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Paradoxically, many technology companies have been historically wary of running their business in the cloud, connecting only through technology instead of face-to-face.

Working from home was seen as a temporary or emergency fallback, say when a child was home sick. Then the coronavirus pandemic sent pretty much every office worker home, and entrepreneurs were pleasantly surprised to find out how effective that arrangement can be.

“(Remote work) was never seen as a viable option on a regular basis,” said Mark Kvamme, partner at Drive Capital LLC. “What this has shown us is, for us at least, is it’s a viable option.”

Now he and Chris Olsen, his partner in the venture capital firm they left Silicon Valley to start in Columbus seven years ago, are even re-thinking the need to travel for in-person meetings with every new investment. During this period, Drive came close to offering a term sheet after meeting only by video conference – it was the startup that backed out.

In the latest episode of our Crisis Management podcast, Kvamme talks about this evolving conception of the workplace, the pandemic’s varying effects on different companies in Drive’s portfolio, and why he thinks Ohio can seize the opportunity in this economic crisis to build tomorrow’s billion-dollar companies.

Kelley Griesmer recently found herself chatting with a male colleague who found himself struggling to find balance amid the pandemic.

With his kids home from school it was hard to start working until midday, and he worried that coworkers would be questioning his commitment to his job as he dealt with distractions at home.

“And I said, ‘You realize that’s how working mothers have felt every day of their lives,’” Griesmer recalled. “… That’s a quintessentially female identity moment, where you feel guilty about work, you feel guilty about your child, you feel guilty about the fact that there’s dust on the floor.

“I think there’s a lot of men that are starting to understand that experience a little better.”

To be sure, Griesmer thinks that growing understanding goes both ways, as we’re all building empathy through the coronavirus crisis. And she doesn’t fault people who might not have thought about the vital role childcare plays in keeping the economy humming until the moment it went away.

But she hopes that realizations like her colleagues will provide footing for systemic changes going forward.

“We don’t like what’s happening to us, but we can rebuild our society differently,” Griesmer said.

Check out the latest episode of our Crisis Management podcast to hear more from Griesmer and the issues at the heart of the so-called “shecession,” and what she thinks is needed to solve them.

Ohio restaurants can open up for dine-in seating Thursday.

But there’s bound to be a learning curve as operators welcome customers back in to an environment where there are new rules.

Social distancing, masks and other new processes and procedures are the new standards in place by the state, which is trying to balance reopening businesses with a hope of continued stifling of the spread of Covid-19.

Some bars and restaurants around town got a jump on the opening. Patios were allowed to open May 15 and that first weekend back in business was a learning experience for many.

Columbus Business First talked with three operators — including one that received a warning from Columbus Public Health — about what the initial plans were, what worked and what didn’t.

How did customers respond to being asked to wear masks? What did the businesses do when the clouds opened up and the rain began to fall? And, most importantly, what are the greatest concerns moving forward as customers come back for food and drinks?

Amazon.com is known for a lot of things these days, but books are no longer top of mind when you think of the ecommerce giant.

For the nation’s independent booksellers, that presents an opportunity as welcome as it is unexpected.

The coronavirus pandemic has upended the business models of countless industries and caused pain for small-business owners nationwide. But entrepreneurs are fighting back and adapting.

One of those is Gramercy Books in Bexley, where owner Linda Kass has ramped up online sales and fulfillment while emphasizing the store’s traditional strengths in personalized customer service.

“Being a small, single independent bookstore, we've been able to be nimble and I think we have we quickly readjusted in reinventing our business into a phone and online transactional business, rather than an in-store customer face-to-face business,” she said.

Kass said she feels like Gramercy has become “an alternative to Amazon” by being able to provide the convenience of online shopping and delivery while providing a concierge presence for those who want to talk to a human about their interests.

“I think that that some of these things are almost habitual,” she said. “And as people are coming to us in that way, instead of just going on to Amazon, I think that has been a real positive for all booksellers across the country. Amazon had de-prioritized books in the midst of all this and it gave booksellers across the country the option opportunity to come into this space. And we've done so.”

“Our e-commerce, which was a very, very little of portion of our revenue for the almost three and a half years we've been in operation, now is an enormous part of our revenue."

In the latest episode of our Crisis Management podcast, Kass also talks about how Gramercy is adjusting its events business that has featured author readings and book clubs, and what the store is doing to accept walk-in customers again.

Lt. Gen. Michael Ferrier, who is president and CEO of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum in Columbus, said veterans have many important lessons to offer during the global coronavirus pandemic.

For instance, Ferriter said, there are several corollaries between veterans that have been through during their deployments to what those on the front lines and first responders are experiencing right now during the Covid-19 pandemic.

"Veterans can relate to that and veterans can be a part of (helping with) that," said Ferriter, who is Columbus Business First's latest guest on its new Crisis Management podcast.

So even though the doors of the physical museum and memorial have been closed since March 13, Ferriter said his team immediately sprung into action to take its programs virtual.

The organization has hosted webinars on "resiliency, strength and wellness," featuring veterans with powerful stories to share, including Purple Heart recipient Joshua Mantz, a retired U.S. Army major who is a leading speaker on psychological trauma.

Its services to veterans are also going online. The museum attracted 7,000 people from across the country to attend its virtual "Rally Point" program, which usually attracts between 75 to 100 people in person and is meant to provide veterans with fellowship and support.

Ferriter said said the Covid-19 experience has allowed the opportunity to "let loose the creativity of my team."

"We are open, we are supporting and connecting, and we are impacting the lives of many," Ferriter said.

It’s been a long two months for Charles Penzone Inc. but the salon chain is going to take an extra two days before welcoming customers back.

Although the state is allowing hair and nail salons to reopen Friday, the six Penzone Salons + Spa locations around Central Ohio will take two days for internal training and team-building before accepting clients on Sunday, May 17.

“We're gonna walk through everything with them and take that time for them to feel comfortable with all of these new procedures,” said president and CEO Debbie Penzone. “And also, we're all about self-care. And we realize that you have to take care of you first before you can give to others. So we're going to actually have those two days that they can practice on each other with all of these new protocols, and get their hair done and be able to feel so confident and so ready on Sunday.”

The salons and the Royal Rhino Club Barbershop & Lounge in Italian Village will operate at about 50% of their previous capacity to accommodate new guidelines for social distancing, with the physical layout and scheduling times more spread out. Penzone said they hope to make up for that lost capacity by extending hours, including opening on Sundays.

“We really wanted to make sure all of our team when they come back will have all the hours that they need, for all of our benefits that we provide,” she said. “No one is not getting their hours because of the extension of how long the day will be.

“And we're going to do them in shifts, which is nice,” she said. “We'll have two different schedules that will work one day. I think that's very important, too, so they’ll not have to work a really long day ever, because we really want them to take care of themselves and ease their way back in and have that care for themselves as well.”

To wear, or not wear a mask

Penzone was a key member of the group of salon owners and operators that developed the Responsible RestartOhio plan that includes a mix of mandatory and recommended steps for salons in the state as they reopen during the coronavirus pandemic. Penzone said in addition to the mandatory guidelines, they’re adopting many of the recommended ones as well, including masks for both employees and customers.

“Our team will have masks on. Some services that might be a closer service, like aesthetician or a skin service, she might also have a shield on as well as the mask,” Penzone said. “We also have plexiglass dividers that we have built that we will be putting throughout the locations that are just one more barrier that we can set up.

“We'll be asking (customers) to wear a mask in every one of our salons and spas and barbershops,” she said. “And they can bring their own face covering or mask, or we will also have some if they need one. And we just want to be that flexible. We just feel like when you see the research of two people having it on at the same time, and how that really protects each person in that close distance that we've allowed now with the personal service being delivered, we feel that we want to go that route.

“As a recommended best practice, we want to do all of that and beyond, because we really want to be known as the safest, cleanest salon in the United States.”

In the latest episode of our Crisis Management podcast, Penzone also talks about the uncertainty over spending its PPP funding, how the business is caring for its employees during the shutdown, and her hopes for the future.

With funding and major customers in hand, cybersecurity startup Finite State Inc. is in the rare position of hiring aggressively and growing by as much as 10 times despite the coronavirus pandemic.

The Columbus company raised $12.5 million in venture capital before much of the investing world went into hybernation, and it recently signed "seven-figure" contracts with large utilities that want to protect the electric grid from intruders, founder and CEO Matt Wyckhouse said.

Finite State's software automates the process of uncovering risks in the many components of the internet of things. Connected mobile devices are being installed everywhere, but they don't have a keyboard and monitor to look inside their embedded microchips and the software powering them. Finite State rolls back that curtain to determine if there are problems like hidden log-ins.

Its customers include utilities, oil and gas companies, healthcare providers and others who want to ensure the devices they're installing to control critical infrastructure are safe. And the manufacturers of such devices use Finite State's software for their own quality control.

Wyckhouse started on the puzzle of cybersecurity for mobile devices at Battelle, where he worked 13 years. He founded Finite State a year after leaving the Columbus research giant, applying his expertise to private industry instead of the U.S. Department of Defense.

Battelle declined to comment, but Wyckhouse said some former Battelle engineers joined him at Finite State, and some have migrated from the startup to Battelle. Overall, it adds to the vitality of the tech community in Central Ohio, he said.

"When you start to exchange that expertise, everyone gets stronger," Wyckhouse said.

In the latest episode of our Crisis Management podcast, Wyckhouse talked to me about the company's founding, how he's hiring still via videoconference, and about how Finite State got national notice when it tangled with Chinese telecommunications manufacturer Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd., as I've reported earlier

EDITOR'S NOTE: After this podcast was initially published, Seventh Son revised its reopening plan. The brewery is now holding off on reopening until a date that is still to be determined.

Delivery has been a hit for Seventh Son Brewing — but it can only do so much.

The Columbus craft brewery, like others around the state, launched an online ordering and delivery service quickly after the state closed dining rooms and taprooms in mid-March to curb the spread of Covid-19.

Co-owner Collin Castore said it’s done well enough that they expect it to be some part of the business model moving forward. But it’s still no substitution for bringing customers back into its taproom and its Antiques on High sister bar/brewery.

“We’re super grateful for the grocery and delivery opportunities, but the way it is, a $2 can to the grocery store, which we get roughly half of ... just isn’t the same as a $6 pint across the bar,” Castore said.

Seventh Son and others can soon sell those $6 pints, if they want to. Customers can return to restaurants and bars, first to patios May 15 and then to indoor seating May 21.

In this episode of Crisis Management, Castore walked me through some of those taproom economics and why many breweries were near a crossroads. He talked about what Seventh Son and Antiques on High are going to look like when the spaces reopen.

He also shared insights into the state’s restaurant and bar industry recommendation panel, which he was a part of. That’s the group that made operating suggestions to Gov. Mike DeWine. But not every issue got the ok from the states — what issues remain out there.

Covid-19 has Piada Italian Street Food reconsidering more than just sanitation and cleanliness.

The Columbus-based restaurant chain, which has 40 restaurants in seven states including Texas. That means it’s been able to open some of its dining rooms, albeit under capacity restrictions. The bulk of the business is still in Ohio though, where restaurant operators wait on guidelines.

Piada Executive Chef Matt Harding talked to Columbus Business First about the precautions and new safety measures it put in place — including a socially distanced dining room and masks for employees — and some changes that are still to come.

But Covid-19 is going to change more than a few practices and procedures. Harding also talked about one of the restaurant industry’s “dirty little secrets,” one that he hopes to see change moving forward as well as the sort of pressures third-party delivery places on restaurants and how that might change in the future both for Piada and for the industry as a whole.

Schoedinger Funeral and Cremation Service like other businesses has had to adjust to operating under the shutdown in place about to slow the spread of Covid-19.

With the ban on large gatherings and the guidelines on social distancing, many families are opting for small, private ceremonies or are postponing commemorations until the restrictions are lifted, said Randy Schoedinger, CEO of the sixth-generation company, which has 15 locations around Central Ohio.

That’s led to about a 25% cut in revenue for the business, he said, with fewer facility and vehicle rentals, and drops in sales of flowers, cards and other related products. Schoedinger has ramped up webcasting and is making other adjustments to keep the business going until Ohio opens up again.

Check out the podcast for more on what it’s doing, along with more of our interview that discusses Schoedinger’s efforts to get a Paycheck Protection Program loan, the communications it’s had with employees and more.