Brian Czaplicki, Director: Marketing & Sales, Air-Vac Engineering Co., Inc

How did Covid-19 affect business in 2020?

Covid-19 significantly affected how we conducted business in 2020 and will most likely continue to influence us in the years to come. Some of the biggest changes occurred because we began working from home. Other changes transpired when we had to follow the "changing procedures" when visiting customers provided the only way we could deliver service to them. When a trip to the customer's site was required, simple actions like arranging travel, getting through an airport, booking hotels, and finding places to eat became a challenge.

Face to face meetings and conferences/tradeshows became a thing of the past and it became hard to collaborate with colleagues, build/maintain our networks, and meet new customers. Wearing masks, washing hands, social distancing, and smelly hand sanitors became the new normal.

The telephone and computer/video chat, along with virtual meetings, became essential tools to share documents, presentations, and ideas. Therefore, we had to upgrade our PowerPoint skills for webinars and virtual conferences to get our message across.

Eventually, perhaps we will find that keeping many of the new tools, while resuming face-to-face interactions will optimize our effectiveness in the future.