Build a Business Resilience Plan

What is this program?

Ensuring that your business is as prepared as possible for potential hazards, disruptions, and disasters is essential to ensuring your business' longevity. The goal of the "Build a Business Resilience Plan" program is to provide your business with the tools you need to identify, manage, and mitigate threats that have the potential to disrupt the operation of your business. This program will allow your business to minimize disruptions and recover more quickly when they occur.

This program is a two-day workshop. Attendance at both workshop sessions is required.

Note: At this time, this program is only available to businesses based in Van Buren County due to funding restrictions. We hope to open this program to other communities in coming years.

Who should attend this program? 

This program is flexible and will allow each business to explore its own unique needs and challenges. Therefore, this training is open to every Van Buren County business regardless of industry. We expect a mix of attendees from the manufacturing, retail, and hospitality sectors.

What is the cost to attend?

The cost to register for this program is $95. This fee covers the cost of attendance for two staff members, which includes program materials, a light breakfast, lunch, and snacks. If you are intersted in bringing additional staff members to the training session, please contact Sarah Snoeyink at snoeyinks@marketvanburen.org.

Who should we send to this program?

It is recommended that at least two leadership-level staff members attend this training. 

At least two staff members are recommended because developing a strong resilience plan requires brainstorming and varied perspectives. Having at least two staff members in attendance will also mean you have a greater level of expertise on staff as to develop your resilience plan.

Leadership-level staff are recommended as these individuals have the capacity to make decisions about suppliers, staff management, and other high-stakes areas.

Note: While leadership-level staff are encouraged to attend the program, it is expected that these staff members will engage with employees at all levels of your organization as they develop your resilience plan. Employees at each level of your business will have unique perspectives that will provide valuable insight into areas of vulnerability of which organizational leadership may not be aware.

What is the program schedule?

Day One | Tuesday, October 19

The first day of the workshop will provide an opportunity for you to learn about the basics of resiliency planning and provide an opportunity for you to begin to develop your plan. Following the first day of training, you will leave with the beginnings of your resilience plan and instructions on how to engage with other staff members at your business to ensure the development of a comprehensive plan.

• 9:30 a.m.| Training from regional experts on categories of hazards most likely to interrupt your business’ operations: natural and manmade disasters, cybersecurity threats, human capital crises, supply chain disruptions
• 12:30 p.m. | Lunch
• 1 p.m. | Training on use of Johari Windows for hazard analysis, the basics of developing a resilience plan, and guidance as you begin to develop your plan
• 3:30 p.m. | End of workshop

Day Two | Monday, November 8

The second day of the workshop will provide an opportunity for peer learning and training on the implementation of your resilience plan. You will be expected to bring a draft of your resilience plan to the second day of training.

• 9:30 a.m.| Industry-specific discussion tables, which serve as an opportunity to discuss lessons learned and collectively explore solutions to shared hazards
• 10:30 a.m. | Training and discussion on the hows, whens, and whys of completing and implementing your resilience plan
• 12 p.m. | End of workshop

Thank you to Consumers Energy Foundation for supporting the development of this program and Mercantile Bank for supporting program delivery!