ShopTalk

No doubt about it, COVID-19 quickly changed the way we work, and play. Travel and in person visits came to a screeching halt. Professional offices, suppliers, even many working shops closed their doors to visitors. Training in the not to distant past was done, for the most part, in person. Conveniently, most trainers adapted quickly to offer online training options. Many of the companies in our industry were already familiar with platforms like Go To meeting. This made the switch to virtual training fairly easy for those trainers.

Some trainers I met through the ESCO group devised hybrid virtual training events. With a few cameras, one that would follow you around a room they kept the hands on training available also.

An instructor in front of a piece of equipment would be led through the troubleshooting in real time, clever and almost like being there.

The question remains, what happens going forward in the training world. In some cases offices that made the change to virtual workspaces plan on staying that way. In some larger cities’ that has created  office space vacancies and those building owners are scrambling to repurpose those spaces to get the rent rolling back in.

In cities like San Francisco it was a tough slog to see more than two engineering firms in a day due to traffic and parking logistics. With online, virtual sessions you can present to their entire staff as well as any locations they have scattered around the world.

I’ve started limited travel myself for training events. I doubt cramming 30 or more folks into a hotel meeting room will ever be attractive anymore. In some cases moving the training into the shop area, parking lot or a large cafeteria  area is a good option to allow attendees to spread out more.

I doubt anyone knows for sure how this will shake out or what “bug” will hit us next that makes  people want to avoid crowded rooms and spaces, but plan on having options. Come up with new ways to engage the attendees. Not being able to see faces, expressions and not getting that in person feedback changes the game for a trainer.  Add polls to your training to get some interaction and a feel for the groups. Consider multiple speakers or trainers to get some back and forth conversation in your online trainings.

The need for having a trained workforce is critical. Equipment is becoming more sophisticated and specific, so factory training will march forward. We would love to hear from all the players in the industry, thoughts suggestions, what we can do to keep you’ all coming back.

Let’s rid the ‘VID and get back to the normal face to face that we all crave.

Donate extra inventory, demo models, tools and building materials that are no longer needed, during the month of August to support Habitat for Humanity.

Sonnhalter, a communications firm marketing to the professional tradesman in the construction, industrial and MRO markets, is partnering with Habitat for Humanity again for its Twelfth Annual Sonnhalter Tool Drive. In the past decade, Sonnhalter has raised more than $310,000 worth in donations for the organization.

From Sunday, August 1 to Tuesday, August 31, organizations, businesses and manufacturers are encouraged to donate extra inventory, demo models, tools and building materials to the Sonnhalter Tool Drive to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s cause and its efforts of eliminating substandard housing.

“We never imagined how big the tool drive would become! Over a decade later, we are still working with our wonderful partners at the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity,” said Matt Sonnhalter, vision architect at Sonnhalter. “Since our efforts began in 2010, we are once again counting on the generosity of our clients and business colleagues, as well as businesses to clean out their extra inventory, overstocked materials and demo models, and donate to this very worthy cause. We’re looking forward to exceeding the donations of past years.”

The Sonnhalter Tool Drive strives to engage businesses and organizations to look through warehouses for extra inventory and overstocked tools or items.

Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity has completed more than 300 homes since 1987 and today, engages over 3,000 volunteers, who provide more than 93,000 hours of service per year to Cleveland’s most distressed neighborhoods. The donated items will be used for Habitat for Humanity projects or will be sold at one of the organization’s ReStore, a recycled building materials store. Proceeds from ReStore sales are used to help Habitat build and rehabilitate homes for those in need.

Tools and materials can be shipped to Attn: Tool Drive, Sonnhalter, 1320 Sumner Ave., Suite 200, Cleveland, Ohio 44115. For information on how you can participate in the Sonnhalter Tool Drive, or to coordinate larger shipments i.e., pallet size, please contact Rosemarie Ascherl-Lenhard from Sonnhalter at 216.242.0420 x130 or rascherl@sonnhalter.com. To make a monetary donation, please make checks payable to “Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity” and mail to Sonnhalter, 1320 Sumner Ave., Suite 200, Cleveland, Ohio 44115.

For more information on the Tool Drive, visit: www.Sonnhalter.com/tooldrive.

Launched during Jobber Professional Development Day, Boost by Jobber will help launch, grow, and strengthen small home service businesses

Jobber, the leading provider of home service management software, today unveiled Boost by Jobber, a grant program to further support the hard-working entrepreneurs within the home services sector. Aspiring entrepreneurs, new business owners, and longtime home service entrepreneurs are invited to apply for free grants ranging from $1,000 to $20,000 depending on the category their business qualifies for. Twenty home service businesses across 50+ industries such as lawn care, plumbing, residential cleaning, and painting, will be awarded $100,000 in total. Applications are now open through May 5, 2021. Finalists will be announced in July 2021 with the list of winners announced in August 2021.

“Home service entrepreneurs impact their local communities and neighborhoods in meaningful ways,” said Sam Pillar, CEO & co-founder at Jobber. “They employ millions of people while operating behind-the-scenes to keep homes, offices, and other spaces safe and in good working order—yet, despite their important contributions, small businesses are largely underserved when it comes to business financing. Boost by Jobber helps address this gap by providing service business entrepreneurs with some extra working capital that may not otherwise be available through traditional banks and government grant programs.”

Royce Ard, who owns My Amazing Maid with his wife, Tamara, further validates this statement. “Typically when I see a grant, I’m almost always assuming it’s for a specific cohort and I wouldn’t qualify,” explained Ard. “Loans are very, very, very hard to get. As far as going to a bank and getting $10,000 for a small business like ours, you’re not going to get it.”

Boost by Jobber grants are organized into categories that reflect various stages of company growth, from ideas on paper to recently launched ventures to established businesses—as well as an additional category for COVID-19 support. Five winners will be selected from each of the following:

• Almost-entrepreneurs (pre-business): Those who have the drive to start and run a home service business, but need funds to get started.
• New business owners (0-3 years): Entrepreneurs who are in the early stages of building their team, client list, and services.
• Experienced business owners (3+ years): Entrepreneurs who are ready to scale their mature business to the next growth stage.
• COVID-19 support: Entrepreneurs seeking financial support or resources for their team’s well-being.

Jobber spoke with dozens of service professionals to better understand the impact extra cash flow could have on a business, to create the grant categories, and to determine the dollar values assigned to each grant. Whether a company is looking to purchase new equipment, increase marketing dollars, launch a new service, train teams, or is in need of financial relief, funds from the Boost by Jobber program can make a big difference in helping small business owners be more successful.

“People don’t understand the value of the cash flow,” stated Steven Knight, Partner at Mosaic Home Services Ltd. “It’s not necessarily only helping the business. It’s helping the business owners. Their ability to lead people and calm down. Cash flow helps them be a better business leader.”

Boost by Jobber is one of many initiatives within Jobber’s home service ecosystem that is dedicated to supporting the home service entrepreneur, whether it’s through the company’s award-winning business management software, resources such as Jobber Academy, community building via the company’s Entrepreneurship Group on Facebook, and more.

To learn more about Boost by Jobber or to apply, visit: http://boostbyjobber.com.

Save BIG with General’s GEN–EYE SUPER REBATE!

Getting your rebate is easy! Just purchase an eligible Gen–Eye^® sewer camera system through March 31, 2021:

• Buy any complete Gen-Eye USB or SD system, and get a US $1000 Rebate
• Buy any complete Gen-Eye X-POD system, and get a US $1000 Rebate
• Buy any complete Gen-EYE POD system, and get a US $500 Rebate
• Buy a GM-G2 Gen-Eye Micro-Scope system and get a $250 Rebate

Just submit a rebate form, a copy of your invoice/receipt, and warranty registration card for each purchase. It’s that easy to put money back in your pocket. A picture could be worth a thousand dollars!

Gen–Eye sewer cameras precisely pinpoint what the problem is, where it is, and how deep to dig.

Always easy on your back and your budget, General’s lightweight, compact Gen–Eye POD^® pipe inspection cameras now feature Wi-Fi inside that lets you use your own tablet or smartphone to record the inspection and send it to your customers.

The Gen–Eye X-POD^® features a powerful Command Module with USB port to record video inspections on a flash drive. It’s packed with features like a big 7” LCD color monitor, one-touch recording, digital zoom, voice-over recording, and more.

The Gen–Eye USB^® Premium packs a lot of features into a compact package, including a USB port, 10.4” sunlight readable screen, waterproof keyboard, rechargeable battery that lasts up to 4 hours, and Wi-Fi, all protected by a heavy-duty Pelican case.

For details, download the rebate form at www.drainbrain.com/CameraRebate today! Or, for more information, call the Drain Brains^® at 800-245-6200.