18 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • APRIL 2020
SOME COMPANIES THRIVE IN PANDEMIC ECONOMY
Louis Biscotti, Marcum LLP’s food and
beverage practice leader, says that while
restaurants, hospitality, catering, and
travel take hits, delivery and some food
makers are going strong.
“Delivery companies and big processed
food companies are doing well as
people are stocking up on staple goods,”
Biscotti says.
The grocery hoarders are also boosting
retailer sales.
“Small grocery stores and distributors
are also seeing a surge in profits as
customers stockpile for a quarantine scenario,”
says Joe Camberato, president and
co-founder of National Business Capital
& Services, a small-business loan broker.
There is a huge rush for healthcare
services, as people seek insight into
whether they might be infected.
“Privately owned walk-in medical
clinics and urgent care facilities are
experiencing a surge in symptomatic
visitors,” Camberato says.
Family Affair Distributing, which provides
promotional products, decorated
apparel, and printing services, saw
a boost in orders for hand sanitizer
branded with company names before
supply dried up.
“Some of the last orders went in last
week,” says Lisa Chalker, the company’s
CEO. “Then the whole industry got hit.
Our suppliers are inundated. They ran
out of stock.”
The shutdown of trade shows reduced
demand for promotional items and
Chinese factories shut down, making it
impossible to order many products.
“Because all the factories are closed, I
can’t take on a job that’s a custom order,”
Chalker says of certain custom products
such as phone charger key chains. “A lot
of conventions and trade shows are not
happening now. That means my business
clients may not have the need for trade
show items which I help them with.”
Plastic bag bans, however, created an
opportunity to make canvas bags with
business names.
“Now people need tote bags,” Chalker
says. “These are great ideas for my
clients to give to their clients. It’s a great
way to put out their brand to clients.”
Camberato says some “lenders are
placing limitations on highly affected
industries like restaurants, travel, retail,
and entertainment” because they’re
less likely to generate the cash to pay off
loans.
“It’s certainly still possible to get funding,”
he says, “but being in an industry
or location affected by the virus makes
it significantly more difficult.”
Chalker says promoting when others
pause can position companies for revenues
when business returns.
“In marketing, when you have a thing
like this and you’re still visible, people
perceive you as a stronger company,”
she says. “When you come out of it,
they’ll go to companies that stayed
strong through that perilous time.”
New Era, meanwhile, says manufacturers
such as Cisco and Avaya are
giving away audio/videoconferencing
software to not-for profits for extended
time periods, to curb travel and boost
productivity.
Fekete said he’s doing a lot of selling,
making phone calls, but not visiting
potential clients quite the way he once
did.
“No more door knocks,” Fekete adds.
“It’s going to be phone calls and emails
until, of course, it’s safe to come out.”
PRESS BUSINESS
continued from page 17
“It’s going to be phone calls and emails until, of
course, it’s safe to come out,” says Zig Fekete.
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