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COVID-EID loan deferment period extended
March 21st, 2022
The EIDL program has dispensed more than $351 billion worth of relief to nearly four million borrowers, according to the SBA. The Small Business Administration (SBA) is providing additional deferment of principal and interest payments for existing COVID Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) borrowers. The extension brings the total deferment time to 30 months from inception. Key information […]
U.S. Supreme Court blocks OSHA’s vaccine and testing mandate
January 18th, 2022
The U.S. Supreme Court has temporarily blocked the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Vaccination and Testing Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for private employers with 100 or more employees. The Court ruled 6-3 against OSHA’s employer mandate, blocking it from taking effect while other legal challenges play out.
New OSHA vaccination policy for private businesses
November 10th, 2021
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced a new emergency temporary standard (ETS), requiring private employers with 100 or more employees–firm or company-wide–to develop, implement and enforce a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, unless they adopt a policy requiring employees to choose to either be vaccinated or undergo regular COVID-19 testing […]
Canada winds down COVID-19 business support programs
November 5th, 2021
Canadian Minister of Finance Chrystia Freeland recently announced the end of broad-based federal support programs intended to support Canadian businesses through the economic turbulence of the pandemic, according to the National Marine Manufacturers Association website. This includes the wage subsidy, rent subsidy and Lockdown Support programs. In addition, the government announced the following changes: Extend […]
Gentler negotiations
May 1st, 2021
I watched an online presentation recently about how to keep your personal feelings from intruding on professional situations. I followed it with a discussion about how to deal with difficult people. I was trying to keep myself calm during thorny contract negotiations with a publisher over a book I wrote. My desire to be published […]
South Carolina vaccinations now open to manufacturing employees
March 10th, 2021
Governor Henry McMaster and the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) announced that South Carolina will advance to Phase 1b of the state’s COVID-19 vaccination plan beginning March 8. Among those included in Phase 1b is all South Carolina manufacturing workers. “South Carolina remains focused on protecting the lives and health of […]
Obstacles to success
March 1st, 2021
In a former life I managed a large team of writers and editors. My job, as I saw it, was to remove obstacles that prevented the team from being successful. These obstacles were the same for every person on the team: a lack of focus, perfectionism, poor time management, difficulty with conflict and a lack […]
Minnesota boat builders busy with surging interest
February 19th, 2021
A recent Minnesota StarTribune newspaper article reports that major boat manufacturers in Minnesota are scrambling to expand their payrolls in response to surging demand for leisure boats during the pandemic. According to the article, Brunswick's production facility in New York Mills, Minn., where Lund and Crestliner boats are built, has added 114 positions in the […]
Magazine article reviews COVID-19 impact on boating, other recreation
February 9th, 2021
A recent article in the national lifestyle magazine/website, Men's Journal, titled "Our Outdoor World, One Year into Covid," covers the acceleration in the popularity of outdoor recreation, including boating, in the time of Covid-19. The article includes data and insights from the National Marine Manufacturers Association and looks back on learnings and trends from the […]
NAM announces vaccine project
February 4th, 2021
The National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) and The Manufacturing Institute are launching the “This Is Our Shot” project, an initiative to educate the manufacturing community, affected families and their communities about the COVID-19 vaccine. The project is live at NAM.org/ThisIsOurShot, where NMMA members can access the latest resources, webinars and a public service announcement on […]