lee county executive business climate surveylee county executive business climate survey, 2020 q2 2...

LEE COUNTY EXECUTIVE

BUSINESS CLIMATE SURVEY Second Quarter, 2020

Prepared in partnership with:

and

The Regional Economic Research Institute • Florida Gulf Coast University

Project Staff

Dr. Christopher Westley, Director

Dr. Veronica Kalich, Economist

John Shannon, Economic Analyst

Grace Sauter, Student Researcher

Report Information

This report is conducted quarterly by the Horizon Council of Lee County, Florida,

and Florida Gulf Coast University’s Regional Economic Research Institute. This

work would not be possible without considerable cooperation from the Horizon

Council’s Chairs, the RERI’s student researchers, and the Lee County Economic

Development Office.

The Regional Economic Research Institute studies, analyzes and reports on the

regional economy encompassing Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry, and Glades

counties. Established in 2005, it serves as a public service and economic

development unit of the Lutgert College of Business’ Dean’s Office and strives to

connect Southwest Florida to the resources of Florida Gulf Coast University.

The Institute’s Business Climate Survey group specializes in sampling design and

analysis, including program evaluation, policy research, and needs assessment.

The Business Climate Survey group involves FGCU students in every stage of survey

development, allowing them to develop professional skills and networks that add

value to their degrees and, by extension, to their future employers.

Regional Economic Research Institute

Lutgert College of Business

Florida Gulf Coast University

10501 FGCU Blvd, S.

Fort Myers, FL 33965-6565

(239) 590-1000

http://www.fgcu.edu/cob/reri/

Photo Credits: Shutterstock

1 Lee County Executive Business Climate Survey, 2020 Q2

Table of Contents Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................ 2

Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................................................. 3

I. Recurring Questions ............................................................................................................................................................. 5

How are the current Lee County economic conditions compared to a year ago? ............................................................. 5

What are your expectations for the Lee County economy one year ahead? ..................................................................... 6

What are the current conditions in your industry in Lee County compared to one year ago? .......................................... 7

What are your expectations for your own industry in Lee County one year ahead? ......................................................... 8

What has been your hiring trend over the last year? ......................................................................................................... 9

What hiring trends do you see for your business over the next year? ............................................................................. 10

Do you plan to increase investment in your business during the next year? ................................................................... 11

II. Executive Business Climate Index ..................................................................................................................................... 12

III. Special Topics ................................................................................................................................................................... 13

I believe the coronavirus will have __________ on my business. .................................................................................... 18

How familiar are you with the Small Business Administration (SBA) programs? ............................................................. 20

How confident are you that adverse business conditions in Lee County due to the coronavirus will be alleviated six

months from now?............................................................................................................................................................ 23

How confident are you that the state agencies, local governments, and law enforcement will be able to handle an

outbreak of the coronavirus in Lee County?..................................................................................................................... 24

Following the crisis, do you expect having your employees working at home will become more commonplace for your

company? .......................................................................................................................................................................... 25

IV. Comments, Suggestions, and Recommendations ........................................................................................................... 26

V. Company Characteristics .................................................................................................................................................. 27

What type of business or industry best describes your company? .................................................................................. 27

What is the size of your firm? ........................................................................................................................................... 29

Where is your firm located? ............................................................................................................................................. 30

What areas comprise your geographic client base? ......................................................................................................... 31

Appendix A. Historical Trends of Recurring Questions ......................................................................................................... 32

Appendix B. Full Comments, Suggestions, and Recommendations ...................................................................................... 36


Introduction The Lee County Business Climate Survey Report, published in

partnership between the Horizon Council and Florida Gulf Coast

University, provides primary research to the business community,

elected officials, and other concerned citizens in an effort to gauge the

state of Lee County’s economy over time as well as impressions and

concerns about it in the future.

Since the beginning of this partnership, the BCS has been comprised of

three areas of focus. The first area—encompassed in the first seven questions of the survey—examines Lee County

business executives’ impressions of economic conditions and trends with respect to hiring and investment. The second

area has been the calculation of an Executive Business Climate Index. The EBCI provides a summary number which will

allow one to quickly gauge whether the business climate in Lee County is improving or declining. Finally, the third area is

comprised of various questions that change from survey to survey. In the past, these “Special Topics” have focused on

areas such as business executives’ concerns about interest rates and access to capital, firms’ demand for critical

occupations and their ability to find workers within those occupations, the cost of doing business in Lee County, and even

concern for employee wellness and wellness programs.

The BCS also allows respondents to voice concerns, kudos, and criticisms of Lee County’s economic environment. Every

effort is made to include these comments in each survey.

The Horizon Council FGCU Business Climate Survey is administered, written, and published by the staff and students

working with the Regional Economic Research Institute in the Lutgert College of Business. We very much welcome your

comments and suggestions regarding the report, including suggestions for Special Topics questions for future editions.

This survey would not have been possible without the many busy business owners and executives who took the time to

respond to it. I also thank John Talmage and his colleagues at Lee County Economic Development; Russell Schropp, Chair

of the Horizon Council’s Business Issues Taskforce; and Michael Quaintance of Keiser University. CareerSource Southwest

Florida’s James Wall and Peg Elmore continued to provide valuable input and advice.

Christopher Westley Dr. Christopher Westley

Director, Regional Economic Research Institute

Lutgert College of Business

Florida Gulf Coast University

Fort Myers, Florida 33965-6565


Executive Summary The Executive Business Climate Survey provides a view of the local economy that is based on responses from senior

executives from a range of industries across the county. An invitation to complete the internet survey was sent to 1,344

executives and business owners in Lee County. Four reminders were sent during the survey period. One hundred forty-

nine executives completed the survey from April 13, 2020, through April 28, 2020, giving the survey a margin of error of 8

percent.

This survey provides a key economic indicator for Lee County, the Executive Business Climate Index. This index value is

computed each quarter and released to the public as a way to provide an established economic indicator on the state of

the local economy. The index is computed using the two questions concerning the current and future economic conditions

and a third question concerning the expected industry economic conditions. The index is an average of the responses,

with substantially better equal to 100, moderately better equal to 75, same equal to 50, moderately worse equal to 25

and substantially worse equal to zero. The index value ranges from 0 to 100. The present survey’s index fell significantly

to 38.9, down from 62.5 in the first quarter, reflecting the impact of the COVID-19 virus on the surveyed business

executives and their current and future economic outlook.

Results from the recurring questions revealed:

82 percent of the surveyed executives stated as of the second quarter of 2020 that things were worse than a year

ago, in sharp contrast to just 3 percent that felt that way in the first quarter of 2020;

47 percent of the surveyed business executives felt pessimistic about future economic conditions, expecting them

to be moderately to substantially worse;

73 percent of the executives stated the current conditions for their industry worsened in the last quarter, while

just about 5 percent stated industry conditions were better;

40 percent of the executives expect conditions for their industry to improve over the next year, and 40 percent

expect conditions to be worse;

30 percent of executives reported increased employment over the last year, while 21 percent reported reduced

employment; half of the surveyed executives reported no change in employment over the last year;

22 percent of executives expect to moderately increase employment at their companies during the next year,

while 53 percent plan to remain at the same level and 24 percent plan to reduce employment;

34 percent of the companies expect to increase investment next year, 42 percent expect to keep it the same and

a large jump of 24 percent expected to reduce investment levels compared to zero percent in the previous quarter.

The current survey’s special topics section focuses on difficulties faced by business owners and executives as a result of

the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, all firms were asked about difficulty in 1) securing loans, 2) maintaining cleaning and

sanitation schedules, 3) handling order and/or reservation changes or cancellations, 4) delays in shipping, 5) securing

necessary supplies for production, and 6) having enough employees working daily. These same questions were also asked

of firms split into two size categories based on the number of employees working for them. “Small” firms were those with

less than 25 employees and “large” firms were those with at least 25 employees. The summary of the responses to

questions about the specific issues are shown below:

55 percent of all firms indicated no difficulty in having enough employees working daily with a similar response

by 61 percent of the small firms and 48 percent of the large firms;

46 percent had no difficulty in maintaining cleaning and sanitation schedules, with even more small firms (54

percent) reporting no difficulty with this;

39 percent had no difficulty in securing necessary supplies for production;


32 percent of all firms indicated having no difficulty in securing loans with a greater proportion of the large firms

(45 percent) indicating no difficulty in securing loans; just 21 percent of the small firms indicated no difficulty but

23 percent of the small firms reported having great difficulty in securing loans;

Firms were also asked about the expected impact of the coronavirus on their business as well as the impact of the stimulus

package, the small business administration (SBA) programs and other lending programs. Below are their responses:

Over half of all firms together and separately by size (small and large) indicated that the impact of the virus on

their business would be short term. Less than 10 percent expected the impact to be permanent;

Over 50 percent of the firms felt confident that the adverse business conditions brought on by the coronavirus

would be alleviated six months from now;

70 percent of all firms felt the impact of the stimulus package would be positive on their business;

55 percent of all firms were familiar with the SBA programs;

Of the many types of loan programs available, 60 percent of the firms planned to participate in the CARES loan

program;

About a third of all firms did not plan to participate in any loan program;

52 percent of the firms were not concerned about employees not returning if they had received enhanced re-

employment benefits;

Close to 35 percent of all firms, large and small, were concerned about employees not returning if they had

received enhanced re-employment benefits;

Roughly 80 percent of all firms felt confident in the state and local governments’ ability to handle the outbreak of

the coronavirus in Lee County;

Firms were evenly split in responding “yes” and “no” to the question of whether they believed that working from

home would become a more common occurrence after the virus crisis.


I. Recurring Questions Each quarter, the Horizon Council FGCU Business Climate Survey polls Lee County’s business leaders about the state of

the economy in Lee County. These seven questions are designed to provide a snapshot of short-term trends and

perceptions regarding the state of the local economy, employment, and capital investment. Asking the same recurring

questions allows for a side-by-side comparison of the economy during each quarter. The results from these questions for

the second quarter of 2020 can be found in Figures 1 through 7 below.

How are the current Lee County economic conditions compared to a year ago?

Figure 1 reflects the responses of business executives during mid-April. To no surprise, the report shows that less than 5

percent of the surveyed executives indicated economic conditions in Lee County were moderately or substantially better

compared to a year ago. This percentage is contrasted by the 31.5 percent that stated things were moderately worse and

51 percent that felt that things were substantially worse than a year ago. Just about 13 percent of responding executives

said current Lee County economic conditions were about the same compared to a year ago. This compares with 50 percent

last quarter. These results reflect the beginning of the effects on businesses from COVID-19 lock downs in the area, and

indicate realistic expectations among business owners about economic conditions in the second quarter of 2020.

Complete response counts can be found in Table 1.

Table 1: Current Economic Conditions How are the current Lee County economic conditions compared to a year ago?

Response 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2019 Q2

Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Substantially better 1 0.7% 7 6.7% 5 4.3%

Moderately better 6 4.0% 42 40.4% 58 49.6%

Same 19 12.8% 52 50.0% 43 36.8%

Moderately worse 47 31.5% 3 2.9% 11 9.4%

Substantially worse 76 51.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

Total Responses 149 100.0% 104 100.0% 117 100.0%

Source: Lee County Executive Business Climate Survey, conducted by the Regional Economic Research Institute between April 13th, 2020 and April 28th, 2020.


What are your expectations for the Lee County economy one year ahead?

Figure 2 tracks business leaders’ perceptions about economic conditions over the next 12 months. The second quarter

results indicated that 47 percent of the surveyed business executives felt pessimistic about future economic conditions,

expecting them to be moderately to substantially worse. This was in sharp contrast from the previous quarter, when only

8 percent expected economic conditions to get moderately or substantially worse. Forty-one percent of business

executives were optimistic about economic conditions in the upcoming year, down from the 55 percent in the previous

quarter, and the 49 percent that expressed optimism a year ago. The proportion of executives that felt conditions would

stay the same was just 12 percent compared to 38 percent in the previous quarter. Complete response counts can be

found in Table 2.

Table 2: Future Economic Conditions What are your expectations for the Lee County economy one year ahead?

Response 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2019 Q2



Same 18 12.1% 39 37.5% 44 37.6%



Total Responses 149 100.0% 104 100.0% 117 100.0%



What are the current conditions in your industry in Lee County compared to one year ago?

Figure 3 reports on executives’ perceptions about their particular industry and is more narrowly focused. The percentage

of business executives reporting worsening industry conditions in the second quarter jumped from the last quarter to

about 73 percent. This compares with the first quarter of 2020 when just 9 percent of the surveyed executives felt current

conditions in their industry had worsened over the past year. A decreasing amount of executives felt conditions would

remain the same, at 22 percent in the second quarter of 2020 compared to 47 percent in the preceding quarter. Just 5

percent of surveyed executives felt current conditions in their industry were moderately better compared to a year ago.

This was in sharp contrast to almost 44 percent last quarter. Complete response counts can found in Table 3.

Table 3: Current Industry Conditions What are the current conditions in your industry in Lee County compared to one year ago?

Response 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2019 Q2



Same 33 22.1% 48 47.1% 38 32.5%



Total Responses 149 100.0% 102 100.0% 117 100.0%



What are your expectations for your own industry in Lee County one year ahead?

Figure 4 reports the expectations business executives have for the conditions in their own industry one year from now.

The percent of surveyed executives who expect conditions in their industry to be moderately or substantially better in the

next year fell from 50 percent in the first quarter to 40 percent in the current quarter. Just 20 percent of the surveyed

executives expected conditions to remain the same compared to 44 percent last quarter. As would be expected, the

number of executives expecting conditions to worsen jumped from just 6 percent last quarter to 40 percent in the current

quarter, reflecting a decline in sentiment. Complete response counts can be found in Table 4.

Table 4: Future Industry Conditions What are your expectations for your own industry in Lee County one year ahead?

Response 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2019 Q2



Same 30 20.1% 45 43.7% 48 41.0%



Total Responses 149 100.0% 103 100.0% 117 100.0%



What has been your hiring trend over the last year?

Figure 5 focuses on the current hiring trends of the surveyed executives. Twenty-nine percent of the surveyed executives

reported increased hiring in the second quarter of 2020 compared to 48 percent in the previous quarter and 40 percent a

year ago. Fifty percent of the business executives indicated little or no change in employment over the last year which

was slightly higher than the previous quarter and close to the 52 percent a year ago. The proportion of surveyed firms

that said they reduced employment over the past year in the second quarter reached 20 percent, up from 6 percent in

the previous quarter and 8 percent in the same quarter of 2019. Complete response counts can be found in Table 5.

Table 5: Current Hiring Trend What has been your hiring trend over the last year?

Response 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2019 Q2

Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Substantially increased employment 3 2.1% 2 1.9% 8 7.0%

Moderately increased employment 40 27.4% 47 45.6% 38 33.0%

Little or no change in employment 73 50.0% 48 46.6% 60 52.2%

Moderately reduced employment 15 10.3% 6 5.8% 6 5.2%

Substantially reduced employment 15 10.3% 0 0.0% 3 2.6%

Total Responses 146 100.0% 103 100.0% 115 100.0%



What hiring trends do you see for your business over the next year?

Figure 6 depicts future hiring trends of the surveyed business executives. None of the respondents reported that they

would substantially increase their hiring and 22 percent predict they will increase employment moderately over the next

year. This is in contrast to the previous quarter when 49 percent predicted they would increase employment. A little over

half of the respondents said they predict to keep employment the same while 24 percent predicted that they would reduce

employment. The expected reduction in employment compares with just 4 percent in the previous quarter and 6 percent

the previous year. Complete response counts can be found in Table 6.

Table 6: Future Hiring Trend What hiring trends do you see for your business over the next year?

Response 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2019 Q2

Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Substantially increase employment 0 0.0% 1 1.0% 2 1.7%

Moderately increase employment 33 22.3% 50 48.1% 53 45.7%

Same or flat employment 79 53.4% 49 47.1% 54 46.6%

Moderately reduce employment 24 16.2% 3 2.9% 7 6.0%

Substantially reduce employment 12 8.1% 1 1.0% 0 0.0%

Total Responses 148 100.0% 104 100.0% 116 100.0%



Do you plan to increase investment in your business during the next year?

Figure 7 focuses on future investment by the surveyed respondents. Just 34 percent of the surveyed executives expect to

moderately or substantially increase investment over the next year compared to 53 percent in the first quarter of 2020

and 60 percent reported a year ago. Forty-two percent of executives planned to keep their investment levels flat or the

same over the next year, down slightly from 45 percent in the previous quarter but higher than the 40 percent a year ago.

Twenty-three percent of respondents said they planned to reduce investment during the next 12 months, up significantly

from just 2 percent in the last quarter and zero percent a year ago. Complete response counts can be found in Table 7.

Table 7: Future Investment Trend Do you plan to increase investment in your business during the next year?

Response 2020 Q2 2020 Q1 2019 Q2

Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Substantially increase investment 12 8.1% 8 7.7% 14 12.1%

Moderately increase investment 39 26.2% 47 45.2% 56 48.3%

Keep investment the same or flat 63 42.3% 47 45.2% 46 39.7%

Moderately reduce investment 17 11.4% 2 1.9% 0 0.0%

Substantially Reduce investment 18 12.1% 0 0.0% 0 0.0%

Total Responses 149 100.0% 104 100.0% 116 100.0%



II. Executive Business Climate Index

One of the key features of this survey is the calculation of an Executive Business Climate Index (EBCI). This index value

measures the current business climate in Lee County and is released quarterly to provide an economic indicator allowing

one to gauge whether the business climate in Lee County is improving or declining. The EBCI is computed using the two

questions concerning the current and future economic conditions (reported in Tables 1 and 2) and a third question

concerning the expected industry economic conditions (reported in Table 4). The index is an average of the responses,

with substantially better equal to 100, moderately better equal to 75, same equal to 50, moderately worse equal to 25

and substantially worse equal to zero. The index value can range from 0 to 100.

The index measured at 62.5 in the first quarter of 2020, but plummeted to 38.9 in the current quarter. This compared to

61.2 in the second quarter of 2019. The sharpest decline was visible in the current economic conditions component of

the index, which fell from 62.7 to just 18.0 in the second quarter. The index reflecting future economic conditions dropped

from 62.5 in the first quarter to 48.3 in the current quarter, while the index for future industry conditions fell from 62.1 in

the first quarter to 50.5 for the second quarter of 2020. These declines were not as sharp as the current economic

conditions component, reflecting a degree of optimism among the executives. Nevertheless, the path of the EBCI, which

had been trending upward since the first quarter of 2019, plunged downward in the current quarter (Figure 8). Complete

results can be found in Table 8.

Table 8: Executive Business Climate Index

Components 2018 Q2 2018 Q3 2018 Q4 2019 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2020 Q1 2020 Q2 Current Economic Conditions 66.0 68.2 63.5 60.1 62.2 61.8 61.0 62.7 18.0

Future Economic Conditions 67.8 68.2 65.1 58.7 60.7 59.9 61.4 62.5 48.3

Future Industry Conditions 69.6 68.4 64.2 60.5 60.7 60.3 60.5 62.1 50.5

Executive Business Climate Index 67.8 68.2 64.3 59.8 61.2 60.7 61.0 62.5 38.9



III. Special Topics Each Executive Business Climate Survey contains a set of questions not asked on a recurring basis. These special topic

questions highlight areas of importance to the economic development of our region with the intention of accessing the

business community’s input and feedback to development officials, industry agents, and government officials. The present

survey includes questions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

On a scale of 1 to 5, with one meaning no difficulty and five meaning great difficulty, how

difficult has the following been for your business since the coronavirus outbreak?

Figure 9 asks business executives about important issues relating to their business in the upcoming year since the outbreak

of the coronavirus. A majority (55 percent) of the executives reported that they were not experiencing difficulty in having

enough employees reporting to work each day. A third of the executives reported no difficulty in securing loans, while 15

percent reported having great difficulty in securing loans. Forty-six percent had no difficulty in maintaining cleaning

schedules. Also encouraging was that 39 percent of the executives reported little difficulty in securing necessary supplies

to operate their business. Close to a third of the respondents indicated some degree of difficulty in dealing with each of

the challenges shown in this table. Complete response counts can be found in Table 9.


Table 9: Important Issues On a scale of 1 to 5, with one meaning no difficulty and five meaning great difficulty, how difficult has the following been for

your business since the coronavirus outbreak?

Statement No

Difficulty 1

2 3 4 Great

Difficulty 5

Don't Know

Having enough employees report to work each day.

Count 81 23 23 9 7 3

Percentage 55.5% 15.8% 15.8% 6.2% 4.8% 2.1%

Securing supplies necessary for your business to operate.

Count 57 27 27 24 8 3

Percentage 39.0% 18.5% 18.5% 16.4% 5.5% 2.1%

Dealing with delays in shipping.

Count 42 41 30 18 8 4

Percentage 29.4% 28.7% 21.0% 12.6% 5.6% 2.8%

Handling order/reservation changes or cancellations.

Count 40 34 27 19 14 10

Percentage 27.8% 23.6% 18.8% 13.2% 9.7% 6.9%

Maintaining cleaning/sanitation schedules.

Count 65 34 21 13 3 5

Percentage 46.1% 24.1% 14.9% 9.2% 2.1% 3.5%

Securing loans.

Count 46 20 13 14 22 28

Percentage 32.2% 14.0% 9.1% 9.8% 15.4% 19.6%



Figure 10 asks business executives that employ less than 25 employees about difficulties faced due to the coronavirus

outbreak. The majority of the respondents (61 percent) indicated having no difficulty in having enough employees

reporting to work daily and 54 percent indicated having no difficulty in maintaining cleaning schedules. As for securing

loans, about a fifth of the respondents had no difficulty while 23 percent reported having great difficulty. Over a third of

the respondents reported no difficulty in order or reservation changes, delays in shipping, or securing supplies to operate

their business. Eleven percent reported having great difficulty in handling order/reservation changes or cancellations.

Between 5 and 8 percent experienced great difficulty in dealing with shipping delays, securing supplies and having

difficulty in having enough employees reporting to work daily. Complete response counts can be found in Table 10.


Table 10: Firm Difficulties Firms with less than 25 employees

On a scale of 1 to 5, with one meaning no difficulty and five meaning great difficulty, how difficult has the following been for your business since the coronavirus outbreak?

Statement No

Difficulty 1

2 3 4 Great

Difficulty 5

Don't Know


Count 51 10 13 2 4 3

Percentage 61.4% 12.0% 15.7% 2.4% 4.8% 3.6%


Count 41 12 13 10 5 2

Percentage 49.4% 14.5% 15.7% 12.0% 6.0% 2.4%


Count 30 21 13 7 6 3

Percentage 37.5% 26.3% 16.3% 8.8% 7.5% 3.8%


Count 28 16 11 12 9 5

Percentage 34.6% 19.8% 13.6% 14.8% 11.1% 6.2%


Count 43 15 9 4 3 5

Percentage 54.4% 19.0% 11.4% 5.1% 3.8% 6.3%

Securing loans.

Count 17 8 8 9 19 20

Percentage 21.0% 9.9% 9.9% 11.1% 23.5% 24.7%



Figure 11 asks business executives that employ at least 25 employees about difficulties faced due to the coronavirus

outbreak. A large proportion of the respondents (48 percent) indicated having no difficulty in having enough employees

reporting to work daily and 45 percent indicated having no difficulty in securing loans. Over a third of the respondents

had no difficulty in maintaining cleaning and sanitation schedules. Of all the respondents, less than 10 percent indicated

having great difficulty in securing loans, handling order or reservation changes, dealing with delays in shipping, securing

supplies and having enough employees reporting to work. Complete response counts can be found in Table 11.

Table 11: Firm Difficulties Firms with at least 25 employees

On a scale of 1 to 5, with one meaning no difficulty and five meaning great difficulty, how difficult has the following been for your business since the coronavirus outbreak?

Statement No

Difficulty 1

2 3 4 Great

Difficulty 5

Don't Know


Count 29 13 10 6 3 0

Percentage 47.5% 21.3% 16.4% 9.8% 4.9% 0.0%


Count 15 15 14 13 3 1

Percentage 24.6% 24.6% 23.0% 21.3% 4.9% 1.6%


Count 11 20 17 10 2 1

Percentage 18.0% 32.8% 27.9% 16.4% 3.3% 1.6%


Count 12 18 16 6 4 5

Percentage 19.7% 29.5% 26.2% 9.8% 6.6% 8.2%


Count 22 17 12 9 0 0

Percentage 36.7% 28.3% 20.0% 15.0% 0.0% 0.0%

Securing loans.

Count 27 12 5 5 3 8

Percentage 45.0% 20.0% 8.3% 8.3% 5.0% 13.3%



I believe the coronavirus will have __________ on my business.

Figure 12 asks business executives what type of impact they anticipate the coronavirus to have on their business. The

table and graph show the responses based on the firm size as well as total firms that responded to the survey. Those that

employ less than 25 employees will be referred to as small firms compared to those that employ at least 25 employees,

referred to as large firms. Most respondents believe that the impact on their business will be short-term, a sentiment

shared by both small (58 percent) and large (54 percent) firms. More of the large firms (38 percent) compared to the

small firms (27%) indicated that the impact would be long-term. Just 5 percent or less of the respondents felt that there

would be no impact. Of the small firms, 6 percent indicated that the virus would have a permanent impact on their

business with only 2 percent of the large firms indicating this. Complete response counts can be found in Table 12.

Table 12: Coronavirus Impact I believe the coronavirus will have __________ on my business.

Response Less than 25 employees At least 25 employees All firms

Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage a permanent impact 5 5.9% 1 1.6% 7 4.9%

a long-term impact 23 27.1% 23 37.7% 47 33.1%

a short-term impact 49 57.6% 33 54.1% 82 57.7%

no impact 4 4.7% 2 3.3% 6 4.2%

Don't know 4 4.7% 2 3.3% 6 4.2%

Total Responses 85 100.0% 61 100.0% 142 100.0%



I believe the recently approved stimulus package will have __________ on my business.

Figure 13 asks business executives about the perceived impact on their business from the stimulus package. Almost 70

percent of all firms felt the impact would be positive on their business. This was the same expectation indicated by both

large and small firms. A very small percentage of all firms felt the stimulus package would have a negative impact. About

26 percent felt it would have no impact. Only 10 percent of all firms did not know. Responses to this question did not

show much variation between small and large firms. Complete response counts can be found in Table 13.

Table 13: Stimulus Impact I believe the recently approved stimulus package will have __________ on my business.


Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage a very positive impact 11 12.9% 12 19.7% 23 17.0%

a slightly positive impact 42 49.4% 26 42.6% 70 51.9%

no impact 18 21.2% 17 27.9% 35 25.9%

a slightly negative impact 3 3.5% 2 3.3% 5 3.7%

a very negative impact 2 2.4% 0 0.0% 2 1.5%

Don't know 9 10.6% 4 6.6% 13 9.6%

Total Responses 85 100.0% 61 100.0% 135 100.0%



How familiar are you with the Small Business Administration (SBA) programs?

Figure 14 asks business executives how familiar they are with the Small Business Administration (SBA) programs. Just over

50 percent of all firms, including small and large firms indicated they were very familiar with the programs. Thirty-nine

percent of all firms were somewhat familiar, with a slightly higher percentage (42 percent) of small firms and 36 percent

of the large firms. Just 6 percent of the firms were not familiar with the SBA programs. Complete response counts can be

found in Table 14.

Table 14: SBA Programs How familiar are you with the Small Business Administration (SBA) programs?


Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Very familiar 45 52.9% 35 57.4% 81 54.7%

Somewhat familiar 36 42.4% 22 36.1% 58 39.2%

Not familiar at all 4 4.7% 4 6.6% 9 6.1%

Total Responses 85 100.0% 61 100.0% 148 100.0%



Which of the following loan programs do you plan to participate in?

Figure 15 indicates the type of loan programs in which the surveyed business executives plan to participate. Fifty-nine

percent of all firms plan to participate in the CARES loan program, with 50 percent of the small firms and 65 percent of

the large firms. A smaller percentage (12 percent of all firms) plan to participate in Florida’s small business bridge loan,

with the percentage of planned participation by both small and large firms nearly the same. Close to a third of the

surveyed respondents plan to participate in the SBA economic injury disaster loan. However, almost 30 percent of the

surveyed respondents indicated they did not plan to participate in any of the loan programs. Complete response counts

can be found in Table 15.

Table 15: Loan Programs Which of the following loan programs do you plan to participate in?

Program Less than 25 employees At least 25 employees All firms

Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES)

loan 55 64.7% 31 50.0% 87 59.2%

Florida small business bridge loan 10 11.8% 6 9.7% 17 11.6%

SBA economic injury disaster loan 28 32.9% 13 21.0% 42 28.6%

None 20 23.5% 21 33.9% 42 28.6%

Don't know 3 3.5% 7 11.3% 10 6.8%

Total Responses 85 100.0% 62 100.0% 147 100.0%



How concerned are you that employees receiving enhanced re-employment benefits will not

return to work?

Figure 16 shows the results of responses by surveyed executives to the question about their concern about returning

employees who receive enhanced re-employment benefits. Thirty-six percent of the firms were concerned and a higher

proportion of the small businesses (12 percent) were very concerned. The breakdown in the percentage of somewhat

concerned and not concerned at all was about the same. Forty-three percent of the large firms were not too concerned

compared to 27 percent of the small firms. Twenty-three percent of all firms were not concerned at all. A smaller

percentage just did not know. Complete response counts can be found in Table 16.

Table 16: Employees Not Returning How concerned are you that employees receiving enhanced re-employment benefits will not return to work?


Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Very concerned 10 12.0% 3 4.9% 13 8.9%

Somewhat concerned 21 25.3% 17 27.9% 40 27.4%

Not too concerned 22 26.5% 26 42.6% 48 32.9%

Not concerned at all 22 26.5% 12 19.7% 34 23.3%

Don't know 8 9.6% 3 4.9% 11 7.5%

Total Responses 83 100.0% 61 100.0% 146 100.0%



How confident are you that adverse business conditions in Lee County due to the coronavirus

will be alleviated six months from now?

Figure 17 shows how confident surveyed executives were that business conditions would be alleviated six months from

now. Over 50 percent felt confident that the adverse business conditions brought on by the coronavirus would be

alleviated six months from now. Confidence levels were roughly equal between the small and large firms. Fifty percent

of large firms were not confident compared to 38 percent of the small firms that thought business conditions would return

to normal in six months. Complete response counts can be found in Table 17.

Table 17: Business Conditions Alleviated How confident are you that adverse business conditions in Lee County due to the coronavirus will be alleviated six months

from now?


Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Very confident 15 17.6% 5 8.3% 20 13.6%

Somewhat confident 37 43.5% 25 41.7% 64 43.5%

Not too confident 23 27.1% 22 36.7% 45 30.6%

Not confident at all 9 10.6% 8 13.3% 17 11.6%

Don't know 1 1.2% 0 0.0% 1 0.7%

Total Responses 85 100.0% 60 100.0% 147 100.0%



How confident are you that the state agencies, local governments, and law enforcement will

be able to handle an outbreak of the coronavirus in Lee County?

Figure 18 shows the response to the question of confidence in the ability of state and local governments to handle the

outbreak of the coronavirus in Lee County. Businesses of all sizes indicated strong confidence in their government

agencies to handle the crisis of the virus. Close to 90 percent of large firms expressed such confidence, compared to 77

percent of the small firms. Fewer than 20 percent of all respondents indicated that they were not confident. Complete

response counts can be found in Table 18.

Table 18: Confidence in Government How confident are you that the state agencies, local governments, and law enforcement will be able to handle an outbreak of

the coronavirus in Lee County?


Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Very confident 27 31.8% 15 24.6% 43 29.1%

Somewhat confident 38 44.7% 39 63.9% 78 52.7%

Not too confident 12 14.1% 3 4.9% 15 10.1%

Not confident at all 6 7.1% 3 4.9% 9 6.1%

Don't know 2 2.4% 1 1.6% 3 2.0%

Total Responses 85 100.0% 61 100.0% 148 100.0%



Following the crisis, do you expect having your employees working at home will become more

commonplace for your company?

Figure 10 shows the responses to the question of whether firms believed that working from home will become a more

common occurrence after the virus crisis. The proportion of responses of “yes” were virtually identical to the percentage

of those that responded “no”. “Yes” responses came from 39 percent of all firms as did “no” responses, while 7 percent

of firms were still unsure of the impact the virus would have on employees working from home in the future. Differences

between small and large firms were minimal. Complete response counts can be found in Table 19.

Table 19: Working from Home Following the crisis, do you expect having your employees working at home will become more commonplace for your

company?


Count Percentage Count Percentage Count Percentage Yes 32 38.1% 25 41.0% 58 39.5%

No 31 36.9% 26 42.6% 58 39.5%

Don't have employees working from home 15 17.9% 5 8.2% 20 13.6%

Don't know 6 7.1% 5 8.2% 11 7.5%

Total Responses 84 100.0% 61 100.0% 147 100.0%



IV. Comments, Suggestions, and Recommendations At the end of each survey, business executives are given the opportunity to provide any general comments they have

about the local economy. Below is a list of the general topics on which the business executives commented.

Qualified employees

Government support

Environment

Other

Executive responses to this question are found in Appendix B.


V. Company Characteristics Each executive provided information about his or her firm, including:

Business Type;

Number of Employees;

Company Location; and

Geographic Client Base.

The following figures provide an overview of general characteristics of the responding companies.

What type of business or industry best describes your company?

Figure 20 shows the percentage of representation by type of industry that characterizes the responding business

executives. Twenty-one percent were represented by the construction industry, 16 percent by professional, scientific,

and technical services industry and 14 percent by finance and insurance. Other industries such as real estate sales and

other services were represented by 5 percent of the firms. All other industries were represented by less than 5 percent

of the firms in the survey. Complete breakdown by type of industry can be found in Table 20.


Table 20: Business Type What type of business or industry best describes your company?

Response Count Percentage Construction 31 20.9%

Professional, Scientific, & Technical Service 24 16.2%

Finance & Insurance 20 13.5%

Manufacturing 15 10.1%

Other Services 9 6.1%

Real Estate Sales 8 5.4%

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation 6 4.1%

Health Care & Social Assistance 5 3.4%

Computer Software, Design, and Technical Services 4 2.7%

Utilities 4 2.7%

Transportation and Warehousing 3 2.0%

Retail Trade 3 2.0%

Wholesale Trade 2 1.4%

Information 2 1.4%

Accommodation & Food Services - Restaurants 2 1.4%

Aerospace 2 1.4%

Real Estate Rental and Leasing 2 1.4%

Management of Companies and Enterprises 1 0.7%

Administrative & Support & Waste Management Services 1 0.7%

Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting 1 0.7%

Accommodation & Food Services - Attractions 1 0.7%

Real Estate Development 1 0.7%

Accommodation & Food Services - Resorts 1 0.7%

Educational Services 0 0.0%

Total Responses 148 100.0%



What is the size of your firm?

Figure 21 shows the business executives categorized by the number of employees in their firms. The largest proportion

of surveyed executives (40 percent) were with firms that employed less than ten employees. Twelve percent of surveyed

executives were with firms that employed 250 employees or more. Eighteen percent of the firms employed between 10

and 24 employees. Twelve percent employed between 25 and 49 employees, and 10 percent employed between 50 and

99 employees. Ten percent of the firms employed between 100 and 249 employees. Complete response counts can be

found in Table 21.

Table 21: Number of Employees What is the size of your firm?

Response Count Percentage 1 to 9 employees 59 40.1%

10 to 24 employees 26 17.7%



100 to 249 employees 14 9.5%

250 or more employees 17 11.6%

Total Responses 147 100.0%



Where is your firm located?

Figure 22 shows where firms of surveyed business executives operated. Business executives were allowed to select all

locations in which their firms had operations. The largest proportion (39 percent) of surveyed executives said their firm

was located in South Fort Myers, while 33 percent of executives indicated their firm operated in the City of Fort Myers.

Nineteen percent of the firms were located in Cape Coral, 16 percent in Bonita Springs, and 13 percent of the firms were

located in North Fort Myers. Eleven percent were in Lehigh Acres and East Fort Myers. Ten percent of the firms were

located in Estero and 9 percent in Sanibel/Captiva. Seven percent were in the town of Fort Myers Beach. Complete

response counts can be found in Table 22.

Table 22: Company Locations Where is your firm located?

Response Count Percentage South Fort Myers 58 38.9%

City of Fort Myers 49 32.9%

Cape Coral 29 19.5%

Other (please specify) 24 16.1%

Bonita Springs 24 16.1%

North Fort Myers 19 12.8%

Lehigh Acres 17 11.4%

East Fort Myers 17 11.4%

Estero 15 10.1%

Sanibel/Captiva 13 8.7%

Town of Fort Myers Beach 10 6.7%



What areas comprise your geographic client base?

Figure 23 shows the geographic client base for the firms of surveyed business executives. Business executives were

allowed to select all geographical areas in which their firm had a client base. Lee County accounted for 76 percent of the

surveyed executives’ client base. Collier County accounted for 62 percent of their client base and Charlotte had 52

percent. Hendry County had 37 percent and Glades County accounted for a client base of 31 percent. The Southeast U.S.

region was the geographical client base for 21 percent of surveyed executives and the state of Florida was the geographical

client base for 35 percent of the firms. Twenty-six percent of the client base for these firms was in all U.S. markets and 16

percent in international markets. Complete response counts can be found in Table 23.

Table 23: Geographic Client Base What areas comprise your geographic client base?

Response Count Percentage Lee County 113 75.8%

Collier County 92 61.7%

Charlotte County 78 52.3%

Hendry County 55 36.9%

Florida 52 34.9%

Glades County 46 30.9%

US Markets 39 26.2%

Southeast US region 31 20.8%

International Markets 24 16.1%

Other (please specify) 9 6.0%



Appendix A. Historical Trends of Recurring Questions Historical trends of the seven recurring questions asked in each Executive Business Climate Survey can be found in this

section.


Appendix B. Full Comments, Suggestions, and Recommendations The following lists include specific responses from the executives for the following question:

Please indicate any other comments, suggestions, or recommendations you would like to make regarding the regional

economy or your business.

COVID-19 Shutdown

Still much is unknown how and when we come out of this. Right now the priorities are health. Next survival.

Then growth.

Until we test for asymptomatic cases that have already happened, the models are unreliable. If there is a large

number of those we should stop the lockdown. Get the blood donors to sign a testing waiver and test that

"healthy" population.

The collective bodies of government, federal, state, and local, had no place shutting down entire sectors of the

economy and they have blown this virus crisis out of proportion along with a hysterical media. There are simply

too many people that work in "essential" industries and even more than cannot work from home, for such large

scale stay-at-home orders to be utterly disastrous. The so-called cure will prove to be far worse than the disease.

The ability for a tourist/seasonal resident based economy to bounce back from this artificial crisis with big

government enforced social distancing as the new cultural norm will be difficult, drawn out, and costly.

I am disappointed the Governor deviated from his order allowing individual cities and counties to make their own

decisions on lockdowns. Lee County is not Miami or Fort Lauderdale. Our only immediate issue appeared to be

kids not taking it seriously. Shame on parents. Fort Myers Beach was the only hotspot in the entire county. Let

the City of Fort Myers beach make the decision. Spring Break is over. Keeping beaches and parks closed is stupid.

This virus is like the flu and will never go away. Put it in context with other killers - cars, flu, cancer, suicides.

Americans rolled over and gave way to martial law and destroying the economy and more. Continuing this is

insanity.

This has turned into the biggest lie in my lifetime and the statistics are proof. The H1N1 flu in 2009 had nearly 61

million in the USA that contracted the virus according to the CDC website. So far we have less than 2 million

globally that have COVID-19, and this year’s type-A flu strain is again the H1N1 virus and it has a higher infection

rate again than COVID-19. We must get the economy back open and people back to work. Loans are not the

answer as that only creates more debt. Both to the business, and the tax payers.

With government imposed shutdowns....virus will go dormant and then come back.

Never shut down businesses. Only those with compromised immune systems and elderly should be cautious. This

virus is no worse than flu.

Lift the orders! All the talk is about how we restart the economy. Just get out of the way!

Believe that businesses will boom once the stay-at-home edict is either relaxed or lifted. Based on pent-up

demand, things will get better and back to a more "normal" state.

Community leaders must take a pro-active approach to bringing all businesses back on line.

We're closed and will be until they open Riverside Park in Bonita Springs. We don't have trouble getting sullies

or anything else because we're closed.


Health Concerns

Disappointed in our local elected officials not taking further steps in a timely manner to try to decrease the health

effects in our area.

I answered the first part "pre-coronavirus". I believe Lee County will rebound. I suggest that the county work

with the Health Department and EOC to define healthcare emergency needs. Primary care practices are also on

the front lines and need supplies. It has been quite evident that EOC/Health Department have forgotten this.

Financial Assistance

The COVID-19 small business financial help has really got held up by the system. The banks did not have time to

react and applications are just sitting on hold until they can get through the backlog. Big companies are getting

what they were promised up front but small businesses have been once again been left with a mess to deal with

and no support from our government. I hope and pray this will not continue for much longer or there will

permanent damage to our small businesses nationally. Small businesses are the number one source of the

majority of the US labor force. Yet our government ignores this fact. Just follow the money.

We have been waiting a full week since we made our initial request to apply for the PPP loan program through

our bank. Our documentation is ready to submit once they ask for it. Meanwhile, our revenue losses have been

overwhelming.

My business is real estate related (Inspection Services). The process for a small business like mine to obtain short

term funding to prevent full non recoverable closure has been very difficult. Public officials have repeatedly stated

money is available instantly after applying, but it has been over three weeks since my first application. Smaller

companies do not have months of reserves for payroll.

The SBA and Government assistance loans for us small businesses need to be a little easier to obtain. The big

corporations were able to get a big chunk of the aid money because they have a full staff of accounts, where a

small business of less than 10 people does not have a staff of accountants.

It’s obvious and discouraging that really small businesses have little or no support from our government - all the

so called “aid” is geared to large businesses and with employees of 25-500. So sad since Florida thrives on all the

independent small companies that support local cities and the state.

The stimulus packages was not handled appropriately. Having local banks with bias to their certain customers is

wrong. I applied for the funds on day one of the first round and I still do not have an answer from my bank about

my loan. But I am aware of companies that do not belong to my bank getting loan money. The whole process is

mismanaged.

We small businesses definitely need financial support. The SBA Cares loan has not reached us, so we are

completely at risk of not surviving!


Economic Recovery

I have concerns that some small and medium sized businesses without cash reserves will NOT be able to survive.

Marketing is generally the first thing to go, and the last thing to be paid for. We have been fortunate thus far to

maintain many retainer based clients and add new project based clients since the pandemic started. But, I do

forecast losing all retainer based clients if this pandemic and business closures linger beyond May.

Our market lost the last month of seasonal business this year. That will have a ripple effect on all business for the

next 6 months to a year, depending on how long our economy is virtually shut down!

This is going to be a very tough road to recovery for many of us in the arts, entertainment, and restaurant business!

Our business is essential. I see commercial business taking a longer time to recover and operate under a “new

norm”. That may lead to decreased commercial volumes at higher prices. I’s likely that this virus can re-occur at

a later point and we will have to be cognizant and ready.

It is imperative for local governments to keep planning and retaining consultants, at least the local ones to keep

the money flowing. If the governments clamp down on (planned) spending it will impact many local professionals

and exacerbate our economy.

Our business is Public Safety and we have stayed busy as we are an essential business. However, we do see a

slight slowdown which will effect June-August until budgets open back up for the Public Safety and Military

business.

Other

I would like to see the County Commissioners approve a Children's Services Council to be put on the ballot for

November. This would provide an additional $30M-$40M for early learning, after school care and for mental

health services for children. Eight other counties in Florida have had this for over 10 years. It is part of a Florida

state statute. In light of the coronavirus impacts on our population and in support of non-profits which can provide

these services, it is imperative that we pivot away from the policy of never adding a tax on homeowners to

empowering voters to make the decision for the benefit of our children and our collective future. It is far better

to invest now than pay the price later with regard to our youth turning to crime and being put in jails. This solution

can benefit all our children and especially our most vulnerable children of color.

If done correctly, there can be a mini-catch up boom.

I am not currently in business in Florida. I am now actively employed by a company in Georgia working in my office

in Fort Myers. Due to my type of business, I often look outside of Florida.

We primarily haul the supplies that are needed right now on our trucks so I believe we are an anomaly for Lee

County businesses. I don't think we will have that many people working remotely after this but I do think we will

be more open to people occasionally working remotely.

The local municipalities should allow complete outsourcing including fire inspections and site inspections to keep

things moving. Local municipalities should allow complete electronic submissions and communication both now

and moving forward.

Hang in there. This is not forever. This virus deal and its impact does have an end. Businesses should keep an

eye on the long term goals.

We need to start reminding people that hurricane season is also approaching. They can't forget about those things

just because of the virus.

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