Page 20 - South Mississippi Living - September, 2021

PEOPLE
20 | September 2021
Without a doubt, 2020 was difficult for organizations of all kinds. Within weeks, or even days, institutions had to change everything about how they conducted business. Schools had to transition to online, casinos were closed down for months, locally-owned grocery stores had to figure out how to best serve their customers. To take
a deeper look into how these industries dealt with the challenges of 2020, we talked to Dr. Suzi Brown, the executive vice president of institutional advancement at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College (MGCCC); Ben Koff, marketing vice president at Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort; and Marlene Snyder and Allen Paulk, owners of Cajun Gourmet, a specialty grocery store.
MGCCC:
For higher education, all classes had to be transitioned from in-person to online within weeks. For MGCCC specifically, it also meant fast-tracking future projects.
“We adjusted our sails and did what we had to do to serve our students while also providing a safe environment for students and employees,” describes Dr. Brown. “We extended our spring break to give instructors time to transition to an online class structure.
We created CTE kits so that students could complete hands-on objectives at home: electronics kit for Instrumentation and Controls Technology; a portable welding machine for Welding Technology; and marble slabs, mixers, and decorating sets for Baking and Pastry Arts Technology.”
While 2020 was hard on the college and its students, Dr. Brown wouldn’t change a thing: “Hindsight is always 20/20, but I think we did the best we could do in the situation. All of our employees, from staff members to administration, put our students at the forefront
of our decision-making processes. We all worked diligently to implement safety protocols and teaching formats.”
MGCCC
10 locations across the Gulf Coast | www.mgccc.edu
www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI BUSINESSES ACCLIMATE ACCORDINGLY
story by Victoria Snyder photos courtesy of MGCCC, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, and Cajun Gourmet