Maureen Wallenfang
Appleton Post-Crescent
Published 8:11 PM EDT Mar 22, 2020
Life and business changed in the blink of an eye as the coronavirus pandemic bore down on the country this past week.
Businesses big and small had to adapt. Supply chains were disrupted, and both employees and customers felt the brunt of business closures and layoffs. Businesses that remained open had to clean meticulously and follow social distancing practices to halt community spread. Unemployment claims soared.
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Here, a snapshot of the coronavirus’ effect on three different companies in the Fox Cities.
Plexus Corp.
One of the Fox Cities’ largest companies, the nearly $3.5 billion Plexus Corp. based in Neenah, saw the effect of the virus early, back in January, because it has suppliers and several factories in China. President and CEO Todd Kelsey told investors on March 4 that its second quarter revenues will likely drop by $40 million, or about 5%, because of disruptions in its supply chain.
Of Plexus’ 19,000 global employees, about 2,200 are in four facilities in Neenah and Appleton. Engineers and global headquarters employees were asked to work from home. Its production facilities instituted policies and procures to safeguard employees, Kelsey said.
“A significant amount of our products are in health care/life sciences – infusion pumps, patient monitors, brochoscopes and imaging equipment like CT scanners and MRI machines. They’re all things that are a part of the suite of products used to fight COVID-19,” Kelsey said. “There’s a strong demand in that area and we have to find a safe way to manufacture these products.”
No employees have tested positively to the virus to date, he said, and a small number have self-quarantined.
“We put in place policies to fully compensate employees should they become sick or need to self-quarantine without utilizing any sick days,” he said. “Our child care leave policy fully compensates employees for two weeks to stay home with their children. We will have to extend that a bit because we’re not sure how long school shutdowns are going to be. They can use the two weeks without using any paid time off or vacation time. We’ll do this for as long as we can. We are proud and humbled by our workforce. They’ve stepped up and pitched in to help each other, particularly with health care products we make.”
Bon Voyage Boutique Travel
At the beginning of the week, Geoff Hendren wasn’t sure his small Bon Voyage Boutique Travel agency in downtown Neenah would survive. But by the end of the week, he was more optimistic despite the massive crash of travel industry.
“We’re hoping to survive the next six to nine months with little to no income,” he said. “If we can survive, I think the industry will come back and our clients will start traveling again later this year. We’ll be in business, but it might look different. We might not have the office downtown. We might work from home.”
March is one of the agency’s busiest times with spring break bookings and Caribbean travel. Instead, they’ve been swamped by cancellations that peaked “right after the announcement of flight interruptions to Europe, a week ago Thursday,” said Cindy Hendren, Geoff’s wife and agency co-owner.
That’s all lost revenue, as they don’t get paid until a trip takes place.
“We were about to hire a new agent for the office, but now have to lay off our office manager and one full-time agent,” Geoff said. The office manager is their daughter, Kara Rothkegel.
“It’s never good when you have to lay off your daughter,” he said. “But she understands. Her day care provider is now also out of a job. There’s a trickle-down effect.”
Geoff said he and Cindy will be the only ones left, and they’ll live off their savings until things improve.
CountrySide Veterinary Services
CountrySide Veterinary Services, on Appleton’s north side, wanted to stay open but knew it had to maintain social distance between its workers and human clients.
In essence, it made its parking lot into its waiting room. Pet owners text the clinic to alert the staff they’ve arrived for an appointment. An employee brings pets to the exam room. Pet owners download a free Google Duo video chat app on their phones that allows them to stay in their cars and still see what’s going on in the exam room.
“We’ve been slowly rolling out new ideas in the last three to five days,” said Dr. Jay Peters, veterinarian and co-owner of the large facility. “With Google Duo, people download the app on their mobile device and can be present remotely at their pet’s exam.”
“We’d canceled our dog’s appointment because we didn’t like the idea of going out,” said Dennis Becher, 70. “But I saw the email that said they were instituting new procedures due to the COVID-19 emergency. We called back and rescheduled. It worked great. I like the way they were protecting us as owners and the staff at the clinic.”
Contact reporter Maureen Wallenfang at 920-993-7116 or [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @wallenfang.
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