By Chase
Happy Holidays from the entire team of the Ontario Construction Report, and Happy New Year!
Wow! What a year 2020 has been from the shut-down of the country in March, to adapting our daily lives to try to return to “normal” during a Pandemic. COVID-19 has forced the construction industry in to embrace both the digital and virtual worlds into daily work life.
Zoom meetings have replaced in-person meetings and traditional phone calls. Live trade shows and annual awards handed out virtually have replaced gala events. In-person events will return hopefully by the end of 2021, but I expect virtual aspects will be included creating new hybrid events.
Many experienced a new challenge working remotely, often from home. A huge shout out to those who navigated this with young children. I am sure some of your co-workers have met them when they walked into a Zoom call communicated loudly in the background.
Luckily, I have been working from home since I joined the company in 2007, when the publisher decided to hire a new rep from outside of the GTA. Clients no longer ask meto stop in for a copy of their logo on paper or mail me a business card for ad design.
What do the next few weeks and months hold for the industry? Are we heading into another lockdown and confusion over what segments of the construction sector are essential? I am interested in views and thoughts about where the industry will go in 2021 and the impact COVID-19. You can reach me at chase@ontarioconstructionnews.com.
Chase is the director of marketing and client relations for the Construction News and Report Group as well as the associate publisher for the Ontario Construction Report, Ontario Construction News as well as several US magazines. In addition to email, he can be reached at (905) 341-8686.