SunSentinel Mention

July 10, 2020

Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP

President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: Last week the mayor of Seoul, South Korea went missing and was found dead and the Supreme Court ruled that half of Oklahoma was a Native American reservation – including the City of Tulsa. Those were two pretty important pieces of news that were drowned out by the coverage of COVID-19. Do I think being safe is important? Of course. But like the relentless drum during hurricane season, we only need to report the same news every so often. The hurricane is still coming and COVID-19 is still transmitting. We get it.

Looking ahead: In the coming weeks, I think the biggest news stories will be the continued shutting down of businesses that we came to think of as household names. Last week was Brooks Brothers and Chuck’s Steakhouse. While I neither wore Brooks Brothers or ate at a Chuck’s (ok, I did once), I knew them. In the first month of the crisis, there were businesses that failed, but sadly if they failed that fast, they weren’t run well. When you hear established names starting to fall, we need to be prepared for Amazon and Walmart to take over in their place.

SunSentinel Mention

July 3, 2020

Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP

President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: With the budget (and the arguments over what was and wasn’t vetoed therein) being the headline grabber this past week, many of the accomplishments of the past legislative session came into being without any fanfare. I’m used to seeing discussion, victory laps and rebuttals each week as bills passed by the Legislature were packaged and processed through the Governor’s office, but thanks to COVID-19, bills about the environment and E-Verify largely went unnoticed. Getting signed into law is only the first step in a statute’s life. There needs to be continual debate and changes until it truly meets ours needs.

Looking ahead: In January, I flew 11 flight segments. With three trips planned to the D.C. area by early April, I thought that I’d finally be getting that long-coveted status on my airline. Instead, because of an “attend in person” meeting in the D.C. area next week and a company policy requiring seven days of isolation after a flight, I’ll be putting those miles on my truck. I was never a very frequent flyer, but at about 30 segments a year, I was a solid repeat customer. Airlines are critical. How will they survive this year?

SunSentinel Mention

June 26, 2020

Peter Moore, P.E., F.ASCE, ENV SP, LEED AP

President, Chen Moore and Associates

Last week: This past week, I watched the little cafeteria type business in my office building close. We’ve been in this building for 14 years, but I understand the owner was here for 3 years before that. We’re in a Class “A” office space with lawyers, computer programmers and finance folk. These businesses are still not back at work and that’s what is causing such a pause in other portions of the economy. I’m sure other downtown eateries and dry cleaners are feeling the same pinch. These are the lasting impacts to COVID-19.

Looking ahead: I’ve read about impending restrictions from the Trump administration on H1B and other high-tech visas for some time, and I expect that they will be enacted by the time this is printed. I can’t emphasize enough what a terrible idea this is. For the chosen few that have the time and talent to become a high-tech individual, it doesn’t matter where you were born. My firm loses people every year that don’t get to stay because of their immigration status. Why train these people at our top universities in our most sought-after jobs and let them go?