EDITOR’S NOTE: South King Media Founder/Publisher Scott Schaefer serves on the Board of Directors for the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce.
On Thursday, May 28, 2020, the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce announced Amazon as the newest private business to become a member of its Southside Mitigation and Recovery Taskforce (SMART).
They join a team comprised of dozens of private and public entities whose goal is to lead the Southside to its new normal after the outbreak of COVID-19.
“We are grateful for the support, investment, and expertise Amazon will be able to provide our community as we all work together to create economic opportunity when we need it the most,” said Board Chair Dan Mathews of Kidder Mathews.
“We’re honored to work alongside other business leaders to increase the resilience of Seattle’s local economy and we know that we have an important role to play in supporting the local businesses that are our neighbors,” said Guy Palumbo, Director of Public Policy for Amazon. “We look forward to helping establish lasting solutions to our community’s unique challenges, which is why we’re kicking off our S.M.A.R.T membership with a $20,000 donation.”
With the creation of SMART, the Seattle Southside Chamber is working to deliver initiatives and campaigns that help support and encourage a quick recovery to the local business community. The taskforce is focused on 3 main objectives:
- Advocacy – To ensure relief from local and federal funding sources reaches the pockets of the small business owners and communities that are in most need of support
- Support – To share and provide resources, including the SMART Webinar Series, that help businesses and individuals as well as the Southside Strong fund that will offer cash assistance and awards to local businesses
- Marketing and Promotion – To create and support campaigns and efforts, such as Keep Calm and Carry Out and Saving Local, that support local business
The Chamber has served the communities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila since 1988. “We’ve faced many challenges before, but none quite like the human and economic impacts of COVID-19,” added Andrea H. Reay, President/CEO of Seattle Southside Chamber. “However, we know that we are truly stronger together. The more individuals, businesses, partners, and non-profits that are engaged and investing at home, the more we can accomplish and the quicker our recovery will be.”
For updates on SMART, stay tuned to the webpage S.M.A.R.T. and follow the Seattle Southside Chamber on their social pages @SeaSouthChamber.
The Seattle Southside Chamber has opportunities available for partnership to serve and support the community through S.M.A.R.T. and encourage donations to the fund and taskforce so that they can do more to help the community. Individuals and businesses can contribute on the Southside Strong Fund webpage or they can contact the Chamber for more information.
About the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce
The Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce is a non-profit business organization that has served the communities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac and Tukwila since 1988. The Chamber focuses on business advancement in the region by helping to build and maintain a strong economic environment.
More info at https://www.seattlesouthsidechamber.com.