Thoughts On Re-Opening Your Business By Paul Downey

Paul Downey, P.Eng CEO, Pliteq Inc.

I founded the engineering company, Pliteqin 2006, and have applied 25 years of engineering, manufacturing, R&D, and business development experience to ensure the success of our business based on recycled tire products.

I completed my Chemical Engineering thesis at the University of Western Ontario in 1991. I was one of the first researchers globally in the development and use of materials from recycled tires and was focused on engineering such products. I later moved to Toronto to help design and build one of the largest scrap tire recycling plants in the world.

1. How can businesses smooth the transition of reopening their business in the coming weeks or months?

Businesses can implement protocols to enforce social distancing in the workplace. At Pliteq we have always been a distanced culture allowing our staff to have their own designated space and privacy in the office. In this way, we were already naturally distanced in our normal operations. However, where we do need a plan is in the common areas such as boardrooms and lunchrooms to ensure the safety of our employees. In addition, Pliteq and other businesses can incorporate a system of alternating staff to further encourage social distancing. This will reduce the number of employees in the office at any given day to fifty percent.

2. What are the differences between business operations pre and post-COVID and what is your advice to small businesses adapting to the new normal?

At Pliteq, we will strive to normalize everything as much as possible to our pre-COVID business operations as that is what people were happy with and are looking forward to. Therefore, the new normal is eventually going to be a lot like the old normal. Although there will be newly added safety standards for the practice of social distancing, proper hygiene, (washing hands regularly, avoid touching the face) sanitation of surfaces and wearing a mask.