Perry Pride Business Booster program aims to help local shops

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The Perry Chamber of Commerce announced a new partnership Monday with the city of Perry and other local sponsors to coordinate a local economic stimulus program called the Perry Pride Business Booster program.

The booster program is open to any Perry business and is designed to help businesses harmed by the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting closures. The local relief program promotes the purchase of gift cards to provide much needed cash flow to businesses that are temporarily closed or operating with restrictions.

The promotion is set to launch later this week, according to the Chamber of Commerce, and is intentionally timed to provide a bonus to people looking to multiply their federal economic impact payments with an incentive to shop local.

“The City of Perry is proud to support this program,” said Perry City Administrator Sven Peterson. “The City has pledged $100,000 in Local Option Sales Tax funds to jump start the initiative. Our hope is that additional funds are contributed by the community to continue to support our businesses. Now is the time to step up and shop local. These are the businesses that support us when we are looking for sponsorships and fundraising, and now it’s time to give back.”

Perry Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Lynsi Pasutti said all businesses are invited to participate in the Perry Pride Business Booster by completing an online opt-in form. The only requirement is that the business must be located within the Perry city limits.

“This is a chance to stretch your own dollar while also supporting local businesses when they need it the most — right now!” Pasutti said. “All across the nation, every local chamber and business association is working overtime to find creative ways to engage their community and support their members. Gift card promotions are becoming pretty popular, but this is one of the bigger local initiatives that I’ve seen so far. We are very fortunate here in Perry to have such great partners to make this happen and we’re looking forward to this having a big impact.”

Pasutti said more specific details will be released when the program is officially open to the public, but the basics are simple: The Perry Chamber of Commerce will facilitate the sale of gift cards on behalf of participating businesses. From an online platform, individuals will buy digital gift cards to their favorite Perry businesses, paying just $20 plus applicable service fees, and automatically getting an extra $10 bonus, thanks to program sponsors.

Purchasers will then receive a digital $30 gift card to use at a later date. Selected businesses will receive the full $30 from each gift card purchased along with a list to verify each gift card. Businesses will honor the digital gift cards in exchange for their products and service just as they would with their own gift cards. The program will span at least five weeks, and there will be 2,000 gift cards available for purchase each week, potentially generating more than $300,000 of local spending.

“This comes at a time when state and federal relief programs are exhausted, yet businesses still need financial assistance to overcome the current disruption,” said Perry Chamber of Commerce member Mark Powell. “This is just one initiative that the Chamber’s Business Development Committee is working on as a relief and recovery program. It is generously backed to provide benefit to individuals and a big boost to businesses. It will require community buy-in to really take off, and we are hopeful it will do so.”

For more information about the Perry Pride Business Booster, contact the Perry Chamber of Commerce at perrychamber@perryia.org or 515-465-4601.

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