RENO, Nev. — There’s not much we’ll miss about 2020, but we’ve learned at least one valuable lesson: commerce has not and cannot rely solely on government assistance.
Rather, amidst the chaos and instability, our business community demonstrated deliberate resiliency, innovativeness and the gritty determination to survive.
The federal relief package provided in the spring of 2020 and this next round did and will help many local businesses to move forward. But were it not for patriot shoppers, online consumers, delivery drivers, curbside commerce, pop-up shops, outdoor eating and heat lamps, our community’s robust business culture might have withered away.
Cheers to every healthcare worker who toils with the sick and the dying. They deserve our endless support and heartfelt thanks. At the same time, we tip our hats to everyone who understands that local businesses are vital to our daily lives.
Thanks to the creative entrepreneurs, the strategic restaurateurs, shielded manicurists, mask-wearing barbers, bar operators with fewer stools, dry cleaners behind plastic walls, florists with marked waiting lines and other compliant businesses.
Our community has come to the rescue and shown respect for the lifeblood of what makes Reno and Sparks so exceptional. Our commitment to patronize and subsidize the brave soldiers of commerce has taken on new energy as we look to revive and recover in 2021.
And what will this recovery look like? Crowded sidewalks in midtown Reno and downtown Sparks, tourists on our trails, conventions that fill our hotels, sold-out Aces games, standing-room only productions at our theaters, hard-to-find parking spots at malls and movie theaters, and waiting lines at bakeries, coffee shops, delis, and eateries where greeting friends and colleagues with hugs and handshakes will seem like old-fashioned manners.
And while we’re waiting for vaccinations and immunity, we’ve begun preparations for the 2021 Legislature, a session during which education funding, election governance, property tax reform and redistricting may take center stage. We know that disagreements will prevail, but another lesson from 2020 is that we cannot rely on our elected officials to do all the work.
Much like the resiliency shown by our businesses, we, as constituents, must exercise voices of support for business growth and diversity and resist roadblocks that hamper commercial success.
We must administer our own injection of optimism and continue support for long-standing and newly emerging businesses that have done their best to outlast this pandemic. 2020’s bitter pill of political and social discord must be put aside in favor of economic resurgence, new jobs and opportunities for living wages.
The past year’s bar was set pretty low for civility, so let’s do our best to create a higher standard for bipartisan support for our consumer-driven community and the businesses that give us reasons to love living here.
“Commerce Matters” is a monthly Voices column in the NNBW authored by Ann Silver, CEO of the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce. Reach her for comment at asilver@thechambernv.org.
-->RENO, Nev. — There’s not much we’ll miss about 2020, but we’ve learned at least one valuable lesson: commerce has not and cannot rely solely on government assistance.
Rather, amidst the chaos and instability, our business community demonstrated deliberate resiliency, innovativeness and the gritty determination to survive.
The federal relief package provided in the spring of 2020 and this next round did and will help many local businesses to move forward. But were it not for patriot shoppers, online consumers, delivery drivers, curbside commerce, pop-up shops, outdoor eating and heat lamps, our community’s robust business culture might have withered away.
Cheers to every healthcare worker who toils with the sick and the dying. They deserve our endless support and heartfelt thanks. At the same time, we tip our hats to everyone who understands that local businesses are vital to our daily lives.
Thanks to the creative entrepreneurs, the strategic restaurateurs, shielded manicurists, mask-wearing barbers, bar operators with fewer stools, dry cleaners behind plastic walls, florists with marked waiting lines and other compliant businesses.
Our community has come to the rescue and shown respect for the lifeblood of what makes Reno and Sparks so exceptional. Our commitment to patronize and subsidize the brave soldiers of commerce has taken on new energy as we look to revive and recover in 2021.
And what will this recovery look like? Crowded sidewalks in midtown Reno and downtown Sparks, tourists on our trails, conventions that fill our hotels, sold-out Aces games, standing-room only productions at our theaters, hard-to-find parking spots at malls and movie theaters, and waiting lines at bakeries, coffee shops, delis, and eateries where greeting friends and colleagues with hugs and handshakes will seem like old-fashioned manners.
And while we’re waiting for vaccinations and immunity, we’ve begun preparations for the 2021 Legislature, a session during which education funding, election governance, property tax reform and redistricting may take center stage. We know that disagreements will prevail, but another lesson from 2020 is that we cannot rely on our elected officials to do all the work.
Much like the resiliency shown by our businesses, we, as constituents, must exercise voices of support for business growth and diversity and resist roadblocks that hamper commercial success.
We must administer our own injection of optimism and continue support for long-standing and newly emerging businesses that have done their best to outlast this pandemic. 2020’s bitter pill of political and social discord must be put aside in favor of economic resurgence, new jobs and opportunities for living wages.
The past year’s bar was set pretty low for civility, so let’s do our best to create a higher standard for bipartisan support for our consumer-driven community and the businesses that give us reasons to love living here.
“Commerce Matters” is a monthly Voices column in the NNBW authored by Ann Silver, CEO of the Reno + Sparks Chamber of Commerce. Reach her for comment at asilver@thechambernv.org.
