The Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce’s Concord Young Professionals Network brings you our “Young Professional Voices of the Month,” Hardy Hardy, Ryan Hvizda and Angie Lane. These capital region CEOs are responding to the COVID-19 crisis with innovative ideas and great advice.
Josh Hardy is executive director of ConcordTV, Concord’s nonprofit community television center and education, government and public access channels.
Ryan Hvizda is co-founder and owner of the Hvizda Realty Group, Keller Williams Metropolitan, serving New Hampshire and Northern Massachusetts, and co-owner of Bone Fide Green Goods, Concord’s eco-lifestyle home goods store.
Angie Lane is executive director of Red River Theatres, Concord’s non-profit independent cinema.
How are you leading your organization through the coronavirus crisis and what strategies have you implemented?
Hardy: For me it’s important to be flexible and adaptive during these difficult times. The situation has evolved so rapidly that leaders have to be willing to adjust plans accordingly. ConcordTV’s mission of providing community media hasn’t changed but with social distancing it’s certainly impacted how we execute that mission! But through it all I think we’ve continued to be a valuable source of local information for the community through our Facebook and YouTube posts.
Hvizda: I am focusing on making sure our team is healthy and that they are taking care of themselves. Mental and physical health has been the priority of our daily check-ins and are the leading indicator of how we are time blocking our days. It’s an interesting time where we are tasked with pivoting on a daily basis, figuring out how to do our business in a time of uncertainty, while also being there to help serve our clients who are also stressed about the unknowns ahead.
Lane: We are taking it one day, one week and one month at a time. As a non-profit arts organization with a mission aimed at bringing people together this new reality dismantles our entire business model. People can no longer come to Red River and watch movies together so it has forced us to pivot to new ways of engaging our community. One way we have done this is by offering virtual films that allow our community to screen films at home and support Red River through “virtual” tickets.
What guidance would you offer individuals or businesses who are struggling with the sudden changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic?
Hardy: Individuals and businesses shouldn’t hesitate to ask for help if they need it. We’re a community that supports each other and together we’ll get through this health crisis!
Hvizda: Words of encouragement that I have for other businesses and everyone in general, is that we cannot judge ourselves against metrics outside of this period of time. We need first to be there for ourselves, so we can be there for our people and then we can be there for the people we serve in our community. I also recommend to everyone that I know to go line by line through your personal and business expenses and decide what is a need versus a want and cut the wants, so you can endure this period of time and come out on the other side of this ready to thrive.
Lane: This new reality requires flexibility and creativity in our approach to the challenges before us. Since it’s not business as usual we cannot always rely on the usual solutions. Sometimes this means leveraging technology in new ways or it could mean going back to basics. I think we need to try and be a bit fearless and be willing to try new things and if that doesn’t work, try something else and so on. It’s also important to leverage the expertise of the people around you because no one can navigate this alone. Lastly, we need to lead with empathy and kindness, to others and to ourselves.
About CYPN: Concord Young Professionals Network (CYPN) is a professional and personal development initiative of the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce that promotes the growth of Capital Region professionals in their 20s, 30s and 40s. Email programs@concordnhchamber.com to sign up for CYPN’s e-newsletter and future updates on how to digitally connect with YPs or view them at ConcordNHChamber.com/CYPN and facebook.com/concordypn.
