Prairie State Wire

Orland Park Village Trustee Jim Dodge (R) says he stresses at the thought of now being  at the beginning of two different Illinois.

“It certainly is heartbreaking to see the way things have happened here since the COVID pandemic started,” Dodge told the Prairie State Wire. “It’s really a shame what’s going on with the economy, the way big-box business is able to go on uninterrupted and small businesses are being forced to take such a major hit. All the economic impact of this crisis has fallen on small business. It’s really hard to watch because we’re talking about real people.”

According to a new TrackTheRecovery.org analysis, since the beginning of the year Illinois has lost more than a third of all small businesses as the pandemic lingers and all the effects of the shutdown restrictions enacted by Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) continue to be felt.

One out of three small business' are being shut down due to various reasons related to COVID 19 in Illinois | Stock Photo

Overall, data compiled by Harvard and Brown universities and the Bill, and Melinda Gates Foundation, shows as of Nov.16, 2020 the number of small businesses open dipped by some 35.4% compared to Jan. 2020 with the industry also experiencing a revenue decline topping 39% since this past January.

“It’s a shame to see so many hopes and dreams washed away,” Dodge said. “Hopefully, we can find some way to bring some of these establishments back and keep others from having to suffer the same fate.”

National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) Illinois State Director, Mark Grant, points out that running a small business in Illinois was already quite the challenge even before the pandemic hit, given such factors as higher property taxes and workers’ compensation.

“We need targeted, focused help geared toward the small business industry,” Dodge said. “To have any chance of saving that sector of the economy we need a massive relief effort concentrated on that area.”