Responding to the Challenges of COVID-19

Published January 2021

     Editor’s Note: Cleaner Times reached out to our advertising partners and asked them to share how they have responded to the challenges of COVID-19 and any tips for growing a business during these challenging times.

Focused on What They Can Control
By Chris Wingen

     COVID-19 has presented businesses across the globe with many challenges. Aaladin has responded to these challenges by focusing on what we can control. Internally we’ve done things such as adjust staff schedules, hire additional staff to sanitize, and limit access to our buildings to mitigate risks that could hinder our ability to supply products to our customers. Since we work with companies across the world, we also had to be aware of the challenges our partners faced. Various restrictions set forth by state and local governments in different parts of the world were something we had to be aware of in order to best serve our customers. We’ve been fortunate to remain productive through the pandemic thanks to our dealers, suppliers, transportation companies, and, most of all, our staff. Without the hard work and dedication from all these people, we wouldn’t have been able to make it through this challenging 2020 as well as we have.

     For more information on AaLadin Cleaning Systems, call (800) 356-3325, email info@aaladin.com, or visit www.aaladin.com.

Building Long-Term Relationships
By Joseph Daniel

     In 2021, it’s more important than ever to simply do what you say you’ll do. If you’re an employee or supplier of ITD, what we expect is that you do what you say you’ll do. If you’re a customer of ITD, you can expect that from us. So much in business is about managing expectations and building trust, and we take that very seriously. For example, we don’t compete with our distributors—and they can trust us to do what we say we’ll do in that regard. 

     We believe in our products and our ability to deliver the service required to compete with the best in this industry, but there is always someone with a new product, a cheaper price, and a shorter lead time. What there is not, is an abundance of people and companies who keep their word and focus on building long-term relationships. At ITD, that’s what we’re focused on in 2021.

     For more information on ITD Inc., call (800) 472-1233 or visit www.itdinc.biz.

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Heaters Meet A Need
By Ken Yoshitake

     J.S. O’will Inc./Val 6 has been fortunate enough to be able to maintain our business operation during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Since our primary core business is in the portable infrared heater market, the pandemic hit during our “off season” and so we were not as affected as other industries have been. Though there have been a lot of challenges and concerns with the available information and knowledge, we have been able to strategize to inform our customers of how our line of heaters can suffice to meet their heating needs, especially during this pandemic.  Since our heaters have the cleanest exhaust, we can effectively and safely operate our heaters indoors, even while windows stay open for proper ventilation and air circulation to protect against COVID-19. Businesses can still operate profitably while maintaining proper guidelines by being creative and listening and focusing to what the customers’ needs are during this pandemic. 

     For more information on J.S. O’will/Val6, visit www.val6.com.

Continuing to Cool The Valley
By Christopher Sommers

     COVID-19 has been a wakeup call for all of us. Businesses were told to shut down if they were not “essential.” We were able to remain open here in Phoenix as we were deemed essential because we provide cleaning equipment, cleaning chemicals, and products that support cleaning. We applied for and received the PPP funding as we, like so many others, were unsure of the future.

     Plus, we have Mist Air, our outdoor high-pressure misting and humidification business. We have been cooling the valley for about 30 years now and this leg of the company fared rather well during the pandemic. At first, there was a slow down as restaurants that normally have their system serviced before the summer hits were closed or heavily restricted and unable to seat customers. However, some “snowbirds” as we affectionately call them, decided to stay here for the summer for one reason or another. Because of this, we were installing new systems or upgrading their existing systems for them. Then once the restaurants got the green light to open responsibly, we were servicing that equipment like we normally do.

     For more information on Pressure Systems/Mist Air, call (602) 253-9579, email chris@psi-mistair.com, or visit pressuresystemsinc.com.