Day 1 Of Our Shutdown- April 1, 2020

I wanted to talk about why Heritage Restoration Inc decided to shut down on March 30th and the events leading up to it. In recent weeks I started the weekly meeting by asking "Why are we here and can we still work safe?" and this week I got the answer I was dreading but secretly hoping for: We have to shut down.

This could not be my decision nor did I want it to be. We lead together and are responsible for our tasks, relying on the skills and intelligence of the team. Our relationship depends on trust, communication, and planning to make the best of our projects and our lives. And this moment was all about our health and safety.

Greenhouse packed up and ready for install

In February Heritage had some scheduling challenges so we decided to have weekly meetings with Project Leaders to be sure we became better coordinated. But by the end of February we realized a brewing crisis required the whole crew to attend.

On Monday March 2, 2020 we talked about COVID-19 for the first time. We started light cleaning and washing hands more often. We purchased cleaning supplies, ordered lots more, and started to look into options for the crew if we had to shut down.

On March 9, 2020 an employee came in with a fever and cough and was sent home. While the COVID 19 test came back negative, it was a big wake up call. Cleaning and hand washing became more intense. That same day, Rhode Island's Governor Raimondo declared a State of Emergency, immediately making disaster loans available through the Small Business Administration(SBA). On Tuesday, March 10, 2020, Heritage applied for the loan knowing we could decline if we didn't need it.

The sick employee started receiving Temporary Disability Insurance immediately (RI is one of the few states where companies pays in). We can't work from home. We continued to work trying this new norm of social distancing and hygiene. We designated one person to do a daily clean, somewhat successfully kept work stations isolated, and made rules how the field crew could stay isolated. We instructed the crew to strip down when they got home and limit other outside social contact. We thought we were doing pretty well but we noticed we were still vulnerable from the "outside".

Monday March 16 was a bit more tense. Information was coming out about the virus; schools and businesses started to close. Yet we still felt confident about our cleaning techniques and isolation, and even started using more products at more work locations. We had signs all around the shop and tried to identify and remedy vulnerabilities, kept subcontractors away from the field crew, and had orders shipped. We cancelled site visits and estimates. The SBA loan was still being processed. Talk of Federal assistance was getting louder. But a clear solution was still not seen.

RISD floor packed up and ready for install

By Monday March 23 the world was closing down. The governor was trying to keep industries working, but a lot of businesses were shutting down. In the past week suppliers were taking phone orders and door pick ups or even delivering, while others were still allowed walk ins. Yet unfortunately we saw outside people not practice distancing or cleaning. And being good pragmatic thoughtful people, we were concerned about others getting us sick. But we keep going. Still no word from SBA but a Federal program was forming to allow businesses to keep employees on the payroll through loan forgiveness. Now we started to notice supply chains and payments getting interrupted.

At the Monday, March 30 meeting I again asked the question "Should we stay open" and this time there was no hesitation. We could no longer guarantee our safety with outside contact. An upcoming project involved setting up scaffolding outside of a house, and since everyone at home the work would be disruptive to the owner and the neighbors. Nor did we consider the work critical. Closing broke us. We were scared. We cried. But we knew we made the best decision.

Plank frame windows restored and ready for reinstall

Closing was not good for any of us. We made sure the crew would be supported, which seemed possible with the data we collected in the past 3 weeks. We knew we didn't have the resources to pay everyone, so we furloughed the crew and they filed unemployment. We maintained everyone's health insurance and had weekly check ins. We are family after all.

Bowed window ready for glass and painting, but we cannot get the glass right now

To add to the insanity we talked with SBA on Tuesday, March 31 and learned will get a Disaster Loan, not the recent support bill signed into law. We have not seen the details but we are excited to know we will have resources when we need it. I want to get everyone back on payroll and but still make them stay home.

So here it is April 1 and I am home and healthy with plenty of things at work to finish. We will be back. Perhaps a month behind but then again so will all of us. Honestly I could care less finishing work if we don't have a crew to do it. So please stay safe and stay TF home.