2020: Well, That Was Something

By: David West
January 8, 2021

While it feels like the 285th day of March, my calendar says January. I am grateful for that, as I am glad to say farewell to 2020. Last year, according to Pew Research more than half of all Americans personally know someone who has been hospitalized or died due to COVID-19. Among U.S adults, around 40% report that they or someone in their household had been laid off, lost their job, or taken a pay cut.

Given the trauma and chaos experienced by those of us represented in those statistics, I find it more difficult this year to write my annual “Year in Review” posting. Without diminishing the impact of the losses we experienced as individuals and a country, I do think it’s good to note those things for which we are grateful as it is a powerful antidote for anxiety. At Equinox, even though the year brought challenges, farewells, and a few COVID diagnosis, there is much for which we are grateful.

• To date, no one on our team has had a significant health impact from COVID. Here in Nashville none of us were impacted by the tornado this spring or the bomb explosion on Christmas morning.
• Like most of our customers, we were able to quickly pivot to a work-from-home model and were thankful for jobs that could be done remotely and the tools that made it possible (yeah telecom industry!).
• In November we celebrated Joe Herron as he retired after more than 24 years. Joe launched and grew our support team, in the process supporting hundreds of customers and improving Equinox and our products. Over the years, we also benefited from the efforts of our colleagues Bill Menees and Matt Lowe, both of whom left to pursue other opportunities in 2020.
• Among our staff, several celebrated significant anniversaries in 2020: Mitch Heffington and Chad Henke (5 years), Amy Oldham (10), Derek Drake and Johnny Sikes (25), and Ronnie Gibbs (30). As I’ve written before, the tenure of our team is a testament to the culture we have built together and our commitment to serving our customers.
• There were also new beginnings in 2020, as we welcomed Alex Vandyke to our support team, Hunter McGee to our development team, and Jamie Davis as our new Director of Project Management.
• 2020 also brought a number of new customers to us, as we began working with C3ntro, Distributel, Hunter Communications, Masergy, Nextiva, Northland, and Ziply. We also extended our engagements or announced new sales at several existing customers including Allstream, Bandwidth, Carolina West Wireless, Comporium, First Comm, Inland Cellular, Inteliquent, Mitel, North State, Otelco, Telesystem, and United Wireless.

Throughout 2020, I was struck by how many phone calls and web meetings began with everyone checking in on each other. “How are you doing? How is your family? Is everyone there staying healthy?” More than the usual niceties, these sincere questions were an expression of concern and an impulse for meaningful connection.

As we enter a new year, here’s hoping that things will be better in 2021 but that we will not forget the lesson 2020 taught us: our relationships are what sustain us and give our life meaning. In 2020, we are most grateful for the friendships we share with our customers, partners, and vendors.

About the Author

David West is Executive Vice President of Equinox Information Systems. David oversees the company’s sales and marketing team, develops the company’s long-term strategic plan, and works directly with the company’s hundreds of customers across the United States, Europe, Australia, and Asia. When he is not making sales calls or updating spreadsheets, he enjoys spending time with his family, playing basketball, and serving his community through his efforts at St. Bartholomew's Church and One Voice Nashville. To learn more about Equinox, its products, and the people who power them, visit www.equinoxis.com or call (615) 612-1200.