Thursday, February 25, 2021, Ed Dowd, Executive Director of the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce was a guest on 101.3 WMCI. Here is a brief description of what he covered during the interview:
*An important reminder: as of this Saturday, February 27, 2021, all local calls made within the 217 area code must be made using the 10 digit phone number. This will have an immediate impact on many businesses and residents who have their work and cell phones programmed to dial 7 digit phone numbers when making local calls. The pre-programmed numbers will no longer work until they are changed to reflect all 10 digits that includes the 217 area code.
As of March 27, 2021, the majority of new phone numbers in the 217 area code will be assigned the area code 447. All current 3 digit numbers including 911, 811, etc. will not be affected by these changes.
For more information, you can contact your work or cell phone service providers for assistance.
* Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)
The PPP Program is continually being modified and adjusted. As an example, today through Wednesday, March 10th, the program will be exclusively available to businesses that have 20 or fewer employees. The Federal Government is trying to encourage small business owners to see if they qualify and then apply to the program. They have also modified some of the requirements for sole proprietors to gain access to the program.
I encourage small business owners to review all the details at SBA.gov or contact their local financial institutions or accountants for further information.
Keep up to date at the Mattoon Chamber of Commerce website.
Listen to the complete interview here:
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