Preserve and Protect the Fourth of July and our American Tradition – Send A Letter To Our Elected Officials
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Act Today! We Need Your Help In Lobbying Congress And State Governments!
Fireworks Entertainment Industry in Crisis! We Need Your Help!
Fireworks Display Companies Are American Businesses Employing Thousands of American Workers.
The professional fireworks entertainment industry has been almost completely shut down since the COVID-19 national emergency was declared. Due to our industry requiring large public gatherings, we will be one of the very last industries to fully reopen, sometime in mid-2021. This has resulted in tremendous financial hardship to 150 professional fireworks companies. Although there have been some financial tools created, such as the Paycheck Protection Program and EIDL to assist small businesses, these programs do not address the unique financial harm experienced by our industry. Due to the timing of this pandemic, our members must continue to pay ongoing expenses until the next Fourth of July.
- The fireworks entertainment industry prepares annually over 16,000 Fourth of July displays across the country. At least 75% of most firework companies’ revenues are earned over the Fourth of July holiday.
- Currently, over 80% of contracted displays in 2020 are canceled until 2021.
- Companies must pay twice as much to safely store and secure inventory until 2021 – including the very high cost of insurance, with very little revenue, well into 2021.
- Most if not all companies have fully exhausted their Lines of Credit and now have the additional cost burden of interest, insurance, and staffing with very little income for the next 12 months.
- Current federal relief programs such as the PPP, EIDL, and Main Street lending programs fall woefully short to continue to pay for the high cost of storing and insuring large amounts of explosives that must be secured over the next year.
Watch our PSA on the effect of COVID-19 On the professional fireworks display community. Please consider signing our petition and sharing this with your family and friends. We need your help and support!
Please Consider Sending a Letter of Support to Your Congressperson, Your Senator and Other Elected Officials
We Need Your Help to Preserve and Protect our American Tradition
The American Pyrotechnics Association estimates that 150 small professional firework display companies are requiring immediate financial relief. The industry is experiencing job losses along with higher costs for a longer timeframe which it would not have incurred except for the pandemic.
Any new Congressional proposals to help small businesses should tale into account the unique and specialized costs facing pyrotechnic companies, such as Federal ATF regulations to safely store and secure explosive inventories until next year. These types of activities along with security, compliance, insurance, monitoring, and maintenance expenses should be eligible for Federal funds. Additionally, the duration for any programs should be at least 36 weeks, since industry revenue will be minimal until mid-2021.
The Fireworks Industry Provides Joy and Happiness to Millions of People Every Year.
If there are further changes or new funding for the Paycheck Protection Program, please allow small businesses with fewer than 500 employees and provide more allowance to pay for rents, security, and insurances to safely store the millions of pounds of explosives for the next 10 months.
For any new legislation related to the EIDL program, we support the originally approved amount by Congress of up to $2 million with forgivable allowances for payroll, rents, insurance, and utilities. Even with financial assistance, it may take most companies an additional 10 years to satisfy these loans and recognize a profit.
- Allow EIDL to be utilized with an approved Congressional cap of $2 Million.
- Loan amounts equal to 10 months of operating costs incurred from July 1, 2020 to April 30, 2021.
- Provide forgivable components for EIDL to include Payroll, Rents, Utilities, and Insurance.
- Loan protions not forgiven may be repaid in 12 years with the first 2 years deferred, including interest for the first 12 months.
- Remove the collateral provisions to secure such loans.
Please Sign Our Petition To Help Us Secure Additional Resources and Funding. Every Signature Helps.
We need your help! Will you stand up and help us save the professional fireworks industry? Please help us collect signatures and gather support to lobby congress assistance to the industry. Working together we can show Congress that the American people stand behind the fireworks industry!
Please complete the form below. We will include your support on a document which we will be delivered to selected elected federal and state officials.
July 4th, 2020
Dear [[Elected Official – Congressperson, Senator, State Legislature, etc.]],
I am writing to request your help in saving small family businesses in the fireworks industry. As economic hardship continues to plague our country, millions of Americans will not enjoy the great and historic tradition of celebrating their freedom with public fireworks displays on Independence Day. Without your assistance, many multi-generational small family businesses that comprise the professional display fireworks industry will not be able to survive.
The pandemic has been devastating to the firework production industry. Most of these businesses earn a substantial amount of their revenue during the Fourth of July, professional sporting events, high school social events, and other community events. Due to social distancing requirements, restrictions on social gatherings, and other factors almost all their revenue opportunities have been eliminated. Due to the seasonal nature of their business, most professional firework production companies will face a 70-95% reduction in their revenue due to the impact of COVID-19. These businesses were strong, successful, and viable before the pandemic and due to no fault of their own are facing grave and serious going concerns. We strongly support their effort to obtain the unique relief necessary for them to survive.
Because the display fireworks industry is so unique, the standard stimulus of “forgivable” loans such as the PPP, although helpful in the short term, are insufficient to help these companies weather the COVID crisis which has hit our industry at the worst possible time of the year.
The attached issue paper from the American Pyrotechnic Association (APA) lays out the problems these display companies face and outlines a straightforward solution.
Slight modifications to the Small Business Administration’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) program will provide the flexibility needed for their businesses to survive. The low interest and forgivable non-collateralized EIDL loans will help them bridge the gap covering the 10 months of costs as this segment of the industry is losing more than 80%+ percent of their annual revenue.
APA’s proposal includes limits on the use of the loans and will allow these businesses to retain the highly skilled workers needed to work with pyrotechnics – SAFELY.
Fireworks are an integral and necessary component of our national collective history. Fireworks production firms employ thousands of workers across the country and provide happiness to millions of people throughout the year. Without your help, the night sky will be dark and silent for years to come.
The small family businesses that make up the professional fireworks display and entertainment industry, urgently need your help and we hope you will support them.
Thank you for your assistance.
[[ Your Signature ]]
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