VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Peter McGuinness, president of Issues & Answers Network, Inc.(I&A), a market research company with headquarters in Virginia Beach, VA, is petitioning the governors of Virginia and Michigan for an exemption to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

One of Issues & Answers facilities is located in Escanaba.

I&A has contracts to conduct surveys that are critical to the health of residents in a half-dozen states in the US. The data from these surveys is transmitted directly to the CDC monthly for analysis, according to McGuinness.

“I&A’s call center employees are working remotely whenever possible; however, a number of them live in remote areas and either do not have a computer at home or a WiFi signal that is strong enough to conduct surveys virtually by telephone. For this reason, the call centers need to remain open. I&A is taking extra precautions to implement the 6-foot distance recommendation and is spending additional monies for the sanitation of computers, phones and workstations. I&A continues to have its call centers remain open pending a final resolution from the Governors’ offices. I&A is a small business enterprise and holds a SWaM certificate,” the company said in a press release.