SHELBY — In the wake of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, support for local businesses has never been more important.
That’s why Shelby Mayor Steve Schag issued a proclamation on June 1 declaring the month of June 2020 as “Richland County STRONG Month.”
The proclamation urges all residents of Shelby to join the rest of Richland County by supporting the local business community as much as possible this month.
“We encourage you to eat local, shop local, and support local business,” Schag said.
It’s no secret the local business community in Richland County has felt a deep economic impact due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Small businesses in particular have been impacted by the crisis – businesses, Schag said, that are vital to the area’s economic health and vitality.
“The people of Richland County are grateful to the small businesses of the area for their generous contribution to the quality of life we all enjoy,” Schag said. “We know our local small business community needs extra support as they recover from the crisis and adapt to new regulations.”
According to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, the jobless rate for Richland County in April was 20.3 percent, the 21st highest in the state. Crawford County had the highest jobless rate for April in north central Ohio, hitting 24 percent, the fourth-highest county unemployment rate in the state.
Richland County restaurants resumed operations just a few weeks ago, with new regulations in place to monitor social distancing requirements and sanitization practices.
“I am back to full capacity with my staff, which is great, but I’m not back to full capacity with my sales. And the reason I’m back to full capacity with my staff is because we have all these people cleaning and sanitizing and doing all these additional jobs,” said Ben Hoggard, general manager of Hudson and Essex.
The city of Shelby joins the Richland Area Chamber & Economic Development, Destination Mansfield, Downtown Mansfield, Inc. and other municipalities in voicing its support for the local business community.
“We believe that a resilient community must work together to overcome challenges,” Schag said.
