I'm old, but I'm not old-fashioned. I'm not a Boomer, but I'm a Gen X'er. I work in the office, and I don't work from home. Why do I do that when I could work from home, at least for some days like on a Friday? The answer is simple: I strongly believe that productivity (my productivity) is higher when I'm here in the office than when I'm at home. Frankly, there are far fewer distractions in the office than at home. The dishes in the sink or the yardwork can wait until I'm off work hours.

I suppose some may think this an antiquated, old-fashioned way of looking at work. And I suppose some types of work are better suited to be done at home than in person, but I still think the immediate person-to-person interaction is vital for consistently successful business. Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker (who is younger than I am) thinks this way, too. She recently ordered all city employees back to in-person work.

The order affected the remaining 20 percent of the city's workers who were either still fully working from home or who were working a hybrid schedule. Good, because, in part, it was unfair to the other 80 percent who were back working in the office. I know there have been studies about this issue and some of those have said that there's been no drop in productivity from people working from home. Yeah, maybe, I don't know. But I still contend that working side-by-side with people yields better results. And you can't repair a culvert or plow a road remotely.

What I know also works extremely well in person are trade shows, and as you regular readers of my column already know, we're holding the 30th Annual N.Y.S. Highway & Public Works Expo in Syracuse on Oct. 23. Here's the latest news on booth sales: 70 of 77 large booths have sold and there are approximately half-a-dozen 10 by 10s remaining as well as some floor space. Basically, space has been as continuing to fill up quickly. So now is the time if your business is considering exhibiting at the show. Contact Teddy McKeon, general manager of the N.Y.S. Highway and Public Works Expo at 215/885-2900 or e-mail: [email protected] for details right away. And finally, please see pages 34 and 35 for the updated show floor plan.

Thank you and again, we all look forward to seeing you on Oct. 23. P

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