The impact of the Facebook Data Center coming to DeKalb will be one that is felt for many years to come. In addition to Facebook’s investment of $800 million into a 907,000-square-foot facility, the 12th Facebook Data Center in the United States, the Facebook DeKalb Data Center also brings additional support to the community.
Working towards the recovery of our business community, the DeKalb Chamber wanted to provide an avenue for local small businesses by providing some financial support and Facebook has stepped up to be a part of that support. We’re pleased to announce that Facebook has pledged $10,000 for small business support to the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce towards the Small Business Member Assistance Fund. The DeKalb Chamber’s Small Business Members Assistance Fund provides assistance to local small businesses that are up against challenges never seen. The funds can be used for expenses that a small business would normally incur, including expenses such as membership dues, promotional e-blasts, sponsorships, program registration, and event registrations. The funds can be requested by completing a simple form found on the DeKalb Chamber website (www.DeKalb.org) and are reviewed on a weekly basis as long as funds are available.
“The DeKalb Chamber has been focused on the importance of local small businesses since we started 96 years ago, but the impact of the pandemic and additional challenges faced by businesses are greater than ever in our lifetime,” said Matt Duffy, Executive Director, DeKalb Chamber of Commerce. “Facebook understands the importance of small businesses and wanted to show support for the DeKalb Community even before the Facebook DeKalb Data Center is completed and open.”
“Since breaking ground on our DeKalb Data Center in June, we’ve been so fortunate to call DeKalb County home,” said Matt Sexton, Community Development Regional Manager for Facebook. “We are excited to end 2020 by supporting local small businesses and the great work of our local partners. We look forward to building and expanding our partnerships in DeKalb County for many years to come.”
The work done by the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation (DCEDC) to promote DeKalb County globally and bring companies like Facebook to our community continues. In an effort to expedite the funds to the local small businesses, the DCEDC will be working with Facebook and the DeKalb Chamber to make these funds available as quickly as possible which is a testament to the continued and collaborative efforts on the DeKalb County UNITES small business COVID-19 response initiative.
If any business or individual would like to contribute to the DeKalb Chamber Small Business Member Assistance Fund, contact the Chamber office to make your donation to help local small businesses through this challenging time.
For more information visit dekalb.org or contact the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce at 815-756-6306.