The program last Wednesday was Kerr Together, a recently formed organization to help local businesses recover from the flood.
Former mayor Judy Eychner chairs the board of Kerr Together, and started off the discussion by introducing the speakers and describing how the community has rallied to support the recovery effort.
Judy Eychner
Mindy Wendele is the president of the Kerrville Chamber of Commerce. She noted how the banking industry has really been helpful in providing a vehicle for donations, and numerous banks have matching donation programs to help the contributions go even further. A tax deductible fund was recently created by the Chamber Foundation to provide relief to small businesses affected by the flood. To date, over 1.7 million dollars has been raised and by the end of next week, it all will be distributed. It will provide grants from $2,500.00 to $10,000.00 to affected businesses.
Mindy Wendele
Kelly Hagemeier is the Economic Development manager for the City of Kerrville. She outlined the disaster recovery centers locations and SBA loan programs available to businesses. 550,000 cubic yards of debris has been removed so far, which is estimated to be about half of the total amount which will eventually be removed.
Kelly Hagemeier
Teresa Metcalf is the deputy director of the Kerr Economic Development Corporation, whose mission is to recruit and retain businesses in the Kerrville area. Todd Bock is the executive director, and has been in constant contact with people around the country with expertise in economic recovery after natural disasters. Local businesses are the backbone of the community, and many still have expansion and growth plans that were impacted by the floods. A long term recovery group has been formed with about 70 volunteers to help assist individuals and businesses move forward.
Teresa Metcalf
Todd Bock