NORTH SMITHFIELD – Junior Jabbie, the CEO and president of Banneker Supply Chain Solutions, Inc., said his company was designated as critical infrastructure, meaning its “executive leadership” is operating in the office daily, while 85% of the staff works from home. Banneker is a supply-chain management solution company that Jabbie says has faced many challenges in recent years.
He added its investment in technology to bolster security and resilience prepared it for the pandemic.
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“In 2018, we lost our [late] founder and CEO, Cheryl Snead, and I lost my beloved boss, mentor, and friend,” he said. “In 2019, we went through an acquisition and several disruptive business changes. In 2020, we face a global pandemic that threatens the health and livelihood of every nation on this planet. This has been a wild three years for me both personally and professionally. In spite of it all, we as a company have not lost our hope, our joy, our determination to persevere, or the excitement to come to work each day.
“This pandemic has put so many things into perspective for me personally,” added Jabbie. “As an avid traveler, I have seen firsthand the dire situations that exist for people in this country and around the world, including right here in Rhode Island. There are a lot of people who wish their biggest problems were quarantining at home, practicing social distancing, or living off limited unemployment benefits. … I am taking this time to focus on large projects and initiatives at Banneker, to re-engage with friends and family, and appreciate a simpler life pace.”
PBN is asking local business owners and CEOs five questions in a survey designed to understand how the new coronavirus has affected them and their businesses and what they have learned from the unprecedented challenges. Here are Jabbie’s responses:
How are you coping amid the COVID-19 crisis?
All things being considered, our team members and company overall are doing fairly well in the midst of this global tragedy. Our focus is to keep as many of our team members employed and actively working to deliver on behalf of our customers. Overall, our focus has been to continue to keep operations safely running and to ensure that our team members feel safe, act safe, and actually are safe.
Have you found silver linings in these difficult times?
It has been amazing to see all the different individuals, groups, and organizations step up and get involved when there are so many people in need – the human spirit at work is unreal. I also think the much-needed focus on and appreciation for many of the underrepresented population groups like healthcare personnel, small/micro businesses, grocery store workers, warehouse workers, critical retailers, manufacturers and so many more. And while I think all workers are essential, we have really leaned on employees and companies in these industries and they should be recognized and protected.
How are you maintaining your company culture?
We are doing our best to figure out new ways to regularly communicate to our team members, which is more challenging due to our two-shift operation and work-from-home policies. Things that we done to reinforce our culture including rolling out special benefit programs for our team members, purchasing meals, providing PPE and care packages, and establishing new tools for communication including a dedicated COVID-19 resource website for our team members and a text communication tool. We have spent years investing in our team members, our company, and our company culture. It is events like the one we are confronting today, that test that company culture that has been years in the making. And I think that investment is the main ingredient that is maintaining our culture.
Did your business continuity plan work or were there surprises?
I think there are always surprises but our plan, the one we had in place and the additional plans we put in specific to COVID-19, overall worked. Several years ago, we began to invest significantly in technology, especially in bolstering our security and resiliency, and that has paid off. To date, we have been open and operational every day and we continue to persevere and deliver in support of our customers. I consider that a success and give all the credit to our team members who remain diligent and focused on our goals. That being said, I think a lot of companies, Banneker included, will be taking a hard look at all their plans based on this pandemic.
Do you have advice for other local companies?
Stay the course, stay focused, stay together, and stay engaged with your workforce.
Restate the narrative and own it: Do not allow the other symptoms of this pandemic – fear, anxiety, loneliness, sadness – to dictate your narrative, your brand, your culture, or your charted course. We cannot let this crisis dictate and control our minds or hurt our spirit, hope, and joy. There are silver linings and tremendous opportunities hidden amid the sickness and pain but we need to adjust our frequencies to hone-in to find them.
Focus: Stay the course and ensure you stay focused on your core lines of business. Reach out to your key customers and suppliers just to check in on them and maintain/build the relationship.
Go back to “The Shelf:” There are several ideas, projects, initiatives, etc. that many companies put on the shelf for whatever reason prior to the pandemic. If your business is slowed down or has come to a complete halt, do not stop working on your business, versus in your business. Revisit that shelf and reengage projects and initiatives that will help you come out of this crisis as a better, more resilient company.
Find strength in numbers: Tap into all the incredible business resources and networks that exist right here in our state. Never did I think I would get tired of so many emails and phone calls from individuals and groups reaching out to help Banneker and me. I am fortunate to be affiliated or connected to such great organizations such as the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, Rhode Island Manufacturers Association, Rhode Island Black Business Association, United Way of Rhode Island, Vistage Worldwide (CEO peer-to-peer group), Rhode Island Society of CPAs, and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program amongst many others. I would also encourage businesses to engage with their accountants, CPA firms, lawyers, bankers, financial advisers, and the like.
Do something: While it is natural to want to hunker down and let the fear paralyze you, doing something, anything, is better than doing nothing at all; that is true whether your business is shutdown or fully operational. For instance, my friend Marc Streisand owns Marc Allen, a fine clothier here in Rhode Island. As a clothing store, his business has suffered during the pandemic. Nevertheless, he turned his dire situation into action and began making beautiful facemasks with the finest fabrics that he donates to frontline workers while also selling them to the public. That is a perfect example of taking life’s lemons and making whatever you want out of them.
Cassius Shuman is a PBN staff writer and researcher. He can be reached at shuman@pbn.com.
