PPE Distribution for Small Businesses
DATES: Thursday and Friday, June 25 and June 26 
TIME: Curbside pick-up from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
PLACE: Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center – 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick

The Tri-Cities Open & Coalition is rescheduling the personal protection equipment (PPE) distribution for small businesses to June 25-26 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Tri-Cities Visitor & Business Center at 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd. in Kennewick. 

The Tri-Cities community rallied to support local small businesses by donating face masks, gloves and hand sanitizer during the Coalition’s PPE Drive earlier this week. Many of the generous donations were provided in bulk, such as the hand sanitizer, and will be repackaged to distribute throughout the community. This caused a brief delay in distribution as smaller containers for repackaging are currently in transit. The Coalition expects to provide PPE packages to approximately 275 businesses, first come, first served.

To be eligible, businesses must be located in Benton or Franklin Counties, provide a business card and sign the Tri-Cities Open and Safe Pledge. The Tri-Cities Open and Safe Pledge indicates their commitment to following public health district guidelines, enhanced employee safety protocols, frequent cleaning, using face coverings, complying with social distancing guidelines, and encouraging customer hygiene. Business can find and sign the pledge at tcopenandsafe.com. 

The Tri-Cities Open and Safe Coalition has launched “Tri-Cities Open and Safe,” a region-wide initiative to support and recognize local businesses as the Tri-Cities begins to reopen under the Safe Start Washington proclamation. The intent of the initiative is to protect public health and restore our local economy.
 
For small business owners the COVID-19 pandemic has presented many unexpected challenges. As our region prepares for the phased approach to reopening, the responsibility of providing PPE for employees falls on the business owner. In a time of uncertainty and financial hardship not all small businesses have the budget to provide the necessary equipment. The Tri-Cities Open and Safe Coalition recognizes the need and will be collecting items and distributing them to small businesses in need.
 
The catalyst for the PPE donations for small business is a major donation of 10,000 face masks from UniFirst.  UniFirst has been operating in the region for nearly 20 years; providing hygienically clean uniforms and quality business products to businesses. 
 
The Tri-Cities Open and Safe Coalition is seeking donations from those who may have an excess of masks, gloves, hand sanitizers and other PPE to help with this endeavor to donate what they can. 
 
DATES:                 Monday and Tuesday, June 15th and 16th
TIME:                    Curbside drop off from 10 am to 2 pm
PLACE:                Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center – 7130 W. Grandridge Blvd., Kennewick

The Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce supports the inclusion of liability protection for businesses in the next COVID-19 Federal Aid Bill.

Chamber President & CEO, Lori Mattson, sent a letter on May 21 to U.S. Senators Patty Murry and Maria Cantwell as well as Congressman Dan Newhouse in support of the protections.

“Many businesses and organizations are concerned about reopening due to the risk associated with being held liable if one of their employees contracts coronavirus after coming back to work,” the letter reads. “If we want to see businesses reopen, conditions must be created to provide some level of certainty. A myriad of lawsuits will pour salt in the deep wounds that employers have recently suffered.

“As we begin to restart the economy, the Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce urges your support of legislation that will create legal protections for businesses and nonprofits who are in compliance with health guidelines.”

The Regional Chamber supports liability protections for the following three reasons:

1. It’s pro-business
2. Liability protection provides some certainty to businesses in uncertain times
3. Businesses following state and federal guidelines should be confident in getting back to business
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“As the voice for Tri-City business, the Chamber urges the U.S. Senate to include liability protections in the next COVID-19 aid bill,” said Mattson. “We know there is a huge lobby against tort reform, but we cannot sit back and watch COVID-related litigation go unchecked without speaking up for business throughout our region.”