The pandemic has put many small businesses through a gauntlet of challenges. Some have relied on their relationships with community banks to stay open, keep employees or maintain growth. While some sectors of the economy are still struggling, the vaccination rollout means many small businesses are planning for a swift recovery thanks to their ingenuity and perseverance-and help from community banks. // By Kelly Pike // A fter an exhausting year, small businesses are ready to retire the word " unprecedented " and replace it with a new phrase: cautious optimism. While we're not out of the woods yet, COVID-19 infection rates are trending down, while the vaccination rate is going up. A new round of Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) lending is providing the funds needed to help bridge the gap between now and a world that looks more like the one Americans lived in 2019. Recovery seems like a possibility. Entrepreneurs may be dreamers, but they are also hustlers and problem solvers who have spent the past year finding ways to keep their businesses independentbanker.org Q 55 Is recovery on the horizon for small businesses?http://www.independentbanker.org