The City of Philadelphia wants to hear from business owners in the Philadelphia region about the resources needed to reopen safely.

​The purpose of this survey is to assess the needs of businesses in the Greater Philadelphia region in order to help us to develop guidance and resources to help you safely and speedily reopen after the COVID-19 business closures. Please note that these questions are NOT intended to reflect the specific timing of reopening, which will depend on decisions made by the Governor’s office.

Geneva, Switzerland, 26 May 2020 – In a matter of weeks, the pandemic forced the global economy and society, organizations and individuals to become more reliant than ever on the internet and the digital economy. According to the Forum’s COVID-19 Risks Outlook: A Preliminary Mapping and its Implications, cyberattacks and data fraud are considered the most likely technological risks of COVID-19 for the world, and the third of greatest concern overall owing to abrupt adoption of new working patterns.

To support business leaders responsible for reinforcing the cyber resilience of their organizations in an unforeseen, instantaneous new reality, the World Economic Forum today launched The Cybersecurity Leadership Principles: Lessons learnt during the COVID-19 pandemic to prepare for the new normal.

All leaders and organizations are pressured to adapt business models faster than anyone was prepared for, to ensure existential survival. The principles provide a framework for responsible decision-making and action in this crucial period to help organizations balance short-term goals with medium- to longer-term imperatives. To bolster cyber resilience and secure operations, they urge leaders to:

Foster a culture of cyber resilience Focus on protecting the organization’s critical assets and services Balance risk-informed decisions during the crisis and beyondUpdate and practice response and business continuity plans as the business transitions to the “new normal”Strengthen ecosystem-wide collaboration

“Due to COVID-19, businesses must accelerate their digital transformation to harness the benefits while striking a balance between agility, scalability, efficiency, profitability and cybersecurity,” said Georges De Moura, Head of Industry Solutions, Centre for Cybersecurity, World Economic Forum. “The confluence of these disruptive forces is impacting critical functions and industry ecosystems globally.”

“This crisis has prompted a step-change in our reliance on digital channels. We are managing the associated risk by following appropriate principles, including fostering a greater culture of cyber resilience and strengthening collaboration with external stakeholders”, said Sandro Bucchianeri, Group Chief Security Officer, Absa Group.

​Read more.

This year marks Philadelphia’s 5th anniversary as a World Heritage City!

Global Philadelphia Association is celebrating World Heritage Week with five days of virtual festivities, May 26-30. There will be opportunities to win prizes, see virtual performances, and share pictures of your favorite Philly landmarks on social media.
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Each day of World Heritage Week will feature one of the World Heritage City Project’s missions.

Hello fellow community businesses,

We have partnered with the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia and are reaching out to the community with three objectives.  1) Help offer suggestions for key safety measures that businesses can take into account when preparing to reopen business, 2) help educate the community on PPE products and 3) create a path for the community to be able to purchase the much needed PPE products. 
​
We are a 27 year old local Montgomery County, Pennsylvania based beauty supply, cosmetics and medical PPE products manufacturer.  Currently we are manufacturing over 4 million PPE Masks per week.  We are working directly with the Pennsylvania Governor’s office supplying the state, military & hospitals where needed.  We have been partnering with and donating to many grocery markets, medical facilities, townships and law enforcement departments in the county to assist in helping minimize the spread of COVID-19.  In an effort to support the region in a larger manner we have partnered with the World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia to help facilitate a clear, reliable, local source for all of your PPE needs.

We maintain our own inventory and ship out of own distribution centers in PA, GA & CA.  We import between 250 to 350 full containers annually and are extremely familiar with all the details involved with such. 

There are many approaches to take when it comes to providing a safe work environment for your employees and/or customers.  Some low cost but very impactful measures that you as an employer can take are the following:

1. Require proper medical grade face masks be worn starting at the time of exit from their vehicle before entering the workplace in the morning or beginning of shift.
2. Upon entering the workplace require immediate hand sanitizing at entry point to the building.
3. After hand sanitizing conduct a temperature scan of each employee to ensure no fever.
4. Institute every two hours a mandatory hand washing or sanitizing for each employee.
5. Wipe down all surfaces that are frequently touched at least twice per day.
6. Stager work day start times, lunch times and end of day times to minimize large gatherings to promote social distancing.
7. Minimize large group meetings and/or being in close spaces.

We have retail ready product that we can supply directly to your stores on a weekly bases or to a distribution center if necessary.  Bulk packaging is also available as well for your employees.

Wearing true medical quality masks verse homemade and/or fabric masks is undeniably the safest way to protect you, your employees, your loved ones and to offer your customers.  We are proud to be able to provide this level of safety as an American company.  We take great pride in our products, service and quality control.

Here is a link to our educational brochure on PPE products for your information. http://www.annieinc.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Annie_Medical_PPE_Catalog_V1.pdf

Thank you for your time and interest in Annie PPE products and for helping us make our community a safer healthier place. 
 
Thank you,
Annie International, Inc.

By Graziella DiNuzzo

The phone rang and I was startled to hear her voice. “Thank you for calling Kibow Biotech, how may I help you?” she asked. I couldn’t find words. After weeks of working remotely during COVID-19, I wasn’t used to the sound of a receptionist’s voice.
 
I laughed and explained why and she patiently connected me with Mahesh.

Founded in 1997 by Mahesh’s father, Dr. Rangan, Kibow Biotech researches and develops scientifically-formulated and clinically-tested probiotic dietary supplements for maintaining kidney health and boosting the immunity of the geriatric population by restoring their intestinal microflora.

The name Kibow was derived from KI – for Kidney and BOW – for bowels and the product line includes: Renadyl™, Kibow Fortis®, Kibow Flora™, and Azodyl™. 
 
“We currently sell online and through other online distributors via amazon and their respective website. Not in brick and mortar. We sell to a 65 percent mix of consumers direct and about 35 percent to HealthCare professionals direct.”
 
During this COVID-19 pandemic, news reports repeatedly mention the need to maintain healthy immune systems to fight COVID-19.  “We have seen renewed interest in our Kibow Flora and a slight increase in sales,” Mahesh confirms. “Gut Microflora are responsible for boosting immunity and overall well-being of a person.”
 
Kibow’s website describes, Kibow Flora as providing a natural immune system boost.  “Kibow Flora ™is a highly effective probiotic supplement that contains 30 billion live probiotic bacteria per capsule. Kibow Flora is 100% natural and is enteric coated to ensure that the probiotic bacteria are not destroyed by gastric or bile acids before they are released into the bowel.”

“We have a 14-day window for shipping but then our products need to be refrigerated. Many probiotics you find in stores don’t have the same potency as ours.”

Kibow’s highest selling product is Renadyl™, a natural supplement which helps to metabolize nitrogenous waste that has diffused from the bloodstream into the bowel. “We’ve developed our products to serve niche markets. Older populations with kidney health issues and diabetes don’t have a lot of treatment options.”
 
Another Kibow product, Kibow Fortis®  was developed as prebiotic to stimulate the growth of the “good” bacteria, namely, the lactobacilli and the bifidobacteria.
 
Azodyl™  is a Kibow product developed specifically for cats and dogs to slow down uremic toxin buildup and helps prevent kidney damage. The supplement is also distributed and marketed by a French company, Vétoquinol.
 
“The World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia has been key with International Trade rep support and informational resources provided to
help our international expansions efforts.”
 
The top international markets for Kibow include Mexico, India, and the Philippines, “there are a large diabetic population in these regions.”
 
“International sales via distribution average about 100,000 customers. We have about 25,000 US.”
 
In January 2020, Mahesh attended Arab Health, one of the largest healthcare trade shows in Dubai, “ I had no idea, what was happening. Germs discriminate and affect populations unequally. The virus is a hidden epidemic of weakened immune systems. Public policy must focus on people’s ability to withstand infection.”  
 
Part of Kibow’s company vision statement, “is to advance the welfare of people globally by providing superior probiotic supplements.”
 
Kibow offers a phone ordering option for older populations that prefer speaking with a knowledgeable customer service representative.
 
And a friendly receptionist who answers the phone from an office during a pandemic.