Chamber Insider Blog

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

– Legendary civil rights icon Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Dear Loudoun Chamber community:

After observing the words and actions of so many Loudoun County business leaders, nonprofit professionals and government partners in response to the coronavirus crisis, I have no doubt that every one of you are deserving of Dr. King’s ultimate measure standard.

The facts are these are unprecedented times, filled with great fear for our families’ safety, significant financial pain for many small businesses and a mass disruption to our everyday lives.

Yet, the generous heart and selfless soul of Loudoun’s residents and businesses continues to shine through. It shines through in the many small business, all of whom have taken a financial hit due to this crisis, who are banding together to offer creative new ways to serve their customers and support our most needy.

I see it shining through in the “drop everything” response of our government partners, who rallied to this cause to preserve public safety and to support our business community instantly.

You will definitely see that spirit shining brightest in our nonprofit community, which rose up in minutes to expand their services and programs to address our community’ greatest needs.

These are hectic times and the Loudoun Chamber is here to help you sort through the noise and to assist your business any way we can.

Please see below for information on the advocacy work we are pursuing to secure government relief for our struggling businesses, especially small businesses that do not have the cash reserves to survive an extended loss of revenue.

Please also check out our list of local restaurants that you can support, especially since they and their employees are suffering greatly during the current ban on having 10 or more guests at one time.

Finally, here is a link to our COVID-19 resources page, with tons of great links to public and private sector resources to help your business survive this crisis. Resource Guide Here

It is my hope that we, as a community, can employ the groundbreaking principles developed by Loudoun resident Ken Falke at the Boulder Crest Retreat in Bluemont.

Ken and his team have earned international acclaim for developing a methodology that teaches countless veterans of military conflict, including many amputees and traumatic brain injury survivors, how to overcome their trauma not just to become whole, but to become even “better versions of themselves.”

Loudoun and America will someday emerge from this coronavirus trauma. The question is: when we do, will we have just survived, or will we be “better versions of ourselves.” I am betting it will be the latter.

Sincerely,

Tony Howard, President & CEO, Loudoun Chamber