ST. PETE STRONG
Mayor Rick Kriseman and Chamber president Chris Steinocher combine vision, straightforward planning, and a mutual respect as they work together on getting the city back to business as usual. Here’s a run-down of how it all came together.
BY MARCIA BIGGS It was March 12, the kickoff of the highly anticipated Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, the start of the IndyCar 2020 season with race fans and sponsors from across the country flying in, teams setting up in the paddocks and press from around the world arriving. Downtown and all the way to the beaches, hotels, restaurants and businesses were anticipating the increase in visitors -- the city’s economic impact has been estimated to be near $40 million for the week surrounding the race.
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But March 13, the race came to a screeching halt. That’s when the word “coronavirus” reared its ugly head with a sense of urgency never before seen. It wasn’t just the race that closed down. By the following Monday, it was clear that just about everything was shutting down. It was time for the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce to jump into action to act as a communication lifeline for the many .P ete Stro small city businesses.
StPeteLifeMag.com
May/June 2020
Working closely with Mayor Rick Kriseman’s office, Chamber president and CEO Chris Steinocher and his team launched a plan that would help local business owners through the crisis. He started issuing text alerts to chamber members, updating them on news and information coming from the mayor’s office. “The grand prix was the start of a new world order. Luckily we were prepared,” said Steinocher two months later. “We had a lot of entities aligned -- the Grow Smarter program was in place, the Greenhouse and EDC, the chamber board, the mayor’s team, we all came together.” Immediately, the chamber team got on the phone and called the chamber’s 1,200-plus members. “We wanted each of our businesses to know that they would be safe, we can help them get through this, relief efforts were coming.” Steinocher was invited by St. Pete Catalyst publisher Joe Hamilton to co-host a series of streaming videos aimed at supporting the local business community. “Coronavirus Impact Insights” continues to stream weeknights,
PHOTO/STEVEN LE-THEE PHOTO NINJA
Making St. Pete Strong
