Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_April_2020 - 8

EDITOR'S NOTE

You are an
essential technician

David Brierley
Editor

Thank you for taking care of business,
and each other, in a time of uncertainty.
By Sara Scullin, Editor
Sara@VehicleServicePros.com

A

lot can change in a matter of days.
Some of us have been homebound
for a while, now. These last two weeks a
personal highlight for me has been gearing up to (cautiously) make the rounds
at the local grocery store. Now even that
is discouraged, if possible, for the next
two weeks.
Right now, most of us have pretty much
no place to go and all day to get there. If
you need evidence of this, just look at the
price of gas. Unless you have a job deemed
'essential,' there aren't many places to go
as the world continues social distancing,
quarantining, and isolating in the age of
the COVID-19 pandemic. For now, and for
who knows how long, it is simply safer to
be at home.
I've been out on leave the past couple of
months as we welcomed a baby girl to our
family. I'd like to thank my PTEN family
for helping to pick up the slack while I was
away. This week, getting back into the swing
of things, I chatted with a few shop owners
and technicians and asked how their business was going. What I heard is that, despite
uncertainty, this industry is weathering
the storm.
As the number of COVID-19 cases
ticked up in the United States, automo-

tive repair business owners began taking
stock - and taking action - in response to
the many changes brought on by the virus.
Some shop owners are using this time to
market to municipal customers and fleets,
getting them in the shop for maintenance
work while their regular shop traffic slows.
Some businesses are offering pickup and
delivery options for their customers, with
new and enhanced sterilization procedures
firmly in place. Many of you are taking this
time to do a deep clean of the office and
bays, and even tackle some of those larger
shop repairs so you can come out of the
gate strong when things get rolling again.
In some cities work was just fine, business was steady ... before grinding to a near
halt these last few days.
I recognize that many of you are having
to make some tough decisions right now,
in your work and personal lives. On behalf
of the entire team at PTEN, I want to say
'thank you' to our essential technicians as
you work to keep the world moving and our
families safe. You keep emergency vehicles
running, delivery trucks driving, and the
cars of other essential workers on the road.
Thank you for all you do for our communities and our country.
Stay healthy and be safe.

Tyler Fussner
Assistant Editor

Emily Markham
Assistant Editor

Kayla Oschmann
Assistant Editor

Barry Hoyland
Contributing Editor
PTEN Editorial Advisory Board
Technicians
John Harris,
Brooks-Huff Goodyear, Timonium MD
Eric Moore,
DeMary Trucks, Columbus, OH
Lou Fort,
K.A.R.S. Inc., Huntingburg, IN
Shop Owners
Phil Fournier,
Phil's Auto Clinic, Hemet, CA
JD Goad,
Goad's Body Shop, Lexington, VA
Edwin Hazzard,
Southeast Mobile Tech, Goose Creek, SC
Barry Hoyland,
VSSCA, Camarillo, CA
Pete Rudloff,
Pete's Garage Inc., Newark, DE
Equipment Manufacturers
Chad Schley,
Schley Products/SP Tools
Jim O'Hara,
Clore Automotive

8

PTEN

APRIL 2020

VehicleServicePros.com
http://www.VehicleServicePros.com
Professional_Tool_And_Equipment_News_April_2020

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