Editor’s Note—April 2020

by Michael Hamline, Editor / Published April 2020

“So, first of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself—nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.” These words were spoken by Franklin D. Roosevelt in his first inaugural address in 1933 when the United States was at the height of the Great Depression. In fact, according to History.com, more than 15 million Americans—one-quarter of all wage-earning workers—were unemployed.

The first quarter of 2020 has been unsettling around the globe. The coronavirus has brought about life-and-death health challenges, quarantines of a massive number of people in cities in China, and restricted movement of the entire population of Italy. Other countries have canceled many public gatherings, including in the U.S. In early March, the U.S. saw the New York Stock Exchange halt trading for 15 minutes due to stocks plunging by seven percent and crude oil prices have plummeted, stirring up much anxiety.

Clearly, there is a lot of fear in 2020 of the unknown, though from an economic level it is currently nowhere near what was seen during the Great Depression. In terms of the health concerns, it is best to take action from knowledgeable health authorities such as the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) at www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html.

As those working in one sector of the American economy—the pressure washing industry—Mark Battersby has a timely article on page 42, “Recession Proofing Your Business for Good Times or Bad.” Battersby points out the importance of advance preparation and says, “This does not mean hunkering down too soon but, rather, employing strategies to help prepare for a recession and creating a contingency plan to help the business act faster and smarter.”

Other important articles in this issue are “Troubleshooting Electrical Issues” on page 6, “Advertising—Creating the Right Impression” on page 36, and “Safety Basics at Heights” on page 32. Don’t fail to read about Paul Linton on page 12 to see why he was a Distinguished Service Award Winner at PowerClean 2019.

No human can know what the remaining three-quarters of 2020 hold for each one of us, our families, our businesses, and our countries. As we advance to the best of our abilities into the unknown, it would be wise to follow the official U.S. motto, “In God We Trust.”

Michael Hamline
michael@adpub.com
(800) 525-7038

Correction: In February’s CETA Edge column, a correction needs to be noted on page 32 in the third to last paragraph. The fourth sentence, in talking about the criteria for CPC 100, states, “NRTL testing must verify a machine meets all criteria.” The NRTL testing requirement has been removed.