TSCID June 2020 Newsletter

Tucker Summit CID June 2020 Newsletter

Tucker Summit CID June 2020 Newsletter

Election Results

Following are the results for DeKalb County and the Tucker Summit CID from the 2020 Georgia Primary held on June 9, 2020:
Georgia Senate District 41
Kim Jackson (D) 50%
Mohammed Hossain (D) 19%
Beverly Jones (D) 19%
Gil Freeman (D) 12%
William Freeman (R) 100%

DeKalb Commission District 1
Cynthia Yaxon (D) 40%
Robert Patrick (D) 27%
M.D. Nasser (D) 22%
Ben Truman (D) 11%
DeKalb County Sheriff
Melody Maddox (D) 46%
Ruth Stinger (D) 14%
Antonio Johnson (D) 11%
Geraldine Champion (D) 9%
Ted Golden (D) 6%
Adam Gardner(D) 5%
Kyle Jones (D) 4%
Carl Mobley (D) 4%

Decide DeKalb Business Survey Infographic
Decide DeKalb recently conducted a survey of DeKalb County’s businesses and economic development partners to gauge resources and assistance that the County’s businesses may need as the State begins to reopen. Learn more through the infographic provided below.

Recommendations from the Committee for Reopening DeKalb
On Thursday, June 18, the Committee for Reopening DeKalb met to share their recommendations to the DeKalb County CEO Michael Thurmond. The committee made up of government officials, economic development and business representatives, including Commissioner Steve Bradshaw, Commissioner Lorraine Cochran-Johnson, Brookhaven Mayor John Erst, DeKalb Chamber of Commerce interim president Kenneth Coleman, TSCID president Emory Morsberger, Goizueta School of Business at Emory University faculty member John Kim, Emory University government and community affairs vice president Betty Willis, Perimter CID president Ann Hanlon, former DeKalb County district attorney and former DeKalb Medical CEO Bob Wilson and District 4 chief of staff Alesia Brooks made the following recommendations:
  • Employee Safety
    • Conform with the guidelines for reopening as set forth by the CDC.
    • Create a strategic stockpile of personal protective equipment (PPE) for DeKalb County employees
    • Establish a requisition and tracking process to record who has obtained which PPE equipment
  • Small Business Loan Fund
    • Support the establishment of a Small Business Loan Fund to be administered by an FDIC insured local financial institution or institutions
    • Prioritize small, non-essential businesses access of funds
    • Simplify process for accessing funds
  • Support Business Flexibility and Innovation
    • Identify and pursue opportunities to afford businesses as much flexibility as possible
      • Allow restaurants to expand outdoor seating and continue to-go alcohol sales
      • Consider allowing third-party inspectors to increase the speed of the permitting process
  • Defer Business Licensing Fees
    • Defer business license fees for a period of time determined by the Planning and Sustainability Department

House of Cheatham Protects Employees by Pivoting and Adapting to Business During the Pandemic
After a couple of weeks of being shut down during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, House of Cheatham, manufacturer for ethnic hair and beauty products for women and children, implemented a series of safety procedures and reopened its doors for employees.

The changes include:
  • A single point of entry and exit, where workers have their temperature taken every morning, strategically screening for any infected employees
  • A six-foot distance during production by all employees
  • Staggering shifts, breaks and lunches to ensure minimum chance of exposure
  • Regularly cleaning and sanitizing equipment with food grade cleansers
House of Cheatham has been catching up to produce and ship a backlog of orders of their most popular product line, Aunt Jackie’s Curls and Coils. The moisterizers and conditioners are infused with essential oils for all hair types, specializing in wavy, coiled, kinky and mixed textured hair.

Another exciting development is House of Cheatham’s new lab currently under construction, but due to be completed at the end of the month. Initially slated for a mid-February completion date, construction was delayed due to the pandemic. The two-story research and development lab will house the chemistry department upstairs and the microbiology department lab downstairs as the company develops more innovative and popular products like the Aunt Jackie’s line.

Stay tuned as we share the results of a tour of the new lab in the July newsletter.

Tucker Brewing Company Turns Two
Happy Birthday to Tucker Brewing! The TSCID-based brewery celebrated its two-year anniversary with free beer, live music and great food on June 6. The brew baby has not only learned to walk, but also is now running with new products and an expansion.

Tucker Brewing-packaged beers are available for pick up at the brewery for upcoming 4th of July celebrations or socially distant picnics and can be found in more than 19 Target stores across metro Atlanta. You’ll soon be able to find Tucker Brewing in local Whole Foods stores this summer. Be on the lookout for a brand new grapefruit-forward beer later this month while the Roaring Twenties Radler will return to the taproom on June 28.

The long-awaited TKR kitchen is on track to open mid-July and is looking for kitchen staff, servers and bartenders. Send resumes to careers@tuckerbrewing.com to apply.

Corbion Rearranges and Models Office Layout and Procedures for Safer Work Environment
Corbion’s business started more than 100 years ago as a sugar processing company in the Netherlands. Over time the company expanded and diversified into lactic acid derivatives for emulsifiers and resorbable polymers for foods, biochemicals and more with locations all over the world, including Tucker.

The majority of Corbion’s products are food-, pharmaceutical- and medical-based, and as a result the company was already on a stringent cleaning and disinfectant schedule prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, in addition to increasing the cleaning schedule frequency, Corbion has instituted several new procedures to keep their employees safe, including:
  • Arranging for employees to work from home whenever possible
  • Training employees on how to maintain social distancing in the office
  • Rearranging the office furniture and layout to facilitate social distancing
  • Dividing departments into teams and alternating their office schedules to minimize cross-team contact and possible exposure
  • Instituting a screening protocol and limiting visitors
  • Teleconferencing instead of meeting in person
  • Developing and enforcing a hallway traffic pattern to eliminate inadvertent contact
  • Upgrading cleaning products and the frequency of deep cleaning
  • Encouraging everyone to wash their hands frequently
Having learned from and modeling other companies, Corbion was able to quickly adapt and continue operations with no closings or layoffs. General manager Brad Buehler says that they will continue to monitor the situation, stay vigilant and adjust as needed.

TSCID’s Air Filter Sales & Service, Inc. Providing Essential Services During Pandemic
With customers like General Mills, Emory Hospital and Mars Wrigley, Air Filters Sales & Service was considered essential during the initial state-wide stay-at-home order at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to their existing office logistics, very little had to be done to maintain employee safety, which allowed the offices to remain open with no down time. Office desks and offices are widely spaced so that employees can remain socially distant, drivers all wear masks and customers can pick up products on the loading dock.

Because the spread of the coronavirus is considered airborne and Air Filters Sales & Services specializes in air filtration products, the company has seen a 20% increase in sales for the season. Large buildings downtown and throughout Atlanta are requesting filtration upgrades to their HVAC systems. The most popular product has been the MERV-13 HEPA filter, where the MERV-8 is typically standard.

Air Filters Sales & Services has also seen an increase in ultraviolet lights sales. Some companies and organizations, like Georgia Tech, are taking extra precautions to keep their employees safe by having the lights installed over the HVAC systems as UV lighting is commonly used to disinfect and remove airborne microbial particles.

“We are so thankful that all 31 of our employees in our Tucker and Marietta locations have remained healthy and we have not had to lay anyone off during this uncertain time,” said Air Filter Sales & Service president and TSCID board chair Joe Chapman. “We are fortunate that our business is considered essential and that we can possibly be of help to other companies in keeping their employees and customers safe.”

Community Updates

City of Tucker Donates More Than 9,000 Masks

Last month, the City of Tucker gave away more than 6,000 masks to senior care facilities, small businesses and individuals in need of personal protective equipment (PPE) and is prepared to provide more. Already, Tucker has distributed 3,000 masks to daycare centers and restaurants throughout the city with another 3,000 available through reservation. With an online reservation system, the City hopes to avoid traffic congestion encountered in last month’s giveaway. Learn more about the mask giveaway on the City of Tucker’s website and register for a mask by calling the Tucker Recreation Center at (470) 481-0205.

FODAC Reopens to the Public
Friends of Disabled Adults and Children (FODAC) thrift store and offices have opened to the public by appointment only from 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday – Thursday. The organization is observing COVID-19 safety procedures by requiring all staff and visitors to wear protective masks while maintaining at least six feet of distance.

Home medical equipment can be dropped off at the building’s loading dock in the back from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m., Monday – Friday and Saturdays from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Clients in need of medical equipment can call 770-491-9014 to schedule an appointment.

COVID-19 Testing in Tucker
If you’re in need of testing for the coronavirus, the DeKalb Board of Health has set up an easy three-step process. Use the call instructions illustrated above or visit www.dekalbhealth.net to schedule an appointment.

TSCID Project Updates
  • Sidewalk construction was completed on East Ponce de Leon Avenue between McCurdy Drive and North Hairston Road.
  • Resurfacing of Flintstone Drive at Granite Drive was completed the first week of June.
  • Resurfacing of Fuller Way began on Saturday, June 6.
  • TCID was awarded $600,000 from the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank (GTIB) to make safety and operational improvements to the US Highway 78 and Mountain Industrial Boulevard ramps and roadways. The proposed eastbound and westbound ramp safety improvements would include changing the signal phasing to “protected only left turns” while right turns on red would be prohibited. Operational improvements will consist of one additional lane added to each ramp. Improvements are expected to lessen peak hour delays and greatly reduce car accidents.
Tucker Summit CID