Are Central Coast businesses starting to bounce back from COVID? Here’s what survey says
Despite widespread economic challenges related to COVID-19, more businesses are reopening in San Luis Obispo County and making plans to hire workers, according to the latest Central Coast Coalition of Chambers survey.
In the survey, which included responses from nearly 260 businesses between San Miguel and Solvang, 26% of businesses reported being able to open in a greater capacity in February as compared to December 2020.
The survey ran from Feb. 1 to 12, after California lifted state and regional stay-at-home orders on Jan. 25.
According to the survey, 36.1% of businesses plan to hire a new worker in the next month. Of those, 72% reported they’ll be hiring for positions that are mid-level or higher.
“This is welcome news after 20.88% of respondents said they had to furlough or lay off employees due to the December stay-at-home order,” the chambers said in a news release.
“Businesses reporting conditions as good or excellent have increased nearly five points since December, which shows we are moving in the right direction,” said Jim Dantona, chair of the Central Coast Coalition of Chambers. “We know that a healthy economy needs a healthy population, which is why it is vital our community be diligent about slowing the spread and help life return to normal more quickly.”
About 8% of respondents already have received one or both doses of the coronavirus vaccine, the survey found, and more than 71% said they plan to get the vaccine when it becomes available to them.
But 18% of respondents say they don’t plan to get immunized and 12% say they’d be uncomfortable if getting vaccinated for COVID-19 was a requirement to return to work, the survey results showed.
Central Coast businesses face coronavirus challenges
Central Coast businesses still continue to face challenges in a strained economy, with those surveyed citing “negative impact on my job/income/business” at the top of a list of hardships and “not knowing how long the situation will last” continues to be the second highest.
More than 57% of businesses have lost at least 25% of their normal revenue since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020, survey results showed, while 14.3% of businesses lost at least 75% of normal revenue and 14% percent of businesses dropped between 50% and 75% of revenue.
About 28.6% of businesses lost between 25% and 50% of their normal revenue, the survey found.
“We continue to see in-person businesses being hit the hardest, which comes as no surprise,” Glenn Morris, president and CEO of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce said in the news release. “Our chambers continue to advocate for policies that support these businesses, and we encourage the community to also do so safely.”
More than 70% of businesses reported applying to at least one relief program, such as California’s Relief Grant Program and the second round of the federal Paycheck Protection Program loans, which opened in January.
More than 22% had received notification of approval at the time of the survey.
How SLO County catering company, camp are surviving COVID-19
Leon Castillo, co-owner of Popolo Catering in San Luis Obispo, told The Tribune that he contracted COVID-19 in March 2020 and spent more than 40 days in the hospital. His wife and son ran his business during his absence, and he has only partly returned to work since because of lingering symptoms.
Castillo, 60, said Popolo Catering had 30 employees before the coronavirus pandemic hit, but most were laid off. Now the catering company employs six people.
“(We’re) trying to keep the doors open,” Castillo said, noting that the business took a major hit last year when weddings and other major events were canceled or postponed en masse. “We have to reinvent ourselves and go into survival mode.”
Castillo said Popolo Catering partnered with Courtyard by Marriott San Luis Obispo to offer to-go food orders for hotel guests when the hotel shut down its restaurant.
“We didn’t make any money, but we survived,” said Castillo, adding the catering business has booked weddings again for 2021. “We will survive the pandemic and keep moving forward with our business.”
Emily Zbin, executive director of San Luis Obispo County nonprofit Camp Natoma, told The Tribune that its rustic overnight summer camp was canceled in 2020 due to health orders.
She said that the program, which typically serves 1,000 participants, suffered a “huge hit” on its finances in 2020.
But Camp Natoma is optimistic about bringing back outdoor activities this summer.
“We have sign-ups and we’re grateful to the community that has supported us for decades,” Zbin said. “This will be our 80th year.”
This story was originally published February 17, 2021 at 11:26 AM.
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