Local business owners needed for survey

A Garden City-based foundation is requesting local business owners take its survey to better understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Long Island’s business and downtown districts.

The Rauch Foundation released the survey Nov. 12, which aims to gather insight directly from business owners. It takes roughly five to 10 minutes to complete, and is available online in both English and Spanish.
“It’s easy to guess what the impact of the pandemic might be on local small businesses – but until we hear from the business owners themselves, we can’t really know for sure,” Rauch Foundation president Nancy Rauch Douzinas said. “As the region defines how to move forward, it’s important that our business community is included in the recovery process and that their experiences and hardships are taken into consideration.”

The foundation is also conducting research by hiring canvassers, who will visit downtown areas and speak with store owners. The survey will be available until Nov. 30.

Kevin Law, president of the Long Island Association, said there have been other surveys of business owners since the pandemic, but this is the first one exclusively focused on the village communities.

“I strongly encourage local businesses to reply to the survey so we might better plan appropriate responses to current conditions,” Law said.

Co-chaired by Law, the Long Island Regional Economic Development Council has been overseeing downtown revitalization grants on Long Island.

Rauch consultant Dave Kapell said as the revitalization efforts grow, Rauch needs to understand how to adapt to the challenges created by the pandemic.

A full report and analysis of survey results is expected to be completed in early 2021.

The Rauch Foundation, which aims to “spark and sustain early success in children and systemic change in our communities,” according to a press release, was established in 1961 by Louis Rauch and Philip Rauch Jr.

The survey can be found here: https://www.research.net/r/lidowntown.