Partnership in the age of COVID-19

As the world continues to adjust to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, team members across our organization have stepped up to help our companies and our communities in this time of need.

In the wake of economic shutdowns across the country, the cogs of our business continued to turn because of the hard work of all of our team members.  For example, Lori Comer, who manages each of our Spartanburg office buildings, swiftly moved into action in coordinating additional cleaning and disinfection practices throughout each office as the seriousness of COVID-19 became apparent and has continued to ensure the safety and cleanliness of our offices.

As things continued to progress, shifting to working from home in a matter of a few short days was made possible through the hard work of our technology teams, as they readied hundreds of laptops for deployment.  Brant Asplund rebuilt countless laptops for the JDA team, and the ACA team acquired and assigned over 300 laptops for their team, allowing team members to safely and effectively work from home in record times.

On top of that, our teams continued to push business forward, ensuring that we are following through on the commitments that we’ve made and looking for opportunities to maintain activity as we are able.  On the heels of many state shelter-in-place orders, JDA’s Industrial team closed a transaction in Maryland in an environment that may have deterred many other developers, with the seller in the transaction writing the following:

“With everything going on in the world today, it is quite remarkable that this team closed this transaction.  On behalf of [our team], thank you to all those involved and particularly to the members of the Johnson Development Team.  Over the last year, your honesty, transparency, professionalism, and willingness to work with [us] through the finish line is greatly appreciated.  All the best in the future and may the development of Lakeside be a success.”

This is just one example of our teams’ commitment to our Guiding Principles in times of uncertainty.

In addition to ensuring that our businesses continue to operate as smoothly as possible, our teams have also been actively partnering with our communities and with one another to support the health and safety of others.

While OTO associates have been providing much needed accommodation for healthcare workers, first-responders, and essential workers who need to be in their various cities, team members have also been doing what they can in other ways.

Some acts are simple gestures, such as lighting up the hotel exteriors in red or crafting red-lighted hearts in their windows to show support for those battling this crisis on the frontline, or continuing to provide take-out food items for locals who may not be able to get what they need from the grocery store.

In other cases, hotel staff with extra time are putting their skills and desire to help to good use. The team at the Hilton Garden Inn Annapolis Downtown delivered warm cookies to three local fire stations to show their appreciation. At the AC Hotel New York Times Square and the Hampton Inn & Suites LAX/El Segundo, team members put their sewing skills to work, making masks to help with the continuing shortages across the country.

Still others across The Johnson Group have sought ways to keep our teams healthy, connected, and fulfilled.  The ACA team has launched a step challenge in which all ACA associates are invited to participate in an effort to “step across America,” collectively stepping over 7 million steps, or the equivalent distance from Washington, DC to Los Angeles.  In the age of working from home, getting our steps in each day can be an important contributor to overall health.

On the home front in Spartanburg, we are proudly showing our support of the many individuals on the frontlines of this battle, from healthcare professionals to grocery store clerks to first responders, with banners hung from the front of our office buildings at 320 and 340 E. Main, as well as One Morgan Square.

In the spirit of the Guiding Principles and our team members’ commitment to our companies and to one another, keep up the incredible work!