Lenovo, whose North American headquarters are in Morrisville, NC, kicked off a Cause The Affect movement by calling on Triangle-area citizens to join the global technology company in celebrating and supporting small businesses across America and in the local community.
“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. They fuel us, feed us, and connect us. Now, more than ever, they need our support,” said John Bischof, executive director, North American Commercial Category at Lenovo. “We need to rally around our local small businesses. Let’s affect them the way they affect us.”
A National Small Business Association member survey found that three in four small-business owners are very concerned about the economic impact of COVID-19. Almost half have already seen reduced customer demand. And 38 percent aren’t confident in the financial future of their business.
In North Carolina, about 26 percent of small businesses closed, permanently or temporarily, between January 2020 and January 2021 according to study conducted by Harvard University Public Economics Professor Raj Chetty and his colleagues that looked at the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Lenovo has developed a Cause The Affect website where people throughout the Triangle can go to customize a note and share it online to thank and encourage their favorite small business.
As part of the launch, Lenovo interviewed local Triangle area residents to find out what they love about their local small businesses. Click on this Cause The Affect video link to hear how Raleigh area small businesses are impacting local lives.
“Help us celebrate small businesses, their ingenuity, willingness to pivot, and strength by championing the impact they have on us all,” said Bischof, “By showing our appreciation and patronage, we can encourage our business neighbors to press on.”
Cause The Affect national efforts will commence in April, but Lenovo didn’t want to wait to start championing businesses in the company’s own backyard here in the Triangle area, home to Lenovo’s North America headquarters. With technology at the core of the movement, Lenovo also is stepping up to promote, advise, and assist small businesses as they learn to revive and thrive in this new way of working.
This is the time to lend your voice. Small businesses have been in survival mode for over a year due to the pandemic. It’s time to boost the confidence of the businesses that have helped to Cause The Affect in our lives and communities, through notes of gratitude, technology and the chance to be part of something bigger.
