Editor’s note: Each of the companies participating in this year’s Top Companies survey was asked what lessons COVID brought during the last eight months, and what wisdom they now have. The following are responses from head executives.
“Black Construction Corp. is truly blessed to be in continuous operation during this COVID-19 pandemic and has adapted to ensure every member of our organization’s safety and well-being is our ultimate priority.”
Leonard K. Kaae
Senior vice president and
general manager
Black Construction Corp.
“First, we knew nothing about COVID-19 in 2019. In 2020, we learned that DoD considered DZSP 21 “mission essential/mission critical” to the support of the Defense Industrial Base. Therefore, most of our employees continued to work within the framework of Joint Region Marianas and Government of Guam directives for prevention, protection and containment.”
Wayne L. Cornell
President and CEO
DZSP 21 LLC
“COVID-19 presents many challenges to our business; however, over our 50-year history, PDS has developed a unique ability to evolve and adapt as technologies and markets change. We have used these same skills to continue PDS operations and find new opportunities in the midst of the chaos that COVID-19 has wrought in the areas where we operate. As a result, we expect another record year for revenues and financial performance.”
John Day
President and COO
Pacific Data Systems Inc.
“That we as a team need to be vigilant and prepared to overcome new risks, especially those that attack our most important resource, our team. As contractors, we are good at solving problems and developing creative solutions, but COVID-19 required a new level of flexibility and thinking out of the box to keep our essential projects moving forward and our team safe.”
Keith J. Stewart
President
Pacific Rim Constructors Inc.
“We are living in a time of unprecedented change, and the pandemic has emphasized a long-held philosophy at Bank of Hawaii: people need security, support, options and flexibility. As an essential business, delivering exceptional value to our customers, modernizing operations, and offering digital conveniences continue to be at the forefront of what we do.”
Peter S. Ho
Chairman, president and CEO
Bank of Hawaii
“For sure, we have learned to adapt in all areas of our business, especially with customer service through telemarketing.”
Frank S.N. Shimizu
President and CEO
Ambros Inc.
“The COVID-19 outbreak has delivered an indiscriminate blow to businesses, and our company wasn’t spared, but by focusing on our strengths and putting our employees first by keeping them, we’ve managed to stem the tide in the hope of navigating through the challenges ahead.”
Ramona Lea Jones
CEO
Jones & Guerrero Co. Inc.
“ExxonMobil’s unwavering commitment to supply quality fuels safely and reliably has been evident in this COVID-19 pandemic, in which we have learnt to adapt to the changing environment to provide uninterrupted service to our customers and to keep our employees, contractors and customers safe.”
Jimmy T.C. Hau
President
Mobil Oil Guam Inc.
“My motto has always been to adapt, improvise and overcome; therefore during these challenging times we need to continue to be flexible and ready to change with the times.”
Annmarie T. Muna
President and general manager
AM Insurance
“We are fortunate to have a large presence in federal and contract business; even though COVID-19 has changed Guam and the global economy our outlook ahead is still pretty solid. However, GFS has buckled down and made several internal company roll-backs to ensure we can weather the next few years.”
David Alcorn
President
GFS Group
“A business’s ability to quickly adapt to changes and be resilient is key during such challenging times. Also putting the safety of our employees and customers at the forefront takes precedence over the bottom line.”
Alexander W. Hammett
Managing director of developing markets in Asia
Atkins Kroll Inc.
“Last year was one of Triple J’s best years and despite the pandemic, since then we have so far been able to protect most of our employees and service most of our customers. Fortunately, our great team has found other opportunities outside our normal operations to fill in some of the gaps. Unfortunately, I feel the pandemic will continue to impact normal operations and create greater challenges for Triple J and most businesses for the foreseeable future.”
Robert H. Jones
Chairman and CEO
Triple J Enterprises Inc.
“A reminder that our people are our greatest commodity and the importance of clear communication, decisive action and strong leadership during a time of crisis.”
Benjamin G. Bailey
VP and general manager
Smithbridge Guam Inc.
“The COVID-19 pandemic humbled us. It helped us not only focus on the future but also focus on the people around us. We are all connected, but sometimes we forget because we are focusing on the future and our plan. For us to go on a long journey together, we have to take care of ourselves, our friends and the community as one.”
Ho S. Eun
Chairman
Core Tech International Corp.
“We learned that we can change and adapt a whole lot faster than we’ve ever imagined; we are much more capable of change when we overcame our fear of it. Our customers have found that banking from home is a whole lot easier, safer and more secure than they ever imagined.”
Clarke Schaumann
CEO of ANZ Guam, Inc. and regional country head of ANZ American Territories
ANZ Guam, Inc.
“I think one thing we’ve all learned is we have to be in this together — as an island community, as responsible businesses and as individuals. Together, so many have stepped up and led with generosity, time and heart in support of all our families, teams and those most in need. If we continue to work together and work to keep one another safe, I know we will get through this.”
Joaquin PLG Cook
President and CEO
Bank of Guam
“Doing business during the COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to be the greatest challenge anyone in the hospitality industry has faced. The length of the downturn coupled with the uncertainty of a recovery present a unique challenge for any sort of planning. In the absence of being able to forecast near term business conditions, PIC’s management has been busy re-imagining PIC’s business model and creating a planning document that can be quickly deployed when tourism resumes. This process has been somewhat refreshing as it has forced management to dispense with long held business norms and focus on actions that meet the new paradigm we operate in.”
Benjamin H. Ferguson
General manager
Pacific Islands Club Guam
“Even in times of disaster there’s opportunity. Be optimistic, but plan for all possibilities.”
Joseph “Jerry” Kramer
President and CEO
Pacific International Inc.
“Respond quickly by going above and beyond to keep our employees safe, our workplace clean and sanitized, and be flexible as guidelines change.”
Roland Certeza
President and CEO
GTA Teleguam
“The energy sector is one that is surrounded by risks and opportunities. Like most entities, a pandemic was in the risk register, however our response was modeled against what we knew. We never expected or planned for a novel Coronavirus that would be as contagious as SARS, but as deadly as MERS. It revealed three things across a broad spectrum. Firstly, we learned that there is no substitute for a sound risk assessment process to identify and rate the impact of the sources of disruption to, or areas of dependence of the business model and its key activities. It made us question and revisit our response and recovery capacity across many other areas of the business. Secondly, it reaffirmed the importance of the safety of our staff outside the workplace, as well as that of our key partners to ensure a strong supply chain and uninterrupted supplies of products to customers. Thirdly, it catapulted us towards a digital workplace, something that I never thought possible given the organizational culture that we had. We operate in a relatively remote environment, and opening minds to the possibility of a remote workforce operating in a digital workspace creates new opportunities for business efficiencies as well as increases our access to a global talent pool that we had not really considered before COVID-19.”
Jared C. Morris
CEO
The Vital Group
“Doing business in this very trying time has reinforced our belief that, above all things, we need to take care of our employees’ and our customers’ health and safety. In order to have a healthy economy we need to prioritize the health of our community even if it is personally inconvenient.”
Derrick Muna Quinata
President and CEO
Monster Auto Corp.
“Despite being challenged, our people remain resilient, continue to take care of each other and focus on healing and recovering for sustenance.”
Christopher A. Cruz
President and CEO
Pacific Islands Development Bank
“As a business that has continued operations through the pandemic, we’ve had to adapt and adjust quickly to provide essential services safely and responsibly. Our tagline, “Together we thrive,” has been emphasized over these last several months, as teamwork has been crucial in facing recent challenges. Whether adjusting operations to fit the new needs of our members or rethinking how our employees work together in the office, we’ve stayed focused as a team to keep member service at the forefront. We’ve been able to maintain operations and service levels, implement safety measures and protocols, and work with our employees during a time when school and childcare are minimal. We know the pandemic will continue to impact our economy and way of life, but we are committed to remaining proactive and prepared for our members, employees and community.”
Gener F. Deliquina
CEO
Coast360 Federal Credit Union