Coronavirus Preparedness - a Letter from Crowe CEO Jim Powers

To our valued clients and other interested parties:

There are no higher priorities at Crowe than the safety of our people and our social responsibility to the communities we operate in. As reported cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continue to increase, Crowe’s Coronavirus Preparedness Team is navigating the firm through this situation and preparing us to act swiftly. This group, comprised of firm leadership at the highest levels including many officers, is responsible for briefing me directly and providing recommendations to ensure the health and safety of our colleagues while providing seamless client service.

The team is monitoring all information from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), state and local government advisories, and other relevant sources. We’re focused on doing everything we can to minimize the risk of exposure and to protect our people and the firm, including establishing updated guidance in real time.

Key actions taken to date include:

• Temporarily instituting a default “work from home” policy for our personnel, including providing necessary supplies and services for full off-site functionality
• Abiding by all state, county and city orders prohibiting movement of our personnel
• Temporarily closing all Crowe offices to all except those deemed critical to in-office business processes
• Prohibiting international travel and most domestic business travel
• Ensuring our technology systems can continue to support all Crowe personnel working from home via secure VPN connections at any given time
• Deferring or cancelling large scale Crowe-led events and gatherings
• Frequent communication with our personnel providing updates including via our emergency alert technology
• Discussions with clients regarding plans to deliver on-site work on a remote basis

Crowe’s already existing Where to Work policy, supported by the firm’s technology capabilities, allows our personnel to work where they are most productive. With ongoing communication to our people in recent weeks, they expect to be working remotely for an extended period of time, so we are confident we can continue to deliver an exceptional client experience, albeit it in a different manner than usual.

I thank you for your support as we navigate the ongoing developments. Please feel free to reach out to your Crowe contact with any questions or concerns.

James L. Powers, CPA l Chief Executive Officer l Crowe LLP