Hillsboro Chamber Leads Local Business Through COVID Crisis

There are a lot of great organizations in Hillsboro, Oregon. We would put the Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce at the very pinnacle of the best in our City. Throughout COVID this fantastic group has responded. When our City and County was quiet waiting for help from DC the Chamber lead. At every turn with every piece of new information, they were able to offer advice for small and big businesses alike. The Chamber offered advice to anyone who needed it and had staff and resources to advise- if they could help they did. If help was offered somewhere else they directed people to those resources.

The Hillsboro Herald wants to recognize Deanna Palm who has led our Chamber for many years. Her grit and determination as well as her knowledge have been inspiring. The team of people she has assembled reflects her excellence. She is so highly thought of that Beaverton’s Chamber has tapped her for leadership. How will she do both? No one can possibly manage that- but she will.

Here is the latest email the Chamber sent to the members and others on their mailing list. It is chock full of ways people can get help for their businesses. Outstanding work. This is what Hillsboro needs- #Leadership #Excellence #Help.

Thank you Deanna and to the entire Chamber staff!

ALSO – Check Out this Washington County Website- https://www.businessrecoverycenters.org/

Good Morning,

As the week draws to a close I wanted to make certain you are aware of important information for you and your business.

We are excited to share that the IRS extended the deadline to file tax returns to May 17 (read below there is an impact on small businesses). Congress voted yesterday to extend the application deadline for PPP to May 31, 2021. More on that below also. Finally, a reminder about the Commercial Rent Relief program available through Business Oregon.

The IRS extension of the tax filing deadline only helped some, but not all, taxpayers. According to the AICPA (Association of International Certified Public Accountants), “The IRS’ failure to include estimated payments in its decision hurts taxpayers because so much tax return work has to be done to calculate estimated payments. More than 9.5 million individual returns filed for the 2018 tax year included estimated payments. The IRS’ selective decision, unfortunately, creates more bureaucracy and confusion and is out of sync with the real-world stresses faced by taxpayers, tax practitioners, and small businesses.” The filing deadline for partnership and S Corps was March 15, and many find themselves on an extension caused by a late start at the IRS, plus delays in the documentation for PPP loan forgiveness. Congress could consider delaying the due date for the first quarter of 2021 estimated tax payment for individuals to May 15 to match the new deadline. If you are experiencing this issue, you can contact our Congressional leaders: Representative Suzanne Bonamici – OR01SBIMA@mail.house.gov, Senator Jeff Merkley Senator_Merkley@Merkley.senate.gov.

Congress passed an extension of the PPP (Paycheck Protection Program) that allows small businesses and eligible not for profits to apply for PPP loans through May 31^st. CO– and the U.S. Chamber have provided a guide to small business Covid-19 emergency loans. You can read more here.

Business Oregon has a commercial rent relief program available to assist landlords and tenants. Information on the program, who qualifies, how much can be granted, how to apply and more can be found here.

In all of this, remember the Hillsboro location of the Washington County Business Recovery Centers (BRC) is a resource for you. You can call (503) 726-2153 or email BRCHillsboro@HillChamber.org for assistance in navigating and connecting to resources.

We will continue to keep you posted with the information you need as it becomes available.

With very best regards,

Deanna Palm

President/CEO

Hillsboro Chamber

DeAnna Palm- Hillsboro Chamber of Commerce