TOWSON, MD—As Baltimore County businesses face unprecedented threats to their continued viability due to the COVID-19 pandemic, County Executive Johnny Olszewski on Friday announced that the county’s economic and workforce development professionals will host a series of free webinars to help small businesses and affected workers navigate available assistance resources and plan for eventual economic recovery.

The series will offer participants live direct access to panels of local subject matter experts. Topics will focus on support resources for small businesses and affected workers, progressing from immediate stopgap financial programs to longer-term recovery strategies.

“We know that businesses and families are struggling during this global health crisis and we will continue to do all we can to help people figure out which programs best support their immediate and longer-term needs,” said County Executive Olszewski, who plans to participate in Tuesday’s online session.

The first “Baltimore County Business Forum—COVID and Beyond,” will be presented live via Cisco WebEx on Tuesday, April 21 at 1 p.m., and webinar access information will be posted on the County website at baltimorecountybusiness.com. Recorded video of the completed webinars will be posted on the webpage.

The 60-minute session will be moderated by Baltimore County Director of Economic and Workforce Development Will Anderson and will feature an expert panel with a live question and answer session with local subject matter specialists. The panelists include experienced legal and financial professionals who are advising clients every day on COVID-19 issues, and are themselves members of the Baltimore County small businesses community.

• John Fiedler, CPA, Wolfe & Fiedler, PA
• Charles R. Kassouf, Attorney, Managing Member of The Law Office of Charles R. Kassouf, LLC
• David Miller, CPA, Partner at Kenneally & Company
• Carla Nelson Chambers, Managing Principal of The Nelson Ideation Group, LLC

“It can be overwhelming to figure out what local, state and federal stimulus programs you qualify for and which programs may be most helpful given individual circumstances,” said Baltimore County Director of Economic and Workforce Development Will Anderson. “This first webinar will provide an overview, plus offer business people the chance to ask specific legal and financial questions of our expert panel.”

The Department of Economic and Workforce Development (DEWD) has compiled an overview of resources and assistance available to affected employers and employees. This information is available on the department’s website and updates are posted on Facebook.