At first, board meetings were limited to fewer people or were cancelled altogether. Everyone seemed to agree
holding their board meetings via Zoom worked best. We were unable to meet with our vendors during this
shutdown but made efforts to keep in touch via email and phone.
While we were in this semi-shutdown, there were many who worked
remotely while others prepared for the eventual unlocking of the
front door by putting up a huge plexiglass partition. We also placed
sanitizing stations everywhere in the office with plans to only allow
a specific number of people in the lobby at a time.
The daily sanitizing of offices, desks, and counters were being done
by employees. In addition to that, we hired a professional sanitizing
company who came in after-hours to spray and wipe down our
corporate and satellite offices.
What were the most challenging aspects to
protecting your offices?
It was challenging because some people didn’t take the virus seriously. They were not happy they couldn’t come
in when they wanted to. We still did everything humanly possible to manage all their needs while keeping our
employees safe.
There was also the issue of getting used to these coverings on our faces! We’re a very close-knit family here
and that deeply impacted us. But we remained completely focused on the protocols, so we could all stay safe.
And then there was the learning curve with the hand shaking! Shaking hands is such an auto response and then
you’re like, “Oh! I wasn’t supposed to do that!”
Again, we observed every safety measure including wearing masks, sanitizing the entire office several times a day
including pens, phones, doorknobs…everything. Our office manager oversaw the efforts and made certain the
steps taken in the Clearwater headquarters location were replicated in our St Pete and New Port Richey offices.
Our buildings were periodically vacated and fogged to sterilize and kill any COVID-19 traces. We are lucky and
fortunate and blessed that no one has gotten sick.
Do you think any positives arose out of
this crisis?
I see the convenience of using Zoom more consistently.
It’s nice because we have many board members who
live outside of Florida in the summertime therefore it’s
difficult for them to be a part of their board meetings.
Now, they can be anywhere. So, introducing this
technology to our boards has made things so much easier
all around.
Additionally, to accommodate the increased demand
by businesses and buildings, many of our vendors have
added sanitizing and anti-virus fogging to their roster of
services.
Besides doing everything right, why specifically
was Ameri-Tech so successful in weathering this invisible and unprecedented storm?
We are a large organization that’s been in business for over 22 years. Many of us have worked together for a very
long time. We are a supportive group who always aligns for the greater good. Despite the horrors of this virus, we
were just the team to unite and do our part.
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