Taskforce releases Harrisonburg-Rockingham COVID-19 business impact survey data

Fifty-seven percent of Harrisonburg-Rockingham businesses anticipate being able to return to pre-COVID-19 staffing levels, according to a survey conducted by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Business Support Taskforce.

Eighty-three percent reported lost sales and/or revenue in April. Sixty-six percent have reduced hours and/or restructured operations.

The anticipated timeline to return to pre-COVID-19 level of business activity covers a wide range, with 25 percent indicating a two- to three-month return period, 19 percent looking 6-8 months ahead, and 19 percent forecasting a full year.

Taskforce members have been in frequent contact with area businesses to assess the economic impact, share information on resources, and do what can be done to keep the economic engine primed. The survey results, along with a local companion survey on consumer sentiment, is helping the Taskforce plan and recommend the next steps to help companies answer questions and get back to some sense of “normal” business operations as quickly as possible.

Harrisonburg-Rockingham Business Support Taskforce members include representatives from the City of Harrisonburg Economic Development; Rockingham Department of Economic Development and Tourism; the Shenandoah Valley Partnership; the Shenandoah Valley Small Business Development Center (SVSBDC); Harrisonburg Downtown Renaissance; the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Chamber of Commerce; the Shenandoah Valley Technology Council; and JMU’s Professional and Continuing Education.