The majority of small businesses in Nevada are still struggling with supply chain and COVID-19-related issues two years after the start of the pandemic, and many more continue to have staffing challenges. This is according to the results of the recently released 2020-2021 Nevada Small Business Development Center (SBDC) client survey conducted March 2020 through December 2021.
The data shows more than 72% of businesses are dealing with negative impacts to their supply chains and more than 62% are dealing with COVID-19 impacts. About 40% continue to struggle with staffing, including with employee shortages due to illness.
Schussboom Brewing president Briana Wagner said her business struggles with many of these issues. The south Reno brewery and restaurant opened in June of 2021.
“The biggest COVID-19 related issues we are still experiencing are employees getting any kind of illness or COVID and then being out for 5 to 10 days,” Wagner said. “We have maintained our COVID compliance and keep employees home as to not spread illness, but being shorthanded adds stress to those employees who can cover shifts or work extra hours.”
SBDC officials said the results “clearly show that small businesses in Nevada need continued assistance and have a long way to go to return to normalcy.”
No specific industry was identified as more impacted than another by these challenges. SBDC said industries almost across the board were facing one challenge or another, including accommodation, restaurants, manufacturing, professional and administrative services and waste management.
Jake Carrico, who works with businesses in northern Nevada through SBDC, said networking and making new connections may help some business owners navigate through these tough times.
“With COVID-19 and supply chain issues still causing problems throughout the economy, it’s a good time for small business owners to turn toward their local and national resource networks for possible solutions,” he said. “In addition, business owners might consider exploring memberships in their respective industry associations where association members may have already discovered solutions or work-arounds to the problems they’re facing.”
Source: SBDC/UNR
