTS TO
% "WISCONSIN READY."
% ONE IS WE TALKED ABOUT THE DATA
% AND GETTING OUR INFORMATION
% ABOUT THE IMPACT AND WHAT'S
% HAPPENING.
% AND THEN BEING THERE WITH THE
% BUSINESSES TO STAND OPEN, TO
% REOPEN THEIR DOORS.
% SO IF YOU'RE A SMALL RESTAURANT
% OR A SMALL RETAIL BUSINESS, YOU
% NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IS YOUR
% CONSUMER EXPECTING WHEN THEY
% COME IN YOUR DOORS.
% YOU KNOW, WHEN WILL I BE
% CLEANING?
% WHAT DO I DO IN A DRESSING ROOM
% AT A RETAIL STORE TO MAKE SURE
% THAT MY CUSTOMERS ARE
% COMFORTABLE?
% SO WE ARE REACHING OUT TO
% BUSINESSES TO GET THEIR THOUGHTS
% ON WHAT ARE THEY THINKING ABOUT,
% BECAUSE THE BUSINESSES ARE BEING
% VERY PROACTIVE ABOUT THIS.
% THEN WE'RE COLLECTING THAT
% INFORMATION SO WE CAN KEEP
% SHARING IT OUT THROUGHOUT
% WISCONSIN.
% THE NEXT PIECE IS WE TALKED
% ABOUT HELPING BUSINESSES FIND
% RESOURCES, WHETHER IT'S FEDERAL
% OR STATE LEVEL.
% AND THEN THE THIRD PART IS
% GETTING THE WORD OUT THAT WE'RE
% ALL DOING THIS TOGETHER.
% WE ALL NEED TO BE THINKING ABOUT
% SOCIAL DISTANCING TOGETHER.
% IF YOU'RE A CUSTOMER WALKING
% INTO A CAFE OR RETAIL STORE, YOU
% NEED TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THAT
% EMPLOYEE, THINK ABOUT THEIR
% SAFETY, THINK ABOUT OTHER FOLKS
% IN THE STORE.
% THAT'S HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET
% THIS ECONOMY ROLLING AGAIN IF
% WE'RE ALL CONSCIOUS OF WHAT
% WE'RE DOING.
% THEN WE WON'T FIND OURSELVES IN
% A PLACE WHERE WE'RE STEPPING
% BACK.
% >> AHEAD OF THAT, THOUGH, FOR
% THE BUSINESSES THAT REMAINED
% OPEN AS ESSENTIAL, WE HAVE SEEN
% CLUSTERS OF CASES IN GREEN BAY
% AND ELSEWHERE WITH COVID-19
% SPREADING THROUGH PLANT FLOORS.
% I'VE READ REPORTS OF SOME
% EMPLOYEES, NOT NECESSARILY IN
% THESE PLANTS, BUT OTHERS, SAYING
% THAT THEY ARE WORKING ELBOW TO
% ELBOW ON THE LINE, SOME OF THEM
% SAYING THEY DON'T HAVE
% PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT.
% SO WHAT IS WEDC DOING ABOUT
% THOSE KINDS OF CONDITIONS RIGHT
% NOW?
% >> WELL, WE'VE FIND OURSELVES IN
% THAT CONVERSATION A BIT BECAUSE
% AS WE WERE NAVIGATING THE
% ESSENTIAL VERSUS NONESSENTIAL
% CONVERSATION WITH BUSINESSES, WE
% RECEIVED CALLS FROM EMPLOYEES
% CONCERNED THAT THEIR BUSINESS
% ISN'T REALLY ESSENTIAL BUT THEY
% HAVE TO GO TO WORK OR THEY'RE
% CONCERNED ABOUT THE WORKPLACE
% CONDITIONS.
% AND WHAT WE'VE REALLY DONE IS
% WORK WITH EMPLOYEES AS BEST WE
% CAN, UNDERSTANDING THESE ARE
% TOUGH CONVERSATIONS, TO SAY CAN
% YOU TALK TO YOUR EMPLOYER?
% CAN YOU LET THEM KNOW THAT
% YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE
% SAFETY HERE?
% YOU'RE CONCERNED ABOUT HOW THIS
% IS -- THE WORKFLOW ON THE FLOOR.
% AND I THINK EMPLOYEES HAVE BEEN
% REALLY WORKING WITH EMPLOYERS TO
% DO THAT.
% I'VE SEEN EMPLOYERS SHIFTING
% THEIR PROTOCOLS, MAKING SURE
% THAT THEY'RE DOING WHAT THEY CAN
% TO HAVE EMPLOYEES SAFE.
% A LOT OF EMPLOYEES ARE BEING
% VERY FLEXIBLE AND ALLOWING FOLKS
% TO -- IF YOU'RE NOT COMFORTABLE
% BEING THERE BECAUSE YOU HAVE
% SOMEONE AT HOME WHO'S
% COMPROMISED, EMPLOYERS ARE BEING
% VERY FLEXIBLE THERE, TOO.
% SO IT'S A WORK IN PROGRESS AS
% THESE THINGS KIND OF DEVELOP.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% SECRETARY MISSY HUGHES, THANKS
% VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US AND
% GOOD LUCK.
% >> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
% >> THAT IS OUR PROGRAM FOR T