The now -- hopefully -- declining pandemic has been a challenge the world over.

Cathedral City has met that challenge, the city's Chamber President Haddon Libby said during a recent interview.

"Our challenge as a city is the same as that faced by every family following this once-in-a-lifetime event – we need to help those who are struggling to help themselves," Haddon told Desert Magazine. "Whether it is a friend, family member or favorite business, those of us with the wherewithal need to help others."

Cathedral City, as with the rest of the Coachella Valley, has spent months getting through the difficult time by proving that we are better together.

"One simple way that anyone can do is simply to do business with local merchants," Libby said. "Whether it is a restaurant, accountant or registered investment adviser like me, more of your money stays in your community if you do business with locally based businesses."

Local business usually hires locals, "a circle that grows opportunities for all," Libby said.

Libby added that it is his "sincere hope that people begin recognizing the large difference that they can make by simply using locally based businesses whenever possible."

Libby, who has been Cathedral City Chamber of Commerce president since January 2015, is managing partner at Winslow Drake Investment Management, a registered investment advisory practice based in Cathedral City. He also is an adviser to the Greater Coachella Valley Chamber board of directors.

Libby had been a part of the Cathedral City Chamber for about half a decade when the pandemic settled in over the world, a position that allowed him to see firsthand what the event did to the business community -- and what the entire community could do about it.

"With the global pandemic and economic shutdown, we saw many businesses that were successful prior to pandemic shutter," Libby recalled. "As the largest banks were slow to support businesses in our market, those of us with connections worked hard to help people find the economic relief that they needed in order to survive the shutdown."

Libby and his business partner helped others find more PPP loans than did the top two banks in Cathedral City's market during that first round of federal COVID relief.  

"Pretty remarkable when you consider that we helped about 15 businesses," Libby said. "While many of us have learned to work with the new normal, many others remain upended and in need of our help and support if they are to ever recover from this Black Swan event.  More than ever, we all need to go out of our way to support locally based businesses."

Now that the pandemic appears to be receding, the time is ripe to look to the future, Libby said.

"In 2021, the downtown corridor in Cathedral City continues to advance on positive momentum generated by the new Agua Caliente Casino at the corner of Date Palm and Highway 111," Libby pointed out. "The long-vacant Sam’s Club will be turned into an Amazon Fulfillment Center, adding 152 much-needed full-time jobs to the area."

Employees at the fulfillment center will have full health care benefits and options for tuition reimbursement, Libby said.

"We are also expecting a major development near the new casino with expectations for a national coffee chain and other national food operators," he said. "A high-end gated community is being developed in this area, which should help with regentrification efforts in the downtown area."