“Open Up the Economy” is a slogan, not a strategy, according to Fred Hagen, founder and CEO of the Bensalem-based Hagen Construction, a privately-owned major project construction company.
With a track record of hundreds of corporate, government and high-profile civic projects, like the Kimmel Center, Barnes Foundation, Museum of the American Revolution, National Museum of American Jewish History, and iconic revival of the Divine Lorraine, The Met and The Fillmore entertainment venues, Hagen, a carpenter turned construction boss, said getting a total of 59 major job sites up and running is a “Herculean task.”
As he brings back hundreds of specialized employees and rolls out logistics for supplies and equipment, Hagen is most concerned about the broader issues of opening up the economy amid the pandemic.
“The common expression is not true. We’re not all in the same boat, but we are all in the same storm. This process is not going to be easy or without peril,” he said, pointing out that the comparative scale of different businesses makes turning on the economy like a light switch a false hope.
Hagen said every business category and every individual business needs to review their options in terms of how their workers interface with the customers and clients and decide how best to protect everyone.
“We started planning and stocking up on special gear like the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) back in February when we independently established supply lines from all over the world,” Hagen said. “Though we have gotten some general direction regarding social distancing and protective measures from the state and federal government, we had already prepared our own set of work protocols to make sure that our workers and the public at large are protected and safe.”
For Hagen, the biggest challenge is to get his workforce on the same page as far as safety protocols. Caught between heightened politicized rhetoric and widespread fear and insecurity about the health threat of coronavirus, Hagen said he needs to keep hundreds of employees attentive to the new work safety protocols to assure the health and safety of the work site.
“Many of my employees want to get back to work as soon as possible, some of them loudly expressing views that minimize the threat of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Hagen said. “At the same time, many of my key workers are cautious about coming back to work because they have concerns for their families and their own health.”
Without getting into pandemic politics, Hagen said he has to convince the coronavirus doubters that on the job, the threat of virus spread and infection is very real and must be taken seriously. He also has to assuage the fears of those who worry about contracting the virus and taking it home to their spouses and children.
“There will be an enormous productivity impact staying on top of the safety measures,” he said. “It is a major adjustment to the work environment in the face of a life-threatening real world situation.”
Also, Hagen pointed out that May 1 is not an ideal restart date because it’s a Friday. He said workers on unemployment are unlikely to go back to work until May 4 so they don’t miss a full cycle unemployment check.
