BALTIMORE — Nearly a week after the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse, Dundalk business owners are grappling with the potential devastation the disaster could have on their businesses.
“When the bridge fell, my business completely stopped,” said Ryan Roberson, 35, owner of Robee Trucking and Robee Logistics. “Nothing is coming into the port, and nothing is leaving the port.”
Mr Roberson stopped by the Business Recovery Center in Dundalk. The center is one of two locations opened Monday by the U.S. Small Business Administration to assist merchants affected by the Port of Baltimore closure.
He said he is considering applying for one of the 30-year disaster relief loans available for up to $2 million and with interest rates below 4%. Applications will be accepted until Dec. 31, with the deadline potentially extended, according to an SBA fact sheet.
Roberson said competition among trucking companies for cargo remaining at the Port of Baltimore is fierce.
“There's a bidding war going on,” he said, adding that competition has caused the cost of shipping a truck from Baltimore to Norfolk, Virginia, to jump from $1,500 to $750 virtually overnight. If he deducts the $350 in fuel costs, the driver's salary and other expenses will leave him with only $400.
The recovery centers in Dundalk (11 Center Place) and Canton (1501 S. Clinton St.) will be open weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The center could also help workers apply for unemployment benefits, but Roberson, who has five employees, wants to avoid that option.
“Today was the last day I had work,” he said. “I'm trying to keep my employees on payroll, but it's difficult. I hope the SBA can help.”
Community development organization Dundalk Renaissance goes door-to-door in neighborhoods to alert business owners about federal and state aid programs.
“We lost a lot of customers who used to come across the bridge to bowl in tournaments and leagues,” said Mark Berens, general manager of Pinland Bowling Lanes.
“We're worried, but we just hope people find another way to get here. We'll try to hold on until the situation is resolved.”
Berens said Pinland Bowling Co. will consider applying for assistance programs ranging from rent abatements to low-cost loans to renovate the popular bowling center, which has existed at its current location since 1951.
“Some of the things they're talking about might help us,” he says. “I hope people understand that we’re still open and ready for any bowler that comes our way.”
Mohammad Hussain, 35, owner of a tobacco and mobile phone convenience store, said he was already starting to feel the loss of regular customers. In good times, patrons would spend $100 to $200 a week at his corner store, which sold everything from perfume to perfume. We also repair everything from sunglasses to cigarettes and mobile phones.
Hussein has been running a convenience store for seven years, and while he worries about his business, he also worries about his patrons.
“Some of my clients say they're about to lose their jobs,” he says. “They probably have two weeks of work left.”
Only a handful of business owners stopped by the Dundalk Recovery Center the first afternoon it opened, but Tasha Gresham-James, executive director of Dundalk Renaissance, said she expected footfall to increase in the coming weeks and months. I am confident that it will.
“With any tragedy, people initially bury their heads in the sand,” she says. “However, businesses that relied on Key Bridge to bring people to Dundalk will see a loss of customers.”
Yvette Jeffrey, an SBA public affairs specialist, isn't worried about not hearing from large companies anymore. She just hopes small businesses will reach out for help in the same way.
“Our business is to keep your business running,” she said. “The sooner you come, the easier it will be for us to help you.”
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