Perdido Key Chamber Directory

By Emily Klinga
An economic shutdown, a
global health crisis, and
even a brutal hurricane
season showed to be no
match for the strength,
prosperity, and resiliency of the people
of Perdido Key. Perdidoans are no
stranger to looking tough times in
the face. Living in an active hurricane
region allows those who live in the
gulf coast to prepare themselves for
the worst possible situation that may
come. People who have experienced
tragedy on the coast, have lost homes,
businesses, even loved ones. One thing
that keeps a community like Perdido
stronger than ever is the people.
You can see in historical accounts of
devastation in the aftermath of a nasty
hurricane season. Every single time,
after the destruction, comes the cleanup,
then comes the overwhelming
support from the community.
The Perdido Key community has
been through a lot together, fellow
business owners will not think twice
to support another business who
is struggling. That is what being a
part of Perdido is all about, helping
your neighbor in times of need and
treating everyone like family.
The year 2020 brought a whole new
challenge that no one, across the entire
globe, was expecting. The COVID-19
pandemic brought a sense of unknown
to communities everywhere. Although
the year started off with strong plans
for improvement and mass excitement
for the new decade, hopes were quickly
shot down after a national economic
shutdown, just in time for peak season
along the coast. Although travel seemed
like an impossibility for some people
throughout the country, shutting
down business was not an option.
To keep businesses up and running,
the Perdido Chamber did everything
possible to share business news and
updates quickly while keeping
members and the community
updated on the most pertinent
information from the
county, state,
and federal levels on the Covid-19
crisis. The Chamber was also on track
with all business grant opportunities
and resources to keep businesses open
during the year. In good Perdido spirit,
each and every Perdido Chamber
member received a call from a staff
member to make sure they were doing
alright during the strange times.
Although things looked different,
business continued. Cherished
networking events such as the Business
After Hours and Networking
Luncheon went virtual through
zoom meetings.
In an attempt
to keep business
opportunities open
for everyone, new
networking
opportunities
were added
as well such
as the Key to
Networking Coffee
Virtual Meeting
and a fun shop
local bingo event.
Resources to
help everyone shop local and
support small businesses were spread
far and wide. People learned just
how easy it was to support a fellow
business. Whether that be by sharing
and liking their social media posts,
ordering from their website online,
or just by giving kind words. The
community truly came together to
support each other during a time when
no one could see an end in sight.
Just when everyone’s social feeds
were flooding with COVID-19 news,
hurricane season was right around
the corner. Not only were businesses
challenged with operating under
Personal Protective Equipment,
social distancing, and other COVID
limitations, but now they had to
mentally and physically, prepare their
businesses and homes for a possible
natural disaster. Again, the Chamber
did their due diligence by spreading
resources from FEMA and Emergency
Management departments in both
Baldwin and Escambia counties.
In September of 2020, Hurricane
Sally devastated the Perdido Area with
FELLOW BUSINESS
OWNERS WILL NOT
THINK TWICE TO
SUPPORT ANOTHER
BUSINESS WHO IS
STRUGGLING.
mass flooding, winds, and damaged
structures all throughout the coast.
Information was shared about closures,
emergency response updates, and
even small business resources that
proved to be helpful directly after
the storm. Roads were closed and
power was out, however that did
not stop people from helping their
neighbor remove debris and check
on all their friends and family. The
hard work did not go unnoticed.
A couple of weeks after the storm,
most of the debris was cleaned
from roadways, and
people did their
best to get back to
business as usual…
whatever that means.
Members of the
Chamber
and the
community
even gathered
their resources
to put together a
free community
shrimp boil to give
a delicious pickme-up.
To stir some positivity
just in time for the holidays, the
Perdido Chamber hosted a series of
drive-in movie nights for a familyfun,
socially distant way to enjoy a
night out with friends and family.
The monthly, “Flicks on the Field”
event included special themed nights
such as a costume contest and trunk
or treat during Halloween, and a
holiday craft and vendor fair just
in time to support local artists and
small businesses for the holidays.
2020 has finally come to an end,
but we all still feel its effects today,
and will for the foreseeable future. In
Perdido Key, we are no stranger to
facing hard times. If our community
continues to show the collective
resilient energy it is today, there is no
doubt that we can handle the issue.
We were able to learn a lot from last
year’s mountain of challenges, making
us even stronger for years to come. The
people of Perdido have mastered the
art of resiliency, and we look forward
to 2021 being a year of transformation
and innovative ideas for growth.
PerdidoChamber.com • VisitPerdido.com | 850-492-4660
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