"Getting Through This" Is Not Good Enough

The same message keeps scrolling on my news feed, “we will get through this crisis.” Not to take anything away from the people who are sharing the sentiment, however, that’s not enough. It seems every moment we get an announcement of a new shortage, restriction, closure, or count. Like most in our industry, continuity of operations and employee management in light of contamination is something that we have planned for in detail. It is expected of us. So, for those of us who have had the luxury of scenario planning, we are striving for excellence that exceeds getting through. We look to triumph for our employees, our customers, and the Company’s growth. 

We implemented daily communications with our employees at the beginning of March. We are finding that our education has been valuable. There is so much misinformation spread through well-meaning influencers on social media and just person-to-person messages. We instituted a daily communication to instruct employees on measures to prevent the spread of illness, encourage safe working situations, and reduce employee gatherings. We have paid significant attention to daily reminders to minimize exposure to other people and places that could be contaminated. As we have learned, one outbreak would exponentially impact their fellow employees and the Company. Of course, hygienic practices are always central to our business, and over the last weeks, we have increased those measures.

For our customers, we are leveraging the information that we obtain to instill confidence. The CDC advises that COVID-19 appears to exhibit poor survivability, and there is currently “no evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 associated with food.” With that said, we are aware that many customers of Devault Foods products are family-owned and small business restaurateurs. Our hearts and prayers go out to all of those who have closed their doors and their livelihood to combat the spread of this virus. We encourage our employees and community to order from those who are providing take-out and curbside pick-up. We know that there are some tough weeks ahead, and we are here to work with them during this transition and when we can resume gathering in restaurants.

Our Company has over 70 years of success. Our legacy is largely due to our dedicated employees and loyal customers. This is the time that we implement procedures not because it is expected of us but because it is right to be accountable to the people and businesses that depend upon you. We are diligently working to maintain a safe working environment and will be ready to work with our existing and new customers in the future. We are not merely looking to make it through. We prepared the processes and implemented daily communications so that we are confident that we will triumph through this crisis.

For the leadership team here at Devault Foods, our guiding question has been, when we look back, will we be proud of our actions or will we be ashamed. We hope that other leaders are asking the same question and have the same triumph.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

Thank you, and stay safe.