The Pit & Quarry team works from home

The Pit & Quarry team is now at the end of its third week working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With an office in downtown Cleveland, the team shifted into work-from-home mode following ConExpo-Con/Agg 2020. Pit & Quarry’s team members have established new routines, although the challenge of balancing kids and work through the week is a new challenge for a few of us.

With so many people working from home now, we thought it would be fun to let you all in our daily work lives with a slideshow that shows a number of the Pit & Quarry team members in their new work settings. The text corresponding with each team member is their perspective on working from home. We hope you enjoy!

If you’d like to share your own work-from-home experience with Pit & Quarry, email Editor-in-Chief Kevin Yanik your short story and a photo at kyanik@northcoastmedia.net.

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Dino Vitanza, associate publisher

Before the coronavirus pandemic, my days consisted of a disciplined routine: wake up very early in the morning, work out, drive the kids to school and head north to our downtown Cleveland office to work.

While things have certainly changed in my routine, I have found that maintaining as much of a routine as possible has helped keep my focus, energy and mind in the right places. I have also been able to adjust work and family life balance so that each are getting their respective attention.

I have been so fortunate and grateful to be working for such a great publication that covers a great industry. My day has mainly consisted of having many conversations with the people in our industry (i.e., readers, suppliers, dealers), and all are sharing stories on how we are getting through this. They all have been very positive in tone.

It’s great to hear all of the various ways our industry is doing business to be compliant with the coronavirus and still maintain a positive attitude about the prospects of our future. I have also been pleased to see our industry even more engaged with all of our media platforms, which has kept me busy in other ways.

In sum, while working from home has broken some of my daily routines, I have found peace in keeping a routine (albeit different) and enjoying my kids much more. I must admit the innocent interruptions from time to time, with my kids me asking how to add fractions or go over their spelling words, can throw me off. But one valuable lesson I have come to learn from my kids being homeschooled is that first and fourth grades are much more advanced than when I was a kid!

Oh, and the term business casual has been redefined! Stay healthy and safe. I can’t wait to engage face to face with the people of this great industry again. We will win!

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Courtney Townsend, graphic designer

My normal work life entails me going into the office every day. Since the coronavirus appeared, many things have changed in my life.

Our company implemented a work-from-home policy until further notice. My husband’s work has also informed all of their employees that they should work from home.

I am a proud mother of a 7-, soon-to-be 8-year-old daughter in second grade and a 12-year-old son in sixth grade. As with most states, Ohio currently has all schools closed until May 1. This means both of my children are now doing their school work virtually from home.

What does that mean? It means both of my children need computers and internet access so they can video chat, text and download assignments through Google Classroom. This also means that, throughout my workday at home, there are many interruptions and distractions. Some days are better than others. It’s been a learning curve for us all.

I never thought I would hear my 12-year-old son say he wants to go back to school, but I can say that both of my children miss their teachers and peers.

Our work/school setup at home is interesting to say the least. My husband is using the office in our home because he’s on the phone and video chats throughout the day. Both of my children have desks in their bedrooms, which are now being used as their “classroom.”

And for me, I have set up shop in my daughter’s room – for now. The warmer weather has allowed us to get out, walk our dog and ride bikes. For now, this is our only escape from our house. So we pray for nice weather daily.

This experience has taught me patience. I am no longer just a wife, a mother and graphic designer. But I now play the role of many teachers. I have learned to appreciate all of what our teachers do on a daily basis. You never realize how much your child does during the day at school until they are doing it from home. From math to art to physical education, I now have to play the role of all these teachers to keep my children motivated.

Now kids, be quiet so I can get some work done!

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Allison Blong, event manager

As the event manager, it’s not often that I spend weeks at a time in the office. So adjusting to a different work environment wasn’t far from the norm for me.

My small downtown Cleveland apartment started to feel a bit stuffy, and after my roommate left to stay with her family, I decided to jump in the car and make the trip to Nashville, Tennessee, to see mine.

This past week, I’ve been with my mom, brother, sister-in-law and their new 10-week-old puppy, Edie. My work-from-home situation has been anything but ordinary. With two family members who are musicians, there isn’t much quiet time. Between recording vocals, the piano and/or drums being played almost constantly, the house is nearly always filled with music – so my Zoom calls usually stay muted!

In the midst of such a confusing, uncertain time, it’s really refreshing to spend time with my family.

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Emily Adkins, classifieds account manager

A normal day with Pit & Quarry involves an hour commute both ways through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park and long walks to the (Lake Erie) beach. Working from home means setting up office in my one-bedroom apartment and switching between its two rooms every few days to keep my workspace feeling fresh.

The silver lining to the pandemic is being able to spend all day with my cat, Irwin. I adopted him in November and we’re bonding a lot during our daily walks around the block. I’m still wearing sweaters and working on our Buyers’ Guide every day – the only difference is that I have a furry assistant.

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Kevin Yanik, editor-in-chief

My work life traditionally means going into the office, traveling to industry meetings and visiting quarries around the United States. So working from home is a pretty dramatic change.

The new lifestyle has its pluses, though. My wife and I had our first child, Amelia (pictured at right with me), in August. So the experience has given me the opportunity to spend more time with the family here at home. I’m still learning to balance working from home with parenting, especially with my wife working from home at the same time.

Still, we’re figuring out how to manage the load during the day, and I’m finding additional time outside of our traditional work hours to keep things moving on Pit & Quarry.

In the end, I’m learning life in sweatpants isn’t that bad after all!

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Sarah Peecher, digital media content producer

I typically spend my time at the office alongside the rest of the team, having recently joined Pit & Quarry. I’ve never worked from home before, but I can say it has its benefits – namely, the wardrobe!

Living in a small one-bedroom apartment with my husband with limited space, my work-from-home “desk” has been the living room coffee table, which is surprisingly comfortable. I’ve enjoyed being able to play records and drink home-brewed coffee every day while I work. Technology continues to be something I’m grateful for, as I connect with friends and family via video chats on a regular basis.

I look forward to reconnecting with my teammates, friends and family, but in the meantime, I get to see them all online. It really is teaching me so much about my role as a digital producer.

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Allison Barwacz, senior digital media manager

A typical work week involves me driving to the office, catching up with my coworkers and then carrying on with my everyday job duties, including meeting with my teams, sending e-newsletters, writing stories and a ton of other odds and ends.

Because of the coronavirus pandemic, our work lives have changed, with the North Coast Media team now working from home until further notice. While it’s a different dynamic, I can’t deny that I enjoy working alongside my two furry comrades (pictured).

One of the biggest changes during this time is the imperative need for digital. While digital is undeniably always growing, there’s been a huge pivot in the need to disseminate information as quickly as possible. We’re always striving to be your No. 1 news source, and we hope our timely coverage can help you make the best decisions for your company.

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For more P&Q coverage related to the coronavirus, visit our dedicated webpage.