Recently, Mike Pare with The Chattanooga Times Free Press took a look at the state of Construction amid the Coronavirus pandemic. The paper spoke with the Associated General Contractors of East Tennessee and other leaders in the industry.

Jack Bowen, President, EMJ Construction, and Burt Odom, President and CEO of EMJ Corporation, took time to share their thoughts about the industry and the impact of the COVID-19 crisis. The following is an excerpt:

Burt Odom, CEO of Chattanooga-based builder EMJ Corp., said the company continues to work, including locally at the River Rock mixed-use development downtown that will be one of the biggest-ever new housing and commercial complexes in the riverfront area.

“Our top priority is the health and well-being of our people,” Odom said. “We’re following all national, state and local mandates.”

Jack Bowen, president of EMJ subsidiary EMJ Construction, said the company has taken a lot of new safety steps, such as suspending all mass transit travel, including on airlines. On the job sites, EMJ has implemented just one entry point per project, set up hand washing stations, prohibited meetings in trailers and upgraded cleaning requirements, he said.

The construction industry is key to the vitality of the economy and helps people “maintain a glimmer of hope that it’s not as terrible as it may seem,” Bowen said.

Odom said it’s hard to say what the future will hold.

“We’re living in a day-to-day world,” he said. “Is this something we see over in three months or six months? We’re not sure. We’ve got to honor what state and local mandates say.”

To read the full story, visit: Construction continues during COVID-19 pandemic in Chattanooga.