Like most companies around the world, Boston Granite Exchange has had to shift the way we do business during this Covid-19 pandemic. Our primary concern is, of course, the health and safety of our staff and our customers. In March, we shut our showrooms down and have been working virtually like most other people. We’ve been spending our time at home with our families, spoiling our pets with extra attention and treats and keeping the work we do on track from home.
For some of the Boston Granite Exchange team, working from home is a very strange experience. Across the Counter caught up with John Byrne, Vice President of Sales, and had a chat about what life is like for him working from home.
ATC: Tell us a bit about what it has been like for you during this time?
JB: Well, normally I am on the road all the time. I’m travelling about four days a week. I go to visit the fabricators we work with. So, when we shut down our showrooms and our fabricators shut down their facilities, and everyone began working from home, it was a big change for me. From driving around New England, I’ve shifted to doing my work on the telephone, by text or by email.
ATC: How have your conversations changed?
JB: I start every conversation asking, “How are you? How is your family? Is everyone healthy?” We’re a few minutes into any conversation before we get to, “How’s business?”
ATC: And how are your customers doing?
JB: Our business is based on relationships and part of my job is to keep those relationships strong. We’re staying in touch with all of our fabricators, making sure they are all well and we’re doing as much work as we can while things are shut down. We’re all in this together and we’re going to get through it together.
ATC: What do you see as you look ahead to the next couple of months?
JB: Well, we have to continue to follow the guidelines of each state we do business in. We have been able to open up our showrooms by appointment only so that homeowners who have projects that were underway can finalize their stone choices and get them to the fabricators and get their projects completed. This is a step forward during a challenging time for all businesses.
ATC: What have you missed during the Stay-at-Home Advisory?
JB: GOLF! I am very happy that Massachusetts golf courses finally opened up so I can get out and play.
If you have a kitchen renovation project that will need countertops within the next three weeks, our showrooms are open by appointment. We encourage you to start by exploring the virtual showroom on our website. View the stone selections we have to offer. Compare our natural stones granite, marble, soapstone and quartzite and The BGE Quartz Collection to decide which stone will suit your lifestyle. Narrow your options to a few final choices so your 45 minute appointment is spent making your final selection. Use our worksheet to keep note of the stones you like by type of stone, color name and lot number, along with any notes or questions you may have about the stones and be sure to bring it on your visit.
Contact us at our Haverhill showroom at 978 372-8300 or in our West Bridgewater showroom at 508- 521-1800 to set up an appointment time so you can choose your stone and get your project moving forward.