FEATURED RESOURCES
Emerge SWFL Hackathon – April 24, 2021 from 9 am – 6 pm
Register Here The Emerge SWFL Hackathon is tomorrow - Saturday, April 24th at Millennial Brewing from 9 am - 6 pm. Register here: swflhackathon.com Hello there, It’s about time we fill you in on everything that you need to know ahead of the event. Format The Hackathon is a hybrid event - we are still accepting registrants for both
SBA Announces PPP Loans for Small Businesses with 20 or Less Employees
Apply Here On Monday, February 22, the following changes to SBA's coronavirus relief programs were anounced: Specifically, on Wednesday, February 24, 2021 at 9 am ET, SBA established a 14-day, exclusive PPP loan application period for businesses and nonprofits with fewer than 20 employees. This will give lenders and community partners more time to work with the smallest businesses to
Paycheck Protection Program Second Draw Loan Information
Application Form The U.S. Small Business Administration, in consultation with the Treasury Department, announced today that the Paycheck Protection Program will re-open the week of January 11 for new borrowers and certain existing PPP borrowers. To promote access to capital, initially only community financial institutions will be able to make First Draw PPP Loans on Monday, January 11, and
Phase 3 Reopening Effective September 25th – Governor Ron DeSantis
Florida's Re-Opening Plan Governor Ron DeSantis officially announced Friday that Florida is moving into Phase 3 of the state's reopening plan. He said that the state is moving into Phase 3 which means that there will be no restrictions for restaurants to operate at minimum or 50 percent capacity or higher. The most notable change is that bars,
TechMatch 2020 – SWFL Virtual Job Fair for Tech Careers
Register Here Emerge SWFL is proud to partner with SWFRTP and CareerSource to bring you the only tech-specific job fair in our region! TechMatch is a virtual event that allows for job seekers to connect with local employers looking for talent to fill open roles within their organizations. These opportunities span the tech landscape including everything from digital marketing,
Lee County Providing Free PPE to Businesses
Business owners can go to designated locations to pick up free face masks and hand sanitizer supplies paid for by the CARES Act. Out of $19 million spent so far, almost $2 million went to cleaning products, more than $5 million to PPE and $121,000 to the medical examiner's office for morgue and medical supplies such as UV sanitizers and
Lee CARES Update – 2nd Round of Aid Distribution
LeeCARES Eligibility Requirements | Frequently Asked Questions Lee CARES Update Lee County is getting ready to give out $45 million in financial aid to families in need. This is the second round of distribution of the $134 million in CARES Act money the county received back in May, which it needs to use by the end of the year. The
Emerge SWFL Virtual Expo – Thursday, June 25th at 10 am
The Emerge SWFL - Virtual Expo is tomorrow! Register here: swflvirtualexpo.com Emerge SWFL Partners with Community Leaders to Unite Local Economy via Free Virtual Expo -- FORT MYERS, FL -- Emerge SWFL is hosting a free virtual expo with one goal: to reinvigorate the local economic landscape. By connecting people to businesses, nonprofits, and community organizations across Southwest Florida,
Phase Two Reopening Effective June 5th – Governor Ron DeSantis
Starting Friday, June 5th, a number of Southwest Florida businesses will begin their road to recovery for the first time since the pandemic. Governor Ron DeSantis has officially announced Phase 2 of his "SAFE. SMART. STEP-BY-STEP" plan to reopen the state. It means a number of businesses that have felt forgotten about with Phase 1, will again be able
LeeCARES Business Assistance Programs
LeeCARES Eligibility Requirements | Frequently Asked Questions Small Business Relaunch Program - Apply Online Eligible Business affected by the "Safer at Home Act" - $5,000 Relaunch Grant Intended to help offset the unintended costs of reopening or relaunching a small business as a result of being directly affected by Governor DeSantis’ Safer at Home Act. Funds can only be used
Full Phase One Reopening Effective May 18th – Governor Ron DeSantis
Governor Ron DeSantis rolled out a series of changes to his plan to reopen Florida, with the latest update including allowing gyms to reopen and granting some leeway to restaurants looking to seat more customers. As Florida transitions from Phase 1 of Gov. DeSantis' "SAFE. SMART. STEP-BY-STEP" plan to Full Phase 1, restaurants are now allowed to fill up to 50% of
Free Coronavirus Testing at Century Link Sports Complex
Free coronavirus testing will begin Monday in Lee County at CenturyLink Sports Complex, the spring home of the Minnesota Twins. Drive-thru testing will begin at 9 a.m. and continue until 5 p.m. Monday through Friday for an indefinite period. News of the testing comes two days after Gov. Ron DeSantis unveiled his reopening plan for the state. At the direction of the governor, the
Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau Conference Calls
Lee County VCB Website UPCOMING EVENTS MAY 1 - COVID-19 Industry Partner Conference Call Please join us for a conference call on Friday, May 1 at 11AM as we keep the lines of communication open between the Visitor & Convention Bureau and our industry partners. To use the OpenVoice service, please call: United States: +1 (657) 220-3242 Conference
Phase One Reopening Effective May 4th – Governor Ron DeSantis
Governor Ron DeSantis has officially issued an executive order regarding the phase one re-opening of Florida. There's a lot to break down when it comes to what this new order entails. Let's review the major items the will affect local small businesses. Effective Monday, May 4th for all Florida counties except Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach: 1. Restaurants can
The Birchwood Group at Morgan Stanley – Free Webinars
Join us for the first of a series of timely topics designed to help you stay informed during these volatile market conditions. During this Webinar, we will review what we've seen so far, what we've learned from past bear markets, and our outlook for going forward. It's been over ten years since our last bear market, long enough that some
Free Access to Entire Online Inventory of Granite, Other Stones – Slab Network
Slab Network is waiving all fees during the coronavirus outbreak. That means granite and other stone wholesalers, fabricators, retailers, and consumers can have unlimited access to all web-based features of Slab Network for free. "There are no catches. We are a part of this community and want to do what we can to help businesses stay in business during this
Save Small Business Fund – U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Save Small Business Fund The Save Small Business Fund is part of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Save Small Business Initiative—a nationwide effort to address small business owners’ immediate needs, mitigate closures and job losses, and mobilize the long-term support the small business community needs for recovery. We want to reach as many businesses as possible through this grant
Village of Estero – Updates and Information
Village of Estero COVID-19 Resources This page is a dedicated resource for the Estero community to learn about best practices and general updates regarding the Coronavirus. We are not experts, however, so please check in with the Lee County Department of Health regularly at lee.floridahealth.gov. The Florida Department of Health Coronavirus helpline can be reached at 1-866-779-6121.
Free Remote Setup and Support – Stickboy on Fox 4
FORT MYERS, Fla. — If you’re a small business owner trying to get your business and employees up and running from home it can be a daunting task. One local website design and tech company wants to help though! The folks at Stickboy Creative have an amazing offer for local business owners. They’ll your employees up and running to work
Free Remote Phone System – Naples Network Services
Naples Network Services has been successfully implementing a wonderful solution for 10 years that saves our clients’ money over traditional phone plans. Additionally, the phones can be plugged in at home in case of an emergency – your entire team can function just like they were in the office. Affordable solutions for all business sizes. We ship you the phones
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