We have all been experiencing conditions of extreme change and are now focused on managing our lives and business operations around it. What does the future hold, and how do we plan and react to the aftermath of the ghost, COVID-19?  

To start, we must recognize that many state governments have deemed construction activities and supporting businesses to be considered “essential activity.” How did this happen? 

Construction and development have been the backbone of our local economy here in Colorado, and it has been said to be one of the primary accelerants that helped kick-start the economy after the 2008 recession. In reality, declaring construction an essential activity in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic was the work of numerous trade organizations, including the Tilt-Up Concrete Association. Our influence, as always, is in our membership numbers and speaking as one voice.

That being said, we need to consider our membership in the TCA as critical as one of our key employees. The work done behind the scenes by the TCA staff is incredibly important and is only possible with members from a vast and diverse group. This includes input from developers, architects, engineers, contractors and suppliers. The TCA has strength because of the broad spectrum of its membership, and the participation of those members in other trade organizations—power in numbers and speaking as one voice.  

At the TCA, I have witnessed numerous company leaders stepping up to share innovations of design, processes, procedures and ideas within our organization. As a tilt-up subcontractor, I would like to believe that keeping our creative means and methods private is the most prudent business practice; but in reality, everyone has those similar ideas, and the more that we share as an industry, the better the quality and value there will be for the end user. Better quality and more competitive pricing equates to more potential work in the market place. We all win.  

I recently attended the TCA webinar series, “Stronger Together,” and was personally grateful for the up-to-date information that I received. Information is changing so fast with the COVID-19 virus, we just can’t keep up with the inundation of information. Managed networking is an effective way for professionals to distribute and share information, and having a peer group discuss impacts and techniques to implement was very beneficial.   

I encourage all members of the TCA to become recruiters. It’s uncomfortable to ask your competition and others to join, but the benefits to you and your company are immeasurable. The impact of COVID-19 is in the early stages for business management, but if we work together, we can continue to improve and modify our operations and have a loud voice reaching decision-makers at the highest levels. We can more efficiently and safely navigate through this as an organization.  

Be safe, and take care of your family, friends, and co-workers.

Scott Bunney