Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

LOCAL BUSINESS

Kamloops service businesses adjusting to work in COVID-19 world

Mar 27, 2020 | 4:57 PM

KAMLOOPS — While many local businesses have been forced to close as a result of the COVID-19 crisis, many are still operating, albeit in a modified fashion.

Service businesses like auto-repair shops, retailers, and tradespeople are still in demand, but how are they dealing with social distancing and ensuring the safety of their employees and customers right now?

Unusually, a disinfectant station beats a bright red Ferrari as the number one focal point for customers who enter Franco’s Auto Service. Thanks to COVID-19, we’re living in unusual times.

“As soon as they walk in, they see the table right off the bat,” Service Manager and co-owner Andrew Meekel explains. “We’ve got two notices on there explaining that the purpose is to maintain social distance.”

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Customers come in and stay at the table as they interact with the front counter staff. They then drop their keys before leaving, which keeps close encounters to a minimum at the local repair shop.

“We have a lot of customers on the front lines. There’s doctors and nurses, and they need their vehicles to be able to get to work and do what they need to do,” Meekel says.

Other businesses throughout Kamloops remain open, with the ability to help customers if necessary. However, in most cases, those businesses have had to change the services they offer drastically.

“On Wednesday, I laid off 24 people because we have no service work,” Nutech Safety Owner Bob Dieno says. “Nobody wants us in their buildings. We’re still available to do emergency calls, obviously. So being a service company, I had to lay off all my staff. I was in tears. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.”

Image Credit: CFJC Today

The unfortunate irony for Bob Dieno is that he’s busy, providing safety supplies and PPE to dozens of customers. However, when businesses rely on delivering service to their customers — especially to their homes — there’s not much they can do.

“It’s definitely uncharted territory,” Wayne Marshall, a manager with Interior Plumbing and Heating says. “We’re fortunate that we do have a great safety coordinator on staff, and he’s really helped our crew develop procedures so we can go into homes safely.”

Like Nutech, Interior Plumbing and Heating is only responding to emergency service calls at this point. While they’re working to ensure their employees are taken care of, they know there’s only so much they can do.

Image Credit: CFJC Today

“I feel there’s a social responsibility to limit what we do, even though there’s some financial pain associated with that,” Marshall says.

Just a few of the businesses working hard to make sure our city can continue to do the same.