SMU Community Chat
August 8, 2020
Service Center Execs: “Take It Day by Day and We Will Get Through This”
Written by Sandy Williams
“It’s official, pandemics are not great for business,” understated Mike Barnett with an ironic smile during the SMU Community Chat Webinar on Aug. 5. Barnett, President and COO at Grand Steel Products, and Lisa Goldenberg, President of Delaware Steel Co. of Pennsylvania, described the challenge of operating a service center business during the COVID-19 crisis.
Delaware Steel office staff are working remotely and, so far, employees have remained healthy. At Grand Steel Products, staff is split between the office and home. Three cases of COVID-19 (two asymptomatic and one who has recovered) caused a temporary shutdown of the plant and offices. Every employee was tested after the first infection and again before returning to work. Protective measures such as daily temperature checks and multiple weekly disinfections have become the norm.
