>> 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