While New Jersey continues to re-build in the wake of Hurricane Sandy, many small businesses are still finding it difficult to bounce back. To help them get back up on their feet, SCORE is sending in a groundswell of experienced mentors this summer to give on-site disaster-relief counseling. Specifically, this expert troop of volunteers will be hosting seminars and roundtable discussions on August 14, August 20 and September 26 to help business owners access the resources they still need. More information can be found at http://sandy.score.org/localworkshops.
Facilitated by SCORE mentors who have been personally affected by natural disasters and know how to recover and thrive in the wake of utter destruction, the workshops will engage business owners, offer critical guidance, and provide a dynamic forum in which ideas can be exchanged with both professional peers and SCORE experts.
The workshop schedule is as follows:
Ø August 14: Maywood
Workshop, Maywood Public Library, 459 Maywood Avenue, Maywood, NJ, 7-9:30 p.m. Topics include:
– Disaster threats and risks impacting small business
– Protecting your work-space, communications, computers & data
– Buying the right insurance for your company
– Tools, technology, and services to help small businesses recover
– 10 steps for creating a business continuity plan
The presenter is Richard Rehak, a business continuity and disaster recovery professional, who helps businesses identify and mitigate operational risks through effective planning and preparation. His business continuation programs integrate crisis management, risk management, emergency response and technology recovery functions.
Ø August 20 in Sayreville
Workshop on disaster preparedness, marketing and small business financials, at Sayreville Library, 1050 Washington Rd, Parlin, NJ, 7-9:30 p.m.
Ø August 20 in Shrewsbury
Workshop on disaster preparedness, Monmouth County Library Eastern Branch, 1001 Route 35, Shrewsbury, NJ 07702, 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Ø September 26 in Maywood
Workshop, Maywood Library, 459 Maywood Avenue, Maywood, NJ, 7-9:30 p.m.
As states along the East Coast continue their recovery efforts after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy, SCORE has dispatched volunteers throughout the affected areas to help impacted business owners re-build. This past June, SCORE launched a set of free resources specifically tailored to aid in the recovery efforts while offering advice on how to prepare for when the next natural disaster hits. Hundreds of volunteer mentors will be offering 35 workshops on a variety of topics as well as in-person, individualized counseling in Sandy-affected areas across North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut. Online sessions also will be available. More information and online resources can be found at www.score.sandy.org.
“Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and when they struggle to succeed, we all struggle,” says Ken Yancey, CEO of SCORE. “By getting them the resources they still vey much need, we are aiming to speed up their recovery time so that they can get back to normal operations and business as usual.”
