BAY, CITY, MICH.- Local non-profits in Bay County have partnered together to develop a gift cardstimulus program to assist businesses in the county that have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Bay Area Chamber of Commerce (BACC) and Bay Future, Inc. (BFI) developed and are
administering the program.

“It’s critical that we find every avenue available to be able to support the small businesses in our
community. Many of the businesses being impacted by this pandemic are those who help create our local quality of life and make Bay County the unique place it is to live, work, and play,” said Trevor Keyes, Bay Future, Inc. President & CEO.

BACC and BFI have been working collaboratively and aggressively to assist businesses in Bay City and Bay County throughout the pandemic and in preparing for reopening. The gift card stimulus program, Buy BC, will offer consumers an additional 25 percent in purchasing power at local businesses with 100 percent of proceeds going directly to area businesses.

“We want to engage the community to continue to support their local businesses. This program enables consumers to stretch their dollars and will directly benefit numerous businesses in Bay County directly during this difficult time,” said Ryan Tarrant, President & CEO of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce.

How Buy BC Works

BACC and BFI worked to find investors to create a stimulus, Buy BC, fund. Investors in the fund include Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, Bay Future, Inc., AT&T, Bay City Bridge Partners, Downtown Restaurant Investments, Gordon Food Services, and US Foods.
Gift cards will be available in $20 increments. For every $20 gift card purchased, the Buy BC “fund” will provide an additional 25 percent to the gift certificate to that same business at no added expense to the purchaser or business. Customers will be able to purchase a $25 gift card for $20.

Customers will be able to purchase these gift cards on a first-come-first-serve basis until the gift cards are sold out. There will be more than 4,000 gift cards ($25 for the price of $20) available for purchase.

BACC and BFI will update the public on the availability of gift cards throughout the sale. An
announcement will be made the week of June 1, 2020, that the website is live to begin purchasing gift cards.

How Businesses Can Participate

Eligible businesses include those in the retail, restaurant, or service industry with a physical location in Bay County, Michigan. Businesses must first sign up to participate in the program. The sign-up process includes two steps:

1. Businesses sign up at https://www.baycityarea.com/events/details/buy-bc-business-sign-up4424
2. Businesses will receive confirmation email, if they do not have a POS (Point of Sale) they will
need to create one through a Gift Up account

*if both steps are not completed, a business will not be included in the program
**you do not have to be a BACC member to be eligible for the program
In order to be guaranteed inclusion in the program, businesses must complete the two-step application process before 12:00pm Tuesday, June 2, 2020.

Once Bay County businesses have opted into the program, BACC and BFI will communicate with those participating businesses and provide a “social media toolkit” so they can promote the sale of gift cards for their own business. This gives those businesses the opportunity to increase the stimulus money they will receive from the Buy BC fund. The 25 percent stimulus on consumer sales will be allocated back to that business. The more gift cards that are sold to their business, the more money they receive. BACC and BFI will make an announcement that the Buy BC program is open to the public for purchase and will continue to promote via social media. The program will end once the targeted amount of gift cards has been purchased.
BACC and BFI will then deliver stimulus checks to those participating businesses. Gift cards can be used from June 12, 2020- June 12, 2021.

For questions regarding the Buy BC program, please contact Jodi LaMont jodi@baycityarea.com or (989)893-4567. Interested and eligible businesses are encouraged to sign up and start sharing the program with their customers.