July 25, 2022
ReMain to open a business incubator and commissary kitchen to bolster food entrepreneurship on Nantucket and strengthen local and regional food systems
NANTUCKET, Mass.---With the goal of improving local and regional food systems on Nantucket and across the Northeast, ReMain Ventures has purchased 5 Amelia Drive as a site for a business incubator and commissary kitchen, the organization announced today.
ReMain Ventures will work with Nantucket entrepreneur Karen Macumber to create a food business incubator and shared commissary kitchen business in the former Keeper’s Restaurant. Macumber, advised by a team of experts, will operate the food incubator to help local makers and producers grow regional and national businesses.
ReMain Ventures plans to create a profitable, shared-use food production facility where multiple food businesses can operate from fully licensed commercial kitchens. Food producers on the island currently face numerous challenges including access to year-round, stable commercial kitchens. The new business will offer increased affordability for small and mid-sized companies, access to bulk ordering of sustainable products and packaging, and the convenience of a central operator to manage and maintain a clean, safe and fully compliant kitchen.
“Throughout its history, Nantucket has embodied the spirit of resilience, and today, as we work towards a sustainable future, we look for opportunities to support a vibrant, local food system,” said Wendy Schmidt, founder of ReMain. “The Amelia Drive property will provide space and camaraderie for small businesses across Nantucket so they can play a part in an expanding local and regional food system. In many ways across our work and investments, we hope to inspire communities nationwide to rethink the way we produce, distribute and share food.”
“ReMain has hoped to open just such a facility for years,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain. “The building at 5 Amelia Drive feels like the best option and we are really excited to work with Karen to help her build a business that strengthens our Island’s food systems, while also supporting producers and farmers from across the region.”
Working with local officials, ReMain Ventures will spend the next few months developing the concept and the uses for the facility while the team of advisors further refine programming. The advisors include James Griffin, a professor in the College of Hospitality Management at Johnson & Wales University and local restaurateurs and previous building owners Mark and Anne Dawson.
“Karen and I see a path forward that offers several potential uses including a food business incubator, a community resource center and think tank, and a commissary and small-scale food processing facility,” said Griffin. “We would also like to build a home for ongoing market research that informs improvement of the local and regional food system and sparks opportunities for education and mentorship.”
"We loved running Fog Island and Keepers over the past three decades and are excited to see what ReMain will do for the next chapter at 5 Amelia Drive,” said Mark Dawson. “We have watched ReMain support innovative food operations on Nantucket and we are pleased to see that they are imagining a community use for the building. We are thrilled for them to be the next steward of the property and look forward to helping them advance their mission. "
July 25, 2022
ReMain to open a business incubator and commissary kitchen to bolster food entrepreneurship on Nantucket and strengthen local and regional food systems
NANTUCKET, Mass.---With the goal of improving local and regional food systems on Nantucket and across the Northeast, ReMain Ventures has purchased 5 Amelia Drive as a site for a business incubator and commissary kitchen, the organization announced today.
ReMain Ventures will work with Nantucket entrepreneur Karen Macumber to create a food business incubator and shared commissary kitchen business in the former Keeper’s Restaurant. Macumber, advised by a team of experts, will operate the food incubator to help local makers and producers grow regional and national businesses.
ReMain Ventures plans to create a profitable, shared-use food production facility where multiple food businesses can operate from fully licensed commercial kitchens. Food producers on the island currently face numerous challenges including access to year-round, stable commercial kitchens. The new business will offer increased affordability for small and mid-sized companies, access to bulk ordering of sustainable products and packaging, and the convenience of a central operator to manage and maintain a clean, safe and fully compliant kitchen.
“Throughout its history, Nantucket has embodied the spirit of resilience, and today, as we work towards a sustainable future, we look for opportunities to support a vibrant, local food system,” said Wendy Schmidt, founder of ReMain. “The Amelia Drive property will provide space and camaraderie for small businesses across Nantucket so they can play a part in an expanding local and regional food system. In many ways across our work and investments, we hope to inspire communities nationwide to rethink the way we produce, distribute and share food.”
“ReMain has hoped to open just such a facility for years,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain. “The building at 5 Amelia Drive feels like the best option and we are really excited to work with Karen to help her build a business that strengthens our Island’s food systems, while also supporting producers and farmers from across the region.”
Working with local officials, ReMain Ventures will spend the next few months developing the concept and the uses for the facility while the team of advisors further refine programming. The advisors include James Griffin, a professor in the College of Hospitality Management at Johnson & Wales University and local restaurateurs and previous building owners Mark and Anne Dawson.
“Karen and I see a path forward that offers several potential uses including a food business incubator, a community resource center and think tank, and a commissary and small-scale food processing facility,” said Griffin. “We would also like to build a home for ongoing market research that informs improvement of the local and regional food system and sparks opportunities for education and mentorship.”
"We loved running Fog Island and Keepers over the past three decades and are excited to see what ReMain will do for the next chapter at 5 Amelia Drive,” said Mark Dawson. “We have watched ReMain support innovative food operations on Nantucket and we are pleased to see that they are imagining a community use for the building. We are thrilled for them to be the next steward of the property and look forward to helping them advance their mission. "
NANTUCKET, Mass.-- ReMain Nantucket issued a survey to measure attitudes about climate change from Nantucket residents and visitors as part of the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge, in which graduate students will design and propose adaptive solutions to sea level rise this spring.
A collaboration between ReMain Nantucket, the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge and community organization ACKlimate, the survey is being conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm EBP. Input from the survey—the first of two—will provide baseline data to ReMain and its partners on community attitudes about climate change and sea level rise on Nantucket.
Last fall, the Town of Nantucket formally adopted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “High” Sea Level Rise Scenario for planning purposes. Under this projection, the ocean surrounding Nantucket would regularly rise 4.13 feet above local mean sea level by 2060, 6.36 feet by 2080 and 9.25 feet by 2100.
With the goal of inspiring Nantucket and other coastal communities around the world to envision innovative adaptations to sea level rise, the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge brings together graduate students from five universities around the country to collaboratively re-imagine the Nantucket waterfront. Later this month, interdisciplinary teams of students will begin identifying threats, researching possible solutions and proposing ways the community can adapt by attending weekly virtual lectures from leading experts in the field and by engaging with the Nantucket community. Students will consider the results of the current survey as they develop their design proposals. The final proposals will be presented to the community at an event this summer.
“We look forward to engaging with the Nantucket community and landscape as part of our ongoing efforts to understand the challenges and opportunities of the New England coast and its unique ecologies, heritage and ways of life,” said Alan Plattus, faculty lead of the Yale School of Architecture, one of the five participating universities in the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge. Plattus, a professor of architecture and urbanism, is the director of the school’s Ph.D. program and the founder of the Yale Urban Design Workshop and Center for Urban Design Research.
Participants also include University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, University of Miami School of Architecture and The School of Architecture at Northeastern University.
Residents and regular visitors to Nantucket are encouraged to complete the survey. The survey is available at this link and will remain open until Jan. 25, 2021. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. Survey respondents will be entered into a drawing for one of 10 $25 gift cards to a local coffee shop of their choosing. Responses will be confidential.
The collaboration between ACKlimate Nantucket and the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge has been critical in highlighting the vast number of on-island organizations working toward similar climate-related goals.
“The partnerships of ACKlimate are essential to responding to the challenges of climate change on Nantucket,” said Kimberly Rose, founder of ACKlimate. “This particular collaboration with ReMain Nantucket and the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge allows us to help future professionals develop skill sets to address climate change, while also inspiring the innovative spirit of the island.”
By measuring community attitudes on climate change in advance of the spring 2021 design studio, and by surveying the community again later in the year after the studio and community outreach initiatives have concluded, the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge can analyze whether or not it reached its goal of empowering the community to think proactively about coastal resilience and sea level rise.
“Each coastal community faces unique resiliency challenges, and Nantucket is no different,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Nantucket. “Our hope through this survey is to better understand what residents and seasonal visitors to the island value for Nantucket’s future as we consider adapting to a changing climate.”
Answers collected will be aggregated, and names will be kept confidential by EBP. Deadline for submission is Jan. 25, 2021. The project team will release preliminary summarized findings of the study in early February. To participate in the survey, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZM77KXG.
___
ReMain Nantucket is a charitable organization, founded by philanthropist Wendy Schmidt to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, the organization has worked to revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.
ACKlimate is a public-private partnership supporting innovative and holistic approaches and communication to address climate change and sea level rise for the Nantucket community and beyond. The initiative, founded in 2019, was conceptualized by students of the University of Florida Preservation Institute Nantucket, which has been documenting and preserving Nantucket for half a century.
EBP (formerly EDR Group) is a Boston-based company that provides state-of-the-art economic analysis and research to support planning and policy in sustainable transportation, regional development, energy and infrastructure.
For more information about the survey, please contact Claire Martin, 774-271-0868 / cmartin@remainnantucket.org.
NANTUCKET, Mass.-- ReMain Nantucket issued a survey to measure attitudes about climate change from Nantucket residents and visitors as part of the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge, in which graduate students will design and propose adaptive solutions to sea level rise this spring.
A collaboration between ReMain Nantucket, the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge and community organization ACKlimate, the survey is being conducted by the Boston-based consulting firm EBP. Input from the survey—the first of two—will provide baseline data to ReMain and its partners on community attitudes about climate change and sea level rise on Nantucket.
Last fall, the Town of Nantucket formally adopted the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “High” Sea Level Rise Scenario for planning purposes. Under this projection, the ocean surrounding Nantucket would regularly rise 4.13 feet above local mean sea level by 2060, 6.36 feet by 2080 and 9.25 feet by 2100.
With the goal of inspiring Nantucket and other coastal communities around the world to envision innovative adaptations to sea level rise, the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge brings together graduate students from five universities around the country to collaboratively re-imagine the Nantucket waterfront. Later this month, interdisciplinary teams of students will begin identifying threats, researching possible solutions and proposing ways the community can adapt by attending weekly virtual lectures from leading experts in the field and by engaging with the Nantucket community. Students will consider the results of the current survey as they develop their design proposals. The final proposals will be presented to the community at an event this summer.
“We look forward to engaging with the Nantucket community and landscape as part of our ongoing efforts to understand the challenges and opportunities of the New England coast and its unique ecologies, heritage and ways of life,” said Alan Plattus, faculty lead of the Yale School of Architecture, one of the five participating universities in the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge. Plattus, a professor of architecture and urbanism, is the director of the school’s Ph.D. program and the founder of the Yale Urban Design Workshop and Center for Urban Design Research.
Participants also include University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, University of Miami School of Architecture and The School of Architecture at Northeastern University.
Residents and regular visitors to Nantucket are encouraged to complete the survey. The survey is available at this link and will remain open until Jan. 25, 2021. The survey should take about 10 minutes to complete. Survey respondents will be entered into a drawing for one of 10 $25 gift cards to a local coffee shop of their choosing. Responses will be confidential.
The collaboration between ACKlimate Nantucket and the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge has been critical in highlighting the vast number of on-island organizations working toward similar climate-related goals.
“The partnerships of ACKlimate are essential to responding to the challenges of climate change on Nantucket,” said Kimberly Rose, founder of ACKlimate. “This particular collaboration with ReMain Nantucket and the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge allows us to help future professionals develop skill sets to address climate change, while also inspiring the innovative spirit of the island.”
By measuring community attitudes on climate change in advance of the spring 2021 design studio, and by surveying the community again later in the year after the studio and community outreach initiatives have concluded, the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge can analyze whether or not it reached its goal of empowering the community to think proactively about coastal resilience and sea level rise.
“Each coastal community faces unique resiliency challenges, and Nantucket is no different,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Nantucket. “Our hope through this survey is to better understand what residents and seasonal visitors to the island value for Nantucket’s future as we consider adapting to a changing climate.”
Answers collected will be aggregated, and names will be kept confidential by EBP. Deadline for submission is Jan. 25, 2021. The project team will release preliminary summarized findings of the study in early February. To participate in the survey, please visit: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ZM77KXG.
___
ReMain Nantucket is a charitable organization, founded by philanthropist Wendy Schmidt to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, the organization has worked to revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.
ACKlimate is a public-private partnership supporting innovative and holistic approaches and communication to address climate change and sea level rise for the Nantucket community and beyond. The initiative, founded in 2019, was conceptualized by students of the University of Florida Preservation Institute Nantucket, which has been documenting and preserving Nantucket for half a century.
EBP (formerly EDR Group) is a Boston-based company that provides state-of-the-art economic analysis and research to support planning and policy in sustainable transportation, regional development, energy and infrastructure.
For more information about the survey, please contact Claire Martin, 774-271-0868 / cmartin@remainnantucket.org.
NANTUCKET, Mass.---ReMain Nantucket announced today the five universities that will participate in the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge to address sea level rise: University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, University of Miami School of Architecture, The School of Architecture at Northeastern University and Yale School of Architecture.
With the goal of inspiring Nantucket and other coastal communities around the world to envision innovative adaptations to sea level rise, Envision Resilience brings together graduate students from five geographically diverse universities to collaboratively re-imagine the Nantucket waterfront. Each school participating in the spring 2021 design studio will assemble a team of eight to 10 students from across disciplines, who will be tasked with identifying threats, researching possible solutions and proposing adaptive pathways forward.
“Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing us worldwide. Nantucket is at the forefront of this emergency that many coastal communities are facing,” said faculty lead Chris Reed, co-director of the Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design Program at Harvard Graduate School of Design and founding director of Stoss Landscape Urbanism. “The Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge is an opportunity for the very best design students, who come from around the world, to collaborate with one another and with climate experts and local residents to imagine new and resilient futures for this special place, ‘away, off shore.’”
Equipped with the latest climate research, planning guidelines and an expert cohort of 23 Nantucket advisors, students will be encouraged to engage with community members to better understand the unique challenges of the Island.
“Now more than ever, it’s so important for our students to grapple with real-world issues, understand the needs and hopes of people who live in the built environments we design and work collaboratively across scales on complex issues,” said faculty lead Sara Carr, assistant professor in The School of Architecture at Northeastern University.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “high” sea level rise projections, which the Town of Nantucket has adopted for planning purposes, predict the Island will regularly see 4.13 feet of water above local mean sea level rise by 2060, 6.36 feet by 2080, and 9.25 feet by 2100.
Fortunately, the multidisciplinary nature of the challenge promises holistic insight to the unique complexities coastal communities face with rising sea levels, especially since the teams will be guided by leaders in the field: Jeff Carney of the University of Florida, Chris Reed and Alysoun Wright of Harvard, Sonia Chao of the University of Miami, Sara Carr and Cullen Meves of Northeastern and Alan Plattus and Andrei Harwell of Yale.
“As a coastal community, Nantucket is up against some of the most pressing climate-related challenges. We are excited by the opportunity for students to creatively and actively explore multidisciplinary models of adaptation here,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Nantucket. “And hope that this academic exercise inspires not just our friends and neighbors on the Island, but other coastal towns facing similar, yet distinct climate concerns as well.”
The Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge design studio begins in late January. A weekly lecture series will deliver global, national and local expertise to inform the process. Each lecture will be recorded and available to the public. The spring studio will culminate in a hybrid programming event open to the community during the summer of 2021. Learn more at www.envisionresilience.org.
NANTUCKET, Mass.---ReMain Nantucket announced today the five universities that will participate in the Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge to address sea level rise: University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning, Harvard University Graduate School of Design, University of Miami School of Architecture, The School of Architecture at Northeastern University and Yale School of Architecture.
With the goal of inspiring Nantucket and other coastal communities around the world to envision innovative adaptations to sea level rise, Envision Resilience brings together graduate students from five geographically diverse universities to collaboratively re-imagine the Nantucket waterfront. Each school participating in the spring 2021 design studio will assemble a team of eight to 10 students from across disciplines, who will be tasked with identifying threats, researching possible solutions and proposing adaptive pathways forward.
“Climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing us worldwide. Nantucket is at the forefront of this emergency that many coastal communities are facing,” said faculty lead Chris Reed, co-director of the Master of Landscape Architecture in Urban Design Program at Harvard Graduate School of Design and founding director of Stoss Landscape Urbanism. “The Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge is an opportunity for the very best design students, who come from around the world, to collaborate with one another and with climate experts and local residents to imagine new and resilient futures for this special place, ‘away, off shore.’”
Equipped with the latest climate research, planning guidelines and an expert cohort of 23 Nantucket advisors, students will be encouraged to engage with community members to better understand the unique challenges of the Island.
“Now more than ever, it’s so important for our students to grapple with real-world issues, understand the needs and hopes of people who live in the built environments we design and work collaboratively across scales on complex issues,” said faculty lead Sara Carr, assistant professor in The School of Architecture at Northeastern University.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s “high” sea level rise projections, which the Town of Nantucket has adopted for planning purposes, predict the Island will regularly see 4.13 feet of water above local mean sea level rise by 2060, 6.36 feet by 2080, and 9.25 feet by 2100.
Fortunately, the multidisciplinary nature of the challenge promises holistic insight to the unique complexities coastal communities face with rising sea levels, especially since the teams will be guided by leaders in the field: Jeff Carney of the University of Florida, Chris Reed and Alysoun Wright of Harvard, Sonia Chao of the University of Miami, Sara Carr and Cullen Meves of Northeastern and Alan Plattus and Andrei Harwell of Yale.
“As a coastal community, Nantucket is up against some of the most pressing climate-related challenges. We are excited by the opportunity for students to creatively and actively explore multidisciplinary models of adaptation here,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Nantucket. “And hope that this academic exercise inspires not just our friends and neighbors on the Island, but other coastal towns facing similar, yet distinct climate concerns as well.”
The Envision Resilience Nantucket Challenge design studio begins in late January. A weekly lecture series will deliver global, national and local expertise to inform the process. Each lecture will be recorded and available to the public. The spring studio will culminate in a hybrid programming event open to the community during the summer of 2021. Learn more at www.envisionresilience.org.
Businesses Fared Better Than Expected Over Pandemic Summer, Economic Impact Study Shows
NANTUCKET, Massachusetts--While some local businesses experienced heavy financial losses and significant operational business shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses overall fared better than expected this summer, according to the findings of a recent regional survey released today by ReMain Nantucket.
The Island Economic Impact Study of COVID-19 Crisis, which was completed by nearly a fourth of island businesses, also found that widespread closures are not expected in the off-season.
The study was the second in a series of studies on the short-term impact of the coronavirus on local businesses and organizations. Conducted in September, the study drew 238 responses from businesses representing the largest sectors of the island’s economy: retail, construction/trades, culture/arts/entertainment, food service, healthcare/human services, and lodging. The survey was commissioned by the Nantucket Economic Survey Team (NEST) and conducted by Boston-based EBP US.
The median revenue reported lost between April and September was $150,000. Collectively, organizations responding to the survey had revenue losses of over $75 million. The hardest hit sectors were lodging and culture/arts/entertainment with more than 90 percent reporting losses. In general, the majority of the respondents reported losses between 25 and 50 percent. In the April survey, 89 percent of respondents expected to lose at least 25 percent of their revenue by June.
“This study suggests that businesses were able to reduce the impact of COVID-19 closures and restrictions by being nimble and innovative,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Nantucket. “By making difficult decisions early on, many businesses were able to mitigate the impacts.
“We saw some examples of innovation, such as altering opening and closing dates and hours of operation and investing in remote or online capabilities,” said Jensen. “Other anticipated impacts, including rent and mortgage payments, staff layoffs, debt management, and problems obtaining inventory, also appear to be less than anticipated in the April survey.”
Hardest hit this summer was the non-profit sector, with 86 percent of organizations canceling events and programs. The nonprofits also reported a 45 percent decline in philanthropic giving, with only 11 percent reporting an increase in support.
“Most of our local nonprofits, especially in the areas of education, child care, and arts and culture, experienced significant losses due to COVID-19,” said Margaretta Andrews, executive director of the Community Foundation for Nantucket. “Most were wonderfully creative with their summer fundraising events, which helped offset a portion of revenue losses due to program closures. All nonprofits will rely on philanthropy more this year than ever before, and the generosity of donors has already made a difference. Our hope is that individual giving will increase even more toward the end of the year to help make these vital organizations as whole as possible going into 2021.”
These findings will be used to create educational and professional development programs for businesses and organizations on Nantucket to help them continue to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic.
“It will be important for the Town and the Chamber to keep in touch with members from different economic sectors as we move through the shoulder and off-seasons,” said Janet Schulte, director of the Department of Culture and Tourism. “The constantly evolving situation economically, politically, and in terms of public health – means we must regularly monitor what is working and what is challenging for the island’s organizations.”
By providing on-going data, town leaders will be able to make better decisions in the coming months to support Nantucket businesses, organizations and self-employed individuals. ReMain Nantucket, in partnership with NEST, will continue to commission studies into 2021.
Read the complete survey findings here. For both for spring and summer 2020 survey results, visit the Town of Nantucket’s Economic Recovery Task Force page under “Important Information” or the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce website.
ReMain Nantucket is a charitable organization, founded by philanthropist Wendy Schmidt to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, the organization has worked to revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.
The Community Foundation for Nantucket's mission is to strengthen Nantucket now and for future generations through informed philanthropy and community leadership. In pursuit of this mission, we act as a steward of charitable funds, grantmaker to respond to pressing needs, charitable resources by maintaining in-depth knowledge of the nonprofit sector, and catalyst by mobilizing community leadership to affect collaborative solutions for Nantucket’s most critical issues.
The Town of Nantucket’s Department of Culture and Tourism’s mission is to support the continued development of Nantucket as a healthy community in which tourism is a significant contributor to residents' economic stability and economic security and Nantucket's natural, cultural, and historic resources and quality of life are enjoyed by tourists and residents while being protected for future generations.
For more information about the survey findings, please visit remainnantucket.org or call Virna Gonzalez at 508-901-4143.
Businesses Fared Better Than Expected Over Pandemic Summer, Economic Impact Study Shows
NANTUCKET, Massachusetts--While some local businesses experienced heavy financial losses and significant operational business shifts due to the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses overall fared better than expected this summer, according to the findings of a recent regional survey released today by ReMain Nantucket.
The Island Economic Impact Study of COVID-19 Crisis, which was completed by nearly a fourth of island businesses, also found that widespread closures are not expected in the off-season.
The study was the second in a series of studies on the short-term impact of the coronavirus on local businesses and organizations. Conducted in September, the study drew 238 responses from businesses representing the largest sectors of the island’s economy: retail, construction/trades, culture/arts/entertainment, food service, healthcare/human services, and lodging. The survey was commissioned by the Nantucket Economic Survey Team (NEST) and conducted by Boston-based EBP US.
The median revenue reported lost between April and September was $150,000. Collectively, organizations responding to the survey had revenue losses of over $75 million. The hardest hit sectors were lodging and culture/arts/entertainment with more than 90 percent reporting losses. In general, the majority of the respondents reported losses between 25 and 50 percent. In the April survey, 89 percent of respondents expected to lose at least 25 percent of their revenue by June.
“This study suggests that businesses were able to reduce the impact of COVID-19 closures and restrictions by being nimble and innovative,” said Cecil Barron Jensen, executive director of ReMain Nantucket. “By making difficult decisions early on, many businesses were able to mitigate the impacts.
“We saw some examples of innovation, such as altering opening and closing dates and hours of operation and investing in remote or online capabilities,” said Jensen. “Other anticipated impacts, including rent and mortgage payments, staff layoffs, debt management, and problems obtaining inventory, also appear to be less than anticipated in the April survey.”
Hardest hit this summer was the non-profit sector, with 86 percent of organizations canceling events and programs. The nonprofits also reported a 45 percent decline in philanthropic giving, with only 11 percent reporting an increase in support.
“Most of our local nonprofits, especially in the areas of education, child care, and arts and culture, experienced significant losses due to COVID-19,” said Margaretta Andrews, executive director of the Community Foundation for Nantucket. “Most were wonderfully creative with their summer fundraising events, which helped offset a portion of revenue losses due to program closures. All nonprofits will rely on philanthropy more this year than ever before, and the generosity of donors has already made a difference. Our hope is that individual giving will increase even more toward the end of the year to help make these vital organizations as whole as possible going into 2021.”
These findings will be used to create educational and professional development programs for businesses and organizations on Nantucket to help them continue to mitigate the economic impacts of the pandemic.
“It will be important for the Town and the Chamber to keep in touch with members from different economic sectors as we move through the shoulder and off-seasons,” said Janet Schulte, director of the Department of Culture and Tourism. “The constantly evolving situation economically, politically, and in terms of public health – means we must regularly monitor what is working and what is challenging for the island’s organizations.”
By providing on-going data, town leaders will be able to make better decisions in the coming months to support Nantucket businesses, organizations and self-employed individuals. ReMain Nantucket, in partnership with NEST, will continue to commission studies into 2021.
Read the complete survey findings here. For both for spring and summer 2020 survey results, visit the Town of Nantucket’s Economic Recovery Task Force page under “Important Information” or the Nantucket Island Chamber of Commerce website.
ReMain Nantucket is a charitable organization, founded by philanthropist Wendy Schmidt to support the economic, social and environmental vitality of the island of Nantucket. In addition to providing grants and sponsorships to support sustainable and cultural initiatives across the island, the organization has worked to revitalize the downtown district year-round through the preservation of historic buildings that are home to a mix of nonprofit and commercial businesses.
The Community Foundation for Nantucket's mission is to strengthen Nantucket now and for future generations through informed philanthropy and community leadership. In pursuit of this mission, we act as a steward of charitable funds, grantmaker to respond to pressing needs, charitable resources by maintaining in-depth knowledge of the nonprofit sector, and catalyst by mobilizing community leadership to affect collaborative solutions for Nantucket’s most critical issues.
The Town of Nantucket’s Department of Culture and Tourism’s mission is to support the continued development of Nantucket as a healthy community in which tourism is a significant contributor to residents' economic stability and economic security and Nantucket's natural, cultural, and historic resources and quality of life are enjoyed by tourists and residents while being protected for future generations.
For more information about the survey findings, please visit remainnantucket.org or call Virna Gonzalez at 508-901-4143.