MORRISVILLE — Lenovo, whose North American headquarters are in the Research Triangle, has kicked off a new project called “Cause The Affect,” encouraging Triangle-area citizens to join the global technology company in celebrating and supporting small businesses across America and in the local community.
In a statement to the press on Monday, John Bischoff, executive director for Lenovo’s North American Commerical Category said, “Small businesses are the lifeblood of our community. They fuel us, feed us, and connect us. Now, more than ever, they need our support. We need to rally around our local small businesses. Let’s affect them the way they affect us.”
A National Small Business Association member survey found that three in four small-business owners are very concerned about the economic impact of COVID-19. Almost half have already seen reduced customer demand. And 38 percent aren’t confident in the financial future of their business. In North Carolina, about 26 percent of small businesses closed, permanently or temporarily, between January 2020 and January 2021 according to study conducted by Harvard University Public Economics Professor Raj Chetty and his colleagues that looked at the economic impacts of COVID-19.
Lenovo has developed a Cause The Affect website where people throughout the Triangle can go to customize a note and share it online to thank and encourage their favorite small business — your local bakery, plumber, yoga studio, etc. Visit www.causetheaffect.com and choose your thank you note design, write a quick message and hit send. The notes of gratitude will be posted on your social media, as well as Lenovo’s, with #CauseTheAffect, and some businesses will be surprised with high-tech donations during the campaign.
Cause The Affect national efforts will commence in April, but Lenovo didn’t want to wait to start championing businesses in the company’s own backyard here in the Triangle area. With technology at the core of the movement, Lenovo also is stepping up to promote, advise, and assist small businesses as they learn to revive and thrive in this new way of working.
