A Little Bit of Normalcy is a Good Thing

A letter from CEO Jane Allen

This morning was a “new normal” – how often have we said that over the past twelve weeks?

We anticipated that Nashville would be well into Phase 3 and moving into Phase 4 by now. Our building has been open since Phase 1, as many of our members rely on our space to help their businesses move forward, and we have done a fabulous job of virtual programming, of creating and delivering content for the entrepreneurial community. 

However, several in our community, including ourselves, miss developing and building relationships – basic human interaction.

The EC team went to work as soon as possible to put in all the recommended safe guards to open our building, but we, as a staff, continued to work from home, with the exception of those who manned the front desk and provided mail service to our members. The leadership team met in early June and decided that we would come back to work in the building on June 15. We believe that our encouragement and support of the entrepreneurial community is essential, especially during these difficult times.

As an organization, we have challenging times ahead and need to meet to ensure that we are working together to navigate. Two organizations have leased our event space to hold in-person meetings. We have people coming in to meet with us and new entrepreneurs signing up as members. 

Here are some of the precautions we’ve taken to keep everyone safe: 

• We have distributed information on building access

• We have a plexiglass covering around the reception desk

• We have a thermometer and temperature log for staff entering the building

• We have signs around the building with maximum capacity for each room

• We have removed seats from most areas so that a limited number of people can sit in certain spaces

• We have extra cleaning services performed on our entire space, and the list goes on. 

So, as I sit here in my mask, with disinfectant, hand sanitizer, paper towels at hand, we are “back in the office” – our “new normal.” In these uncertain times a little bit of “normalcy” is a good thing.