CIANJ Commerce Magazine September 2020 Live | Page 58

■ Annual Best Practices Guide
Continued From Page 54
LAW
Sills Cummis & Gross P.C.
By Max Crane, Esq.,
Managing Partner
Watkins Legal
By Kurt M. Watkins, Esq.,
Founder
MANUFACTURING
Dream On Me
By Mark Srour,
CEO
Putting our clients’ needs first
has been a guiding principle
at Sills Cummis & Gross since
the law firm was founded nearly
50 years ago. During 2020, our attorneys
are continuing to focus on individualized
client service. In many instances, our clients
are under even more pressure and putting in
more hours due to the COVID‐19 pandemic.
This added pressure makes it even more important
that we engage with our clients by
their preferred means of communication and
on their preferred schedule, and afford them
consistently updated, multiple technological
options to achieve their goals. Whether working
remotely or in the office, our attorneys
continue to make it a priority to understand
each client’s business goals and objectives—
something we have been striving to do since
our inception in 1971.
For prestige reasons, transactional
law has had far more
overhead than necessary. Because
of COVID, I dropped my
physical office with no intention of resuming
one and geared my whole practice to be digital
and remote. I leveraged multiple SaaS’s
and technology hardware investments as well
as hiring people I trusted who live nowhere
close to me to do this. As a result, I have been
able to share this cost savings and increased
productivity with my clients without taking a
hit to my bottom line. Moreover, due to the
inherent flexibility of remote work, I intend to
weave work and life more seamlessly together
and, hopefully, create a better, more efficient
way to render sophisticated legal services.
As an essential business, the
DOM Family (Dream On Me)
has been operational throughout
these unpredictable times,
providing baby care products and baby safety
items for parents across the country. While
we have adopted all safety measures as recommended
by the state, federal and CDC healthcare
departments such as wearing masks,
taking regular temperature checks of staff,
maintaining social distance and sanitizing the
workplace at regular intervals, we have also
implemented practices that ensure the welfare
of our employees while making sure that
business processes run smoothly and customer
needs are met. Dream On Me has adopted a
digital software that allows for contactless attendance.
The company has also implemented
a multiple shift and alternate day attendance
policy, and work from home where possible.
Within the office premises, Dream On Me has
installed plexiglass dividers between cubicles
and workspace and enforced virtual tele-meetings,
including in-house meetings.
MANUFACTURING
New Jersey Manufacturing
Extension Program, Inc.
By John W. Kennedy,
CEO
Remaining flexible was key in
reinventing NJMEP to better
suit the COVID‐19 environment.
NJMEP increased communication with
state and federal governments to better access
up-to-date information as it pertained to
manufacturers' businesses at the start of the
pandemic. Working with partnered attorneys,
NJMEP distributed pertinent information
found in executive orders and CDC guidelines
to provide business leaders with actionable best
practices daily to keep their employees safe and
businesses open. Our workforce shifted from
actively selling services to gathering critical client
information to identify the key constraints
and concerns of our client base. Additionally,
we created a supply chain database to create additional
local manufacturing and distribution
connections to create business for New Jersey
manufacturers and ensure the supply chain
would not be compromised. These complementary
efforts provided the information needed
for our clients to remain in business. As a result,
new business and new relationships formed.
56 COMMERCE www. commercemagnj.com
Sandvik Coromant,
Sales Area Americas
By Sean Holt,
President
Public health crises are unsettling,
disruptive and confusing
for everyone. With
COVID‐19 cases still on the rise, this virus has
certainly tested how ready we all are for workforce
disruptions. My best practice is that
business leaders should take this opportunity
to positively lead their companies forward as
the primary crisis communicator. While you
will always rely on the expertise, guidance and
knowledge of your cross-functional teams of
Environment, Health and Safety (EHS), IT,
HR, communications and facilities to plan for
different scenarios and optimize execution,
take this opportunity to share COVID‐19
updates with your employees yourself. This
significant touchpoint shows your genuine
concern for employee well-being and helps to
build trust in your organization. During that
communication, always make it clear that
your number one priority is the health and
safety of your employees and their families.
The Knotts Company
By Rick Howe,
President
The essential needs of our
customers were our major
concern in this challenging
time. These customers had
two urgent needs: safety equipment to allow
their on-site employees to work through the
pandemic; and automation tools such as
remote monitoring systems and robots so
they could continue production with fewer
workers on the premises. In our 68 years
as a distributor of automation and robotic
technology, we historically conducted product
demonstrations in a customer's factory
or warehouse. Fortunately, a recent, major
investment in new servers and computer systems
left us well-positioned to work virtually.
Our customers urgently needed to keep production
going, especially those making PPE
and packaging food, so they could protect
workers, feed people and keep the economy
moving. We conducted webinars and product
demonstrations from home via Zoom to
give them crucial, time-sensitive information
and support.
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