PERSPECTIVE: We Have Your Back

Date Posted: April 1, 2020

Posted In: COVID-19 Updates, Discussion, Ideas,

PERSPECTIVE

by Tom Finan, Executive Director, Construction Forum STL

I’m writing this on April 1st. The trending internet meme is that, “April Fools Day has been cancelled because no joke could be weirder than reality.”

This column is not to give you one more piece of advice on COVID-19 safety, de-stressing, finances, or work-from-home.

We just want to let you know that our team at the Construction Forum has your back. 

Yesterday my wife suggested that I back off when I objected to an email from a colleague who had expressed a sharp opinion about one of the issues facing us as an industry. “You don’t have any idea what he’s going through right now,” she said. As usual, she was right.

The same day, I heard from a major contractor facing some tough decisions because of delayed work. A union official told me that he is frustrated with the pressures he faces as he tries to keep his members safe. They certainly weren’t asking me to solve anything for them. I was there to listen — to let them know that I was there for them and had their backs.

In telling young people about the opportunities in our industry, one of the most difficult concepts to communicate is the fact that our industry is a TEAM. Respect is earned, we tell them, because —  when the chips are down — you have to know that you can trust your teammate to be there for you. Once you’ve proven you can be trusted, you have brothers and sisters for life.

In the last week our Forum team: Deputy Executive Director/COO Diana Wilhold, Director of Administration Dede Hance, and I have gone through some of the same challenges you have faced. We realized that the safety of our team and their families is critical. Only healthy, living team members can accomplish the work on our mission, “To facilitate the collaboration of all the stakeholders in the STL Region’s built environment  in creating inclusive, robust employment and economic growth.”

We figured out how to work remotely. We are calculating how to remain financially stable. And we are trying our best daily to serve as your resource — the connector, communication channel for the St. Louis Region’s construction industry as we have for over six years:

• We aided community organizations and unions in communication and connection on efforts such as the search for repurposing of construction N95 respirator masks and other PPE for healthcare personnel;
• We have facilitated the conversation and discernment process on “essential” work, by presenting information rather than taking a position;
• We have connected individuals and organizations with resources on an almost daily basis;
• We continue to produce the Forum newsletter and website, trying to curate and present the drill-down information you need to help you make choices;
• We are using this “down” time, when a lot of meetings and on-the-ground work are impossible, to organize the data on our thousands of contacts as part of the “Digital Hub” that is part of our Construction Forum 2.0 strategic plan.

Most important, we — and the resources of the Construction Forum — are here, doing what we can every day, to let you know that you are not alone. We are on your team and have your back. If you have an issue that you need addressed, we want to listen. 

Conversely, we ask you to — hard as it might be at times — try to be there for your family and work team as we come through this together.

We are Construction Forum.

YOU are Construction Forum.

And Construction Forum has your back.

Part of my personal story is my two daughters — ages 39 and 15. I cannot see either of them in person right now, even though we are all in St. Louis. But we are in contact daily.  My older daughter normally runs a restaurant kitchen. She is an inspiration to me as she keeps a positive attitude and sense of humor that makes me smile all the time. My younger daughter, a high school sophomore, athlete, and budding journalist, shares articles, insights, jokes, and inspiration with me.

As part of a conversation my younger daughter and I were having regarding the virtual online choruses and orchestras that are producing amazing, inspiring music in this time of social distancing, she mentioned a performance of the song You Will be Found  by Ben Platt & the Cast of ‘Dear Evan Hansen’ on the ‘Late Night With James Corden’ show.

As inspiring as the music is (you can listen to it below), I found James Corden’s comments particularly poignant. “…it’s OK to feel anxious,” Corden said. “And the best we can do is try and breath through that and put our minds in a positive place and think, ‘What can I do to help somebody else who might be feeling like this?'”

“Reaching out to somebody who might be struggling too is pretty much the best thing we can all do. Because we absolutely will get through this.”

YOU WILL BE FOUND

Have you ever felt like nobody was there?
Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?
Have you ever felt like you could disappear?
Like you could fall, and no one would hear?

Well, let that lonely feeling wash away
Maybe there’s a reason to believe you’ll be okay
‘Cause when you don’t feel strong enough to stand
You can reach, reach out your hand

And oh, someone will coming running
And I know, they’ll take you home

Even when the dark comes crashing through
When you need a friend to carry you
And when you’re broken on the ground
You will be found

So let the sun come streaming in
‘Cause you’ll reach up and you’ll rise again
Lift your head and look around
You will be found