Writing this article in the midst of a global pandemic may seem insignificant considering the magnitude of the Covid-19 outbreak. So what is significant enough to write about in these days of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and fervent prayers?
In my mind, what is significant are the millions of “critical” employees who face the same anxieties and uncertainty as everyone else, but get up every morning or night, make their beds, put on their clothes, and go to work. They go to work to perform their jobs as a contributing member of what the Department of Homeland Security has deemed “Essential Businesses and Services” to keep this country running. There are 16 sectors of critical infrastructure, and Adams Colds Storage falls within the “Food & Agriculture” sector.
The critical infrastructure sectors of our government and the private sector have to be maintained, and the people who work in these services must remain in order to ensure that we all have what we need — safety, security, food, energy, water, communications, finance, transportation, and emergency services. The “critical” employees of the critical sectors reflect what is best in the American worker: reliability, dedication, responsiveness, and the desire to produce. These ordinary yet extraordinary and typically humble heroes allow us to feel safer and less threatened. And they give us hope.
So to anyone reading this today, let’s remember to thank our local, state and national “critical” employees who look this deadly virus in the eye each day and night, and say, “We’re here in spite of you, and we will win.”
I am especially grateful to the men and women of Adams Cold Storage who continue to serve as key “critical” employees on the front lines of the food supply chain. A decade of growth, training, adherence to the best sanitation and warehousing practices, and loyalty are rays of light for all of us in these challenging days.
Stay tough, stay safe, stay well!