EVOLVE Business and Professional Magazine August 2020 | Page 28

Shining A Light On E
Relaunch Volusia
Programs Provide Business Relief
Provided by the Volusia County Division of Economic Development
Volusia County businesses have shown great resilience in
the face of COVID-19. With creativity and collaboration,
many businesses have added new products, performed new
services, repurposed facilities and saved jobs. However, despite the
resiliency, many have still experienced a substantial financial hit,
with some forced to temporarily close operations and then face the
uncertainty of when and how to safely reopen.
Early into the pandemic, the Volusia County Council approved
the implementation of the Relaunch Volusia campaign to provide
financial assistance grants to local small and home-based
businesses. The county is using coronavirus relief funds it has
received from the federal government as part of the CARES Act to
fund the grants.
“This money is available to qualifying businesses for a one-time
reopening grant of $3,000 for businesses with 25 or fewer employees
or $5,000 for businesses with 26 to 50 employees,” said Helga
van Eckert, director of Volusia County’s Economic Development
Division.
“While these funds may not make the business whole, they
can provide some relief and help them recover from the negative
financial consequences resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic,”
said van Eckert.
In May, the County Council allocated $10 million to help small
businesses recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19
crisis. Initially, the grant program was designed to help those small
businesses in Volusia County with up to 25 full-time employees or
full-time equivalents. Proven to be such a success, the program was
expanded to include businesses with up to 50 full-time employees
or full-time equivalents. Shortly after that, in June, the program was
again expanded to include $3 million in relief funds for home-based
businesses.
As of July 31, 2020, over $6.5 million has been distributed to
brick and mortar businesses.
Cindi Flanagan was one of those recipients. She’s owned and
operated the Abundant Health Float and Day Spa in New Smyrna
Beach since 2013. She had a thriving business, providing 4,500 to
5,000 services each month. Then, COVID-19 struck, forcing her to
shut down for nearly two months.
“We took a big financial hit, “said Flanagan. “We had expenses
to pay that would normally be covered with the revenue from our
services, and we had our overhead like rent and utility payments.
So when I first heard about the county’s grant program, I applied
immediately. It was a very easy process. I completed it in about 15
minutes and received the check a few weeks later.”
Hours at the Abundant Health Float and Day Spa have been
reduced from seven days
a week to five, and a front
desk receptionist has been
replaced with a virtual
assistant. Walk-ins are no
longer an option; services are
only by appointment. But
still, Flanagan says she feels
lucky the business is doing
60% of what it was before the
pandemic.
“I’ve been on a number
of industry conference calls
and the expectation was that
businesses like mine could
Cindi Flanagan
see sales return to anywhere
between 30 and 80%. I’m
lucky we have a good, steady
clientele to keep us in that
upper range,” said Flanagan.
Rosemarie Niles opened
Urban Brick specialty pizza
and pasta in DeLand in 2016.
Like many new businesses,
it took a little time for hers to
get established, but by 2019
business was doing very good.
Then COVID-19 struck and
everything changed.
“We tried to pivot to only
doing carryout, but that only
lasted for a week because we
just weren’t set up for that,”
Rosemarie Niles
said Niles.
With only one phone line and no online store, Niles needed to
shut down in order to make some changes.
“We were closed for a month and during that time we created an
online store and made some other changes to be better equipped for
only carryout. But just as we were ready to open back up, the state
lifted the ban on indoor dining, so that was good.”
Like many dining restaurants, the pandemic hit Urban Brick
hard, so when she heard about the county’s grant program she got
her paperwork in order and applied. Weeks later, she received her
$3,000 check, which she is using to keep paying her employees.
“We are trying our best as a community to support each other
| 22 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONAL MAGAZINE