Scepaniak: Employees stepped up during pandemic

By |  March 17, 2021
John Scepaniak Wm. D. Scepaniak

Scepaniak

Editor’s note: As part of our Road to Recovery coverage, P&Q is turning to some of the industry’s leaders for their takes on the road ahead. This month, producers were presented with the following questions: With the pandemic persisting for almost a full year, how has your company and its operations fared in maintaining the culture established prior to COVID-19? How has your culture been challenged over the last year, and what action have you taken, if any, to maintain it? Has your company culture changed in any way – for better or worse?

Our company’s culture soldiered on throughout the past year despite external circumstances. 

We don’t have an established catchphrase or slogan. Our emphasis has – and always will be – about looking out for each other. The past year took those beliefs, tested their validity and ensured we were practicing what we preach through all levels of the company.

The COVID situation tested our culture in a number of ways. Many employees’ personal lives became very complicated, with spouses being laid off unexpectedly and kids learning from home. Some employees and their families inevitably fell ill with COVID, which required their absence from the jobsite for an extended period.  

Where I saw our culture shine the brightest was in how our people stepped up to help one another in these situations. We had operators travel across state lines to cover shifts, project managers on-site running crushers, and admin staff sharing workloads outside their normal scope when others needed time away. 

This past year has not changed our culture so much as it has validated why our culture is the way it is. We’ve had employees suffer personal loss as a result of COVID, and I’m tremendously proud of how their comrades had their backs to allot them the time they needed to be at home with family.


John Scepaniak is project manager at Wm. D. Scepaniak, a contract crusher serving the Upper Midwest.

Featured image: John Scepaniak


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