Business View Caribbean | May 2021

13 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN MAY 2021 Kareisha Cudjoe-Jacob, Operations Director, Altura Caribbean Ltd, Trinidad: “We’ve always been about technology. We don’t all sit down in a big office, but we try to station our staff onsite. With COVID that hasn’t been as much as we’d like it to be. So we definitely will maintain a strong virtual connection, as we already did have to some extent within our team. It was just ramped up during COVID, and we will maintain that with the clients. Of course, if they would like to have a site visit, and face to face, that’s not a problem. But for us, we think virtual is the way to go, as much as possible. Because a lot of our clients are in Barbados and Guyana, the virtual communication has to be maintained when you have projects of that size off-site.” Jonathan Sweet, Chief County Administrator, Pulaski County, Virginia, U.S.: “We are in a relationship business and we deal with citizens of every generation and age group and preference. So, I think it’s going to be forever a combination of face-to-face and virtual communication. Simply because we have folks who enjoy the technology and the convenience to interact using technology. And then we have the people who want to look you in the eye; they want to go back to shaking your hand and being across the table from you. In serving ALL our citizens, we want to be responsive to what they want. So, when everyone’s vaccinated and there’s less fear, and a better understanding, and greater social safety practices, I see going back to face- to-face with some folks and continuing on digitally and electronically with everyone else.” Power Question Once the majority of the population gets vaccinated, will your community or company return to face-to-face business as usual?