COVID 19: What Did We Learn????

In the beginning of the pandemic, we promised we would turn challenges into opportunities. So now that most US citizens and businesses are rediscovering “normal” life, we thought it was time to take a look at the lessons learned from this past year and how they might inform our future.

Agility:

The coronavirus provided a big lesson in agility as we all had to adapt and respond quickly to changing events. Companies like Sugaright that are comfortable with change, were able to shift gears rapidly to eliminate any disruptions in business operations.

The Great Unveiling

This rapidly changing environment allowed us to know our strengths, but it also helped us to identify places where we could do things better and faster. And so we got better, stronger, fitter and more efficient for the future.

The Essential Employee

Healthcare workers as heroes of the pandemic are obvious. However, the employees who work in the agriculture and food sectors are also essential. When so many employees were out of work as restaurants, travel and entertainment shut down, our employees showed up and got the job done. They are our heroes. Plain and simple.

Health and Wellness

The health and wellness of our employees was always a priority. But now we became more aware of our behaviors impact one another. Diligent cooperation regarding mask-wearing, sanitation and social distancing at our refining facilities kept our employees safe.

Science Matters

With sometimes confusing and contradictory messaging from government officials, we learned to stay in the lanes of what the current science was telling us. Masks and social distancing mattered when we learned it was the best way to mitigate risk of exposure. The masks came off our employees who could provide proof of vaccination.

Partnerships and Technology Provided Resilience

We value face to face communication and engagement in our business relationships. When COVID resulted in the cancellation of the many opportunities to get together in person, we Zoomed and chatted so there were no gaps in understanding the needs and challenges of our customers. No doubt remote work is now built into the “new normal”. We will learn to respect the different needs and preferences of our customers going forward. No more “one size fits all”.

The Future

Due to vaccines and therapeutics, for the present, the stress and health risks of the pandemic in the US are greatly relieved. We hope new variants will not threaten this path to full recovery, but if they do, the lessons learned of agility, resilience and continuous improvement will leave us prepared.