[Updated April 29, 2020]
Please Take Lake Co. Business Survey
The City of Leadville, Lake County Tourism Panel, Leadville-Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Leadville-Lake County Economic Development Corporation, and Leadville Main Street Program want to know how they can best support your business during these challenging economic times.
Please take the business survey by Monday, May 4th. Your input will help identify our local business’s most pressing needs and guide the development and implementation of programs to address those issues. After you submit the completed survey, you may add your name and email to a drawing for one of three thank-you prizes:
- One-year membership in the Leadville-Lake County Chamber of Commerce ($250 value)
- One-year membership to the Leadville-Lake County Economic Development Corporation ($250 level)
- $50 gift certificate to a local restaurant of your choice.
Promote Your Shop on LeadvilleTwinLakes.com
Would you like to attract visitors to your shop before they ever hit the county line? You can now do just that on LeadvilleTwinLakes.com.’s new Shopping page. The Shopping page will be similar to our Lodging and Restaurant pages. It will highlight the area’s boutiques, art galleries, antique stores, unique gifts and souvenir shops, as well as stores offering everyday and specialty items the tourist might need during their travels. Please submit your shop’s info to be included!
Lake County Reopening Guidelines
Businesses that wish to reopen need to submit an application to Lake County Public Healthy Agency (LPCHA). To see Lake County’s business guidelines and apply to reopen, please see the Lake County Safer-At-Home Business Info Overview. The current Public Health Order timeline overview and state guidance links are also included.
Weekly Travel Research
The Lake County Tourism Panel is following travel research so that we as a community can best respond to traveler sentiment and trends. As travel restrictions loosen, destinations will attract visitors by making safety a #1 priority, says a tourism market research company. Get weekly updates from Destination Analysts and stay on top of traveler sentiments.
Colorado Tourism Office Plans for Reopening
The Colorado Tourism Office has released a phased marketing plan to adapt to COVID-19. Watch the April 20th webinar that explains the state’s Wait, Ready, Set, Go approach and tentative timeline. You can adapt these ideas for your business.
Resources for Tourism and Small Business
Leadville – Lake County Economic Development Corporation – The EDC has compiled numerous resources for local businesses.
Below are resources shared directly from the Colorado Tourism Office, Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT), and related sources.
Startup Colorado is hosting webinars each Friday with ideas and resources for small businesses. You may access recordings after the webinars.
Free CMC Hospitality Supervision Classes for Displaced Workers: The classes start April 15th, but there will be some rolling enrollments. “Introduction to Hospitality Supervision Series: Return to Work Ready to Lead” is a free certificate of proficiency in Hospitality Operations and will be particularly great for those who are currently laid off or working less but returning to work as soon as things normalize. Downtime is time to upskill! That’s an $800 value for free, and it gets students started on a hospitality degree if they decide to continue.
Help for independent contractors and the self-employed: Lenders started accepting applications for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) for independent contractors and the self-employed on April 10. OEDIT urges you to reach out to your banks as soon as possible so you can submit your application quickly. First reach out to the bank that pays out your business’s payroll. Check your existing bank’s website to see if they have the application available. If it is not obvious, call or email them to see if they are an approved lender for the Paycheck Protection Program. If your bank is not authorized, you can find an eligible lender online.
The Colorado Office of Film, Television & Media team has shared two recorded webinars for gig workers through Choose Colorado:
1 – COVID-19 Financial Support for Gig Workers & Small Businesses: How to Get Your Money
2 – Demystifying Unemployment for 1099 and Gig Workers” with the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment
What to Know about COVID-19 and Colorado Travel – Colorado Tourism Office – Continually updated messaging, traveler precautions, tourism impact.
Support for COVID-Impacted Small Businesses – Colorado Tourism Office
Colorado Tourism Buzz Facebook page – Colorado Tourism Office news
Colorado COVID-19 Business Resource Center – Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade – Economic-related announcements, small business loan opportunities, public health updates and more.
Employee Assistance – From Region 13’s Tourism & Outdoor Recreation/Retail Sector Partnership in Lake, Chaffee, Fremont and Custer counties – The region has received a $75,000 Colorado’s Lives Empowered Grant for employee upskilling and has contracted with WorkLife Partnership to offer assistance for life challenges beyond the benefits your business can offer. The program is serving people impacted by all of the temporary closures (hospitality, restaurant, etc.) including those individuals who have been laid off. If your business has fewer than 100 employees, that assistance is free. The program is offered at discounted rate your business has more than 100 employees. Employee assistance is available immediately. Resource Navigators offer free, confidential support to help your employees with finding resources for affordable childcare, support with transportation, budgeting and financial wellness, accessing food pantries, understanding medical benefits and how to use them, accessing resources for housing, connecting with mental behavioral health resources, stress management. Contact: Diana Armstrong, Fremont Economic Development Corporation (FEDC) Special Projects Coordinator, programs@worklifepartnership.org, fremontedc.com, 719-275-8601
Colorado Concierge Program – This free training program could be used to help tourism employees improve their skills and is available to businesses of all sizes in Colorado. It aims to turn front-line workers into Colorado experts and train them in Colorado-style customer service. Colorado Concierge is accessible via smartphone, tablet or computer at BeAColoradoConcierge.com. By completing all four modules and a series of quiz questions, anyone can be certified as an official Colorado Concierge and download a certificate to add to their resume.
Travel Workforce Protection and Recovery Policies – US Travel Association – Plus special video message from President and CEO Roger Dow.
COVID-19 CARES Act Relief Resources – Resources from the U.S. Travel Association.
COVID-19 Small Business Response Resources – Colorado small businesses impacted by COVID-19 can seek individual small business loans through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) $2 million Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. For questions on how to apply, call the Colorado Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Hotline: (303) 860-5881. You can also sign up for email updates with the latest business assistance news.
COVID-19 Financial Assistance Network: This group of CFOs, controllers, and other senior finance professionals is working to help businesses survive.
Alternative Funding: An OEDIT Google sheet helps Colorado’s small businesses find alternative funding sources beyond EIDL, PPP, and other federal loans and programs.
Small Business Development Center Webinars: The Colorado SBDC Network is regularly hosting webinars to guide you through the COVID-19 emergency response and preparedness. Check the COVID-19 Small Business Response Resources to watch recordings from past webinars that covered the following topics:
> EIDL Application Instructions
> EIDL Application Instructions for Nonprofits
> Guide to Applying for PPP Loan
> Keeping Your Business Together in a Crisis: Financial Health
> And more
Friday Resource Calls: OEDIT has partnered with Startup Colorado and the Small Business Development Center Network to host weekly Friday resource calls. These calls provide real-time updates from state and federal agencies and are organized by region to align the calls and relevant resources with your concerns.
Southeast SBDC (Lake County) – Fridays, 2pm
Host: John Wittler, Regional Coordinator, Ogallala Commons
Zoom Video & Audio
Dial-in: 346-248-7799 / Participant ID: 367293321
CARE Act Loans – The $2 trillion CARE Act is a major economic resource to help Colorado’s small businesses experiencing economic harm. A key portion of this act is the Paycheck Protection Program which allocates $349 billion in forgivable loans to help small businesses, independent contractors, and nonprofits meet payroll and rent needs. The first step in accessing these forgivable loans is to prepare the materials necessary to apply. That includes confirming your eligibility, gathering the necessary records (payroll, rent, utilities, tax and bank records) and estimating the eligible amount of your forgivable loan.
ChooseColorado – See additional details on the Paycheck Protection Program’s forgivable loans and a comprehensive list of state and federal resources available for Colorado’s businesses. SBDC representatives are available to answer your questions through the COVID Economic Hotline at (303) 860-5881.
Lake County Tourism Panel Approach
At this time, the Lake County Tourism Panel is not actively promoting visits to Lake County, to protect the health and safety of community members and visitors. We are providing resources to people who live in town, on our COVID-19 and Travel page. Please also follow our Visit Leadville Facebook page for any announcements.
The Leadville Herald will be publishing a comprehensive resource of Local Business Resources from until at least mid-April, and it will be updated continuously.
Both the Lake County Tourism Panel and the Colorado Tourism Office are sharing “Colorado calm” videos and images. Please check our @Visit Leadville Facebook and Instagram accounts and the CTO’s @VisitColorado Facebook and Instagram. The idea is to give people a much-needed break from bad news, while reminding them of Colorado’s natural beauty.
>> How You Can Be Featured: If you have “Leadville/Twin Lakes calm” images and/or videos similar (quiet, no people), please email us. We’d love to feature them, with credit!
Colorado Tourism Office PR Approach
The Colorado Tourism Office has released a phased marketing plan to adapt to COVID-19. Watch the April 20th webinar that explains the state’s Wait, Ready, Set, Go approach and tentative timeline.
The Lake County Tourism Panel continues to work with the Colorado Tourism Office (CTO) on story ideas and media relations. The CTO’s PR team is not currently pitching proactively in the traditional sense. They are focusing on relationship-building and responding with Colorado news, story ideas, etc., as appropriate. These writers predict a large demand for travel once COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, especially domestic travel.
A PR industry survey focused on tourism found that 8 in 10 journalists are currently covering tourism topics including future-focused travel content for summer and onward into 2021, as well as domestic travel with an outdoors focus encouraging social distancing.
The team is pitching summer and fall news, trends, and story ideas when appropriate. They are also compiling story ideas around ways communities are coming together during COVID-19; unique ways locals can enjoy the outdoors while practicing social distancing; ways travelers can be inspired by videos, photography and virtual tours from Colorado; and more.
>> How You Can Be Featured: If you have story ideas from your business that would fit the above categories, please email us.