Page 131 - Rukert - 100th Anniversary

PART II BRINGING THE WORLD TO BALTIMORE
business, Rukert Terminals had operated through the Great Depression, World War II, the War on Terror and countless other obstacles. Then, in the company’s 99th year, the country was faced with a crisis not seen since Cap’s Army service in 1918. The arrival of the coronavirus on U.S. soil in early 2020 brought a cascade of unfathomable business and workforce challenges. On March 5, 2020, Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and catastrophic health emergency in Maryland due
to COVID-19. Within weeks, Governor Hogan issued a stay-at-home order closing all non-essential businesses. Rukert Terminals and Beacon Stevedoring were deemed essential businesses. As much of the country was shutting down, company leaders focused on preventing virus transmission and keeping employees safe while maintaining operations and serving customers.
While no business could have prepared for such extraordinary circumstances, the company quickly mobilized, bringing all its resources
to bear on the situation. The ensuing months demanded every shred of hard work, teamwork, stamina, creativity and resilience employees could muster. Rukert Terminals was more than ever on the shoulders of President John Coulter. With a reputation for handling the toughest challenges, John marshalled all of his leadership and problem- solving skills, doing whatever was needed to take care of the company and the employees. When hand sanitizer was in short supply, John learned how to make it at home and brought it to work. As the pandemic affected every aspect of the company, John’s breadth and depth of knowledge accrued
over 35 years enabled him to make swift and sound decisions. Highly respected by the employees, John’s daily stewardship during the pandemic has earned him much praise and gratitude.
Practically overnight, the company’s Human Resources Manager Kirsten Northway was thrown into the role of “COVID Czar.” Kirsten’s prior expe- rience working in a hospital setting was an enormous asset to the company. In March of 2020, John and Kirsten, along with Vice President Andy Nixon, formulated a plan to spread office employees out to facilitate social distancing. In the early months of the pandemic, department heads worked tirelessly every day. Other employees were divided into two groups that alternated between staying home and coming to work. In the months that followed, the team of John, Kirsten and Andy met daily to manage the constant and consuming presence of the coronavirus. With no playbook to follow, they adapted and adjusted on the fly as pandemic orders and guidance shifted.
In July of 2020, the Rukert Terminals family gathered to mourn the loss of Melanie Vohs. Melanie came to Rukert
Terminals in 2004 as an
Administrative Assistant. For 16 years, she arranged all company functions, anniversary parties, events, safety lunches and company newsletters with ease, earning the nickname “director of everything.” Her passing left a profound void in the company. Melanie was a truly irre- placeable part of the Rukert Terminals family. Her position has not been filled.
Amid ever-evolving pandemic obstacles, work at the terminal continued. In the summer of 2020, after
BELOW: Melanie Vohs and Rukert Terminals President John Coulter at a company picnic
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