SHIAWASSEE COUNTY â To say that 2020 was a difficult year for local businesses because of COVID-19 is an understatement â but itâs also an oversimplification. The year wasnât difficult for everybody, since the pandemic created clear economic losers and winners, depending on the type of business and level of government restrictions. Also, focusing solely on the yearâs difficulties ignores the remarkable ability of many adversely affected local businesses to confront them head on. âThis was a year unlike any other. The key word is âresilienceâ â an incredible amount of resilience,â Justin Horvath, president/CEO of Shiawassee Economic Development Partnership, said Tuesday. âBusiness owners said, âWeâre going to fight. Weâre going to stay strong and weâre going to make it through.