Charlemont, MA – Today, Congressman Richard E. Neal joined Jon Schaefer, CEO of Berkshire East Mountain Resort, to highlight how Democratic leadership has helped keep businesses open and protect local jobs during times of need.
This visit comes after Berkshire East celebrated opening weekend for the 2025-2026 season — the forty-ninth season under the Schaefer family — and just five years after the ski resort faced extraordinary economic challenges from the COVID-19 pandemic. However, thanks to economic programs established under the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act, Berkshire East and their sister businesses were able to receive the financial support they needed to continue operating.
“Today’s visit is an important reminder of what the federal government is capable of when we meet the moment with competence and a commitment to investing in the American worker,” said Congressman Richard E. Neal. “And it is also a reminder of what happens when that leadership disappears, resulting in workers facing higher costs, businesses facing greater uncertainty, and rural economies like Charlemont’s being left to grapple with the fallout of shortsighted policy decisions.”
Berkshire East Mountain Resort and its sister businesses employ hundreds of year-round and seasonal workers whose income supports local restaurants, shops, schools, and municipal services. Without federal intervention during the height of the pandemic, the ripple effects of prolonged closures would have been devastating for the region. The relief Congress delivered under Democratic leadership allowed the Schaefers to retain staff and avoid permanent layoffs, providing economic stability for them and their employees, ultimately positioning them for a faster, stronger recovery.
“Congressman Neal’s visit is an opportunity to highlight how federal programs intersect with real-world rural operations. For us at Berkshire East, Catamount Resort and Zoar, we received federal funds that helped maintain payroll during the pandemic period,” said Jon Schaefer, CEO of Berkshire East Mountain Resort. “In rural economies like ours in Western Massachusetts, every single job has a multiplier effect on families, schools and local businesses. Having our teams intact allowed us to not only maintain our infrastructure during unpredictable times, but also allowed for a faster and stronger recovery once restrictions were lifted. Maintaining a nonpartisan line, we truly appreciate any government program that helps working people stay working and supports rural businesses.”
Among the critical economic programs established under Congressman Neal’s chairmanship of the Ways and Means Committee, included in the CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan Act and benefitted small businesses are:
- Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL): $390 billion to nearly four million small businesses and nonprofits
- Paycheck Protection Program (PPP): $763 billion in forgiven loans to more than 968,000 businesses and nonprofits
- Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF): $28.5 billion to more than 100,000 businesses
- Shuttered Venue Operator Grants (SVOG): $14.6 billion in grants to more than 13,000 businesses and nonprofits
- State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF): $350 billion to state, territorial, local, and tribal governments, many of which provided grants to businesses and nonprofits in their district
“With these programs now fully implemented across the country, we are calling attention to what these funds have meant for businesses and communities throughout the First District of Massachusetts,” continued Neal. “As workers and businesses grapple with the reckless and chaotic economic policies of the current administration, it’s important to call attention to stories like the one here at Berkshire East, reminding us of what thoughtful, responsible leadership can achieve. For families like the Schaefers, the pandemic represented some of the worst moments for their business. They were looking for a partner in the federal government, and that’s precisely what we delivered.”
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