WASHINGTON D.C., DC — A West Michigan business owner joined Senator Debbie Stabenow as her guest at Tuesday night's State of the Union address. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, guests of U.S. senators and representatives joined virtually.
While Scott Hammontree, business partner of The Intersection, didn't get a shoutout from President Joe Biden, he says it was still an honor to represent concert venues in West Michigan.
"With everything going on in the world, and in our country, I was already interested in watching it," he says. "I'm truly privileged to be a part of it."
Over the last two years, The Intersection has seen shutdowns and slow business. Hammontree says he's filled in leaders in D.C. about what's going on in West Michigan.
"We obviously worked and communicating with our senators and our representatives, just how bad concert venues were experiencing it," Hammontree says. "[We've had] revenue losses, 90 to 95 percent plus, being shut down, not being able to open, furlough our staff."
Right now, the concert venue is at about half its normal volume.
"From July until late November, early December, we had a relatively normal quarter. We were down around 20 percent or so," he says. "But once those levels started peaking, and the caseload start picking back up again, bands that were going to tour in January, February, March and April, there just wasn't as many of those because it just didn't seem like it was safe for bands to tour them."
Hammontree is optimistic that with cases now decreasing, the venue will see a more normal spring and summer.
"[Being Senator Stabenow's guest] is something special, it's something I never really thought would have happened to me," he says.
Before the State of the Union address, Hammontree did join a meeting with Senator Stabenow and other representatives, giving guests a bit of a sneak preview of the President's address.
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