Petersburg businesses report losing nearly half their revenue during pandemic

Petersburg’s waterfront in 2019 (Joe Viechnicki/KFSK)

Businesses in Petersburg responding to an annual survey say they lost nearly half of their revenue because of the COVID-19 pandemic and laid off nine percent of their workforce.

32 local business leaders responded to the survey this spring compiled by consultant Rain Coast Data for Southeast Conference, the regional economic development organization. The annual effort also gauges the business climate in other communities and looks for trends, even before the global pandemic.

“This has really been an accurate and really well-used tool over the years,” said Southeast Conference executive director Robert Venables. “So it’s something that allows us to really take the temperature of where things are and the private sector makes their investments and creates their jobs based on the good information they have at hand and I think this is one of those tools in their tool box that helps them make…

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