ReMain Nantucket joins Nantucket Organizations to Develop Economic Impact Study of COVID-19 Crisis

NANTUCKET, Mass. April 8, 2020 — ReMain Nantucket announced today that it has commissioned a series of studies on the short-term economic impacts of COVID-19 on local businesses and organizations. The initial survey, which is being conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm EBP US, was emailed to members of Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, Nantucket Island non-profit organizations, Nantucket Builders Association, and day care providers sourced through the Public Health Department of Nantucket on Friday, April 3.

 

The survey was organized by a new committee–the Nantucket Economic Survey Team (NEST)–that
includes representatives from ReMain Nantucket, the Nantucket Department of Culture and Tourism,
Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce, Nantucket Island Center for Entrepreneurship (NICE), and
Community Foundation for Nantucket. The team also includes Nantucket Select Board member Jason
Bridges and Wendy Hudson representing the Retailer’s Association of Massachusetts, in addition to local
merchants.

 

“In the early days of our stay-at-home order, the ReMain team, along with business and community
leaders, struggled to envision the extraordinary impact on the Island’s economic stability due to the
current COVID-19 health crisis,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Nantucket.
“With a mission to support economic and cultural vitality in the downtown, ReMain is a natural ally for
businesses and organizations, and we want to empower our local leaders to make evidence-based
decisions on behalf of the community.”

 

EBP US, which completed a study on Nantucket’s cultural programming this winter for ReMain
Nantucket, specializes in evaluation and analysis to support economic development planning and policy
decisions.

 

“Since we have successfully worked with EBP in the past, it was an easy decision to turn to them now to
help write a survey and draft a report outlining the many impacts on our beloved Island economy,”
added Jensen.

 

The information gathered from the survey will be used to advocate for support from state and federal
agencies, provide necessary information for ongoing decision-making related to local impacts, and assist
in developing appropriate programs and activities to help businesses and organizations.
“We hope this information will help businesses and organizations understand the nature of the
economic impact, while also preparing them to emerge from this period ready to jump back into work,”
said Janet Schulte, director of culture and tourism for the Town of Nantucket. “This is the first in a series
of surveys that will be introduced over the next six months, and each will expand on the information
previously gathered.

 

“We are asking anyone who owns a business, is self-employed, or runs an organization to participate to
let us know how this crisis is affecting you. If you didn’t receive the survey, please reach out to my office.
In addition, we encourage those who have received the survey to forward it to other business owners,”
added Schulte.

 

Answers collected will be aggregated and names will be kept confidential by EBP. Deadline for
submission is April 15. EBP US will release preliminary summarized findings of the study by April 24 with
an executive report to follow in early May.

 

To participate in the survey, please visit Impacts of COVID-19 on Nantucket Businesses and
Organizations Survey on the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce website. For a read-only copy of
the survey in pdf form, please visit ReMain Nantucket.

 

ReMain Nantucket is a charitable organization, founded by philanthropist Wendy Schmidt to support the
economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to providing grants
and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, the organization has
worked to revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings
that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.

 

The Town of Nantucket’s Department of Culture and Tourism’s mission is to support the continued
development of Nantucket as a healthy community in which tourism is a significant contributor to
residents’ economic stability and economic security and Nantucket’s natural, cultural, and historic
resources and quality of life are enjoyed by tourists and residents while being protected for future
generations.

 

EBP US (formerly EDR Group) is an American company based in Boston that provides state-of-the-art
economic analysis and research to support planning and policy in multimodal transportation, regional
development, energy, and infrastructure. It is part of the EBP family of companies, with full-service
offices in the United States, Switzerland, Germany, China, Brazil, and Chile.

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

April 8, 2020

CONTACT: Virna Gonzalez

917-494-0187

vgonzalez@remainnantucket.org