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On July 06, 2020, the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) released borrower-specific information related to the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) to the public, through its website HERE. As OADA previously reported, alert can be found HERE, the SBA will make the business name, addresses, NAICS codes, zip codes, business type, demographic data, non-profit information, jobs supported, and a range of the loan amount available to the public. We anticipate that this information may result in media inquiries to your dealership(s). We suggest that dealers proactively prepare for such inquiries by developing a statement or response now. Some ideas to consider include:
- Consult with your PR firm- If your dealership uses a PR firm, consult with them before making any response to the media. Realize, it is perfectly acceptable to prepare a written statement to share with media and refer to that statement for any questions or follow-ups. The dealership is not required to provide an interview in order to respond.
- Illustrate the Crucial Role of the Retail Motor Vehicle Industry to the Economy and Our Communities- When crafting your response, incorporate information including:
- Ohio’s 825 franchised new motor vehicle dealers generate $39.4 billion in annual retail sales.
- Dealers employ over 55,000 Ohioans with an annual payroll of over $2.8 billion.
- The average new motor vehicle dealer in Ohio employs 67 people, and pays $3.3 million dollars in wages.
- During this Coronavirus pandemic, the state of Ohio recognized the essential nature of motor vehicle sales and service in our communities, but maintaining business operations and staffing was challenging. Dealers were proud to be able to serve the transportation needs of their customers. But, like most small businesses, when the Coronavirus pandemic hit, it had devastating effects on our businesses. Although considered essential, many dealerships significantly reduced their hours of operation, furloughed or laid off employees, or even shut down all operations for a period of time. The Paycheck Protection Program has and continues to play a vital role in helping Ohio motor vehicle dealers protect their employees with stable and consistent income and manage expenses like rent/mortgage and utilities.
- Personalize Your Response-
- Share that you value your employees and will always try to do things to help them and their families wherever possible.
- Describe how the PPP funds your dealership received impacted your dealership and your employees? Some questions to think about include:
- But for the PPP loans, would your revenue support the number of employees you employed?
- Did you furlough or layoff employees as a result of the pandemic? Were their positions restored in part because of available PPP funds?
- Have you been able to bring more employees back to work than you would have had you not received the PPP funds?
- If the dealership had to reduce employee’s compensation or hours, did PPP funds help you restore some of that lost income to your employees?
- Did the PPP funds allow to continue providing employee benefits?
- Would you have had to reduce employee benefits if you hadn’t received PPP funds?
- Would you be considering future layoffs or changes to future benefits if you hadn’t received PPP funds?
Finally, you can include additional resources that may help explain the impact the PPP funds have had. For example, NADA recently released a Fact Sheet on How the PPP Benefits Dealership Employees which can be found HERE.
If you are not comfortable with the idea of responding to media inquiries, you may also refer them to OADA and we will provide a response. If you have any additional questions regarding responding to media inquiries, please reach out to OADA President Zach Doran at (614) 923-2234 or zdoran@oada.com.
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