Montgomery, N.Y. (September 16, 2013) – SCORE, in collaboration with the Orange County Chamber of Commerce and New York State Small Business Development Center presents a free workshop on disaster recovery planning for local small businesses in Orange and Sullivan Counties. The event will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 8:30 a.m. at the Orange County Chamber building in Montgomery, N.Y. This initiative is in conjunction with Emergency Preparedness Month, which is observed nationally throughout the month of September.
“The effects of Superstorm Sandy left many businesses in our area devastated both structurally and financially,” said Mark Rothenberg, Director, NY Metro Area SCORE. “The goal of these workshops is to arm business owners with the tools for recovery should we face another disaster in the future.”
This workshop will focus on disaster preparation and continuity planning including:
- Recognizing threats and risks to business
- Protecting the physical workspace, communications and commuters
- Developing a continuity plan and communicating it with employees
Strategies on how to recover and grow after a disaster will also be key topics, and will include examples of businesses who have rebuilt after Superstorm Sandy.
According to a Dun & Bradstreet report from November 2012, Superstorm Sandy had a potential impact on 730,000 small businesses in New York. Nearly half of these businesses were already struggling financially prior to the storm.
“In spite of the immense difficulties our communities have faced in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, there have been so many success stories of organizations who have not only managed to rebuild, but to thrive,” said Rothenberg. “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our local economy, and SCORE is grateful to be able to assist our region in recovering as fast and as strong as possible.”
The workshop is part of a regional initiative by SCORE mentors. The SCORE model pairs experienced volunteer business professionals with small business owners. A series of workshops will be hosted by local chapters of SCORE’s New York Metro Area Region through the end of September.
For more information or to register for the September 24workshop, visit orange.score.org/localworkshops.
For more disaster recovery planning resources and to learn about SCORE’s efforts in the aftermath of Sandy, visit www.NYMetroAreaScore.org and www.SCORE.org/Sandy.
About SCORE
Since 1964, SCORE has helped more than 10 million aspiring entrepreneurs. Each year, SCORE provides small business mentoring and workshops to more than 375,000 new and growing small businesses. More than 12,000 business experts volunteer as mentors in over 340 chapters serving local communities with entrepreneur education to help grow 1 million small businesses.
For more information about starting or operating a small business in and around Orange and Sullivan Counties, call (845)-426-1206 or call 1-800-634-0245 for the SCORE chapter nearest you. Visit SCORE at www.score.org. Connect with SCORE at www.facebook.com/SCOREFans and www.twitter.com/SCOREMentors.
