The impact of COVID-19 on local businesses
Jack Allston, executive director of the Pottawatomie County Economic Development Corporation, presented to the Pottawatomie County Commission Monday the results of a survey showing how COVID-19 has impacted local businesses.
Of the businesses that responded to the survey, about 15 percent closed and are now open, about 4 percent closed and are still closed and the rest have remained open.
As for how job numbers have changed, Allston says there is good news.
According to Allston, event-based companies have been negatively impacted the most while those involved in food service and childcare are also seeing cash-flow problems.
Pottawatomie County has a 7.6 percent unemployment rate while Riley County currently sits at 8.6 percent, which Allston says came as a surprise.
51 Pottawatomie County businesses employing about 1500 full-time and 400 part-time workers responded to the survey.
Economic warning
Allston warned during his presentation that Pottawatomie County is potentially in a position to suffer economically if Kansas State University closes down or slows operations.
He says about 7,580 people, many of whom commute from Pottawatomie County, are employed by K-State and other educational services in Riley County
According to Allston, large employers such as K-State Athletics and the KSU Foundation are not part of the educational-services category.
He says Pottawatomie County needs more manufacturing if it wants to become less dependent on K-State and K-State-related organizations for jobs.
The manufacturing sector currently employs about 2250 people in Pottawatomie County.
Allston’s full presentation can be viewed below:
In other Pottawatomie County news:
- The County Office Building will continue to close to the public at 4 p.m. for at least the next month. The purpose of this is to prevent county employees from working overtime too often. While the building will close at 4 p.m., county employees will work until around 4:30 p.m..
