The months of August and September may not have much significance for many in the aftermarket, but for those from Southern Florida, it is a time they won’t soon forget. Four hurricanes tore through the state, devastating lives and disrupting businesses, many of which, in December, are still grappling to get back on the track they were fiercely blown off of. An ACDelco distributor reported to his colleagues in late September, “The storms have left many people without power, with significant damage; some are even homeless.”
In an effort to help during the aftermath, ACDelco launched the Road to Recovery program. Scott Mackie, executive director of ACDelco and GMSPO International Operations, says they created the program as a way to assist their Total Service Support (TSS) customers during a difficult time, explaining that most of these shop owners were forced to deal with fuel shortages and building damage, along with loss of electricity and telephone service. “It is the worst thing that happened in the aftermarket this year.” Many ACDelco customers had to temporarily shut their doors, others even permanently. Mackie says, “September was a bad month for everyone.” He emphasizes that the entire industry felt the financial pain the storms inflicted but that his real concern was that many of his independent customers were facing changes that could ultimately impact their livelihood.
Lewis Henry, district manager for ACDelco’s Eastern Region, was caught in the middle of the storm and saw its damage firsthand. “Afterwards, we got our heads together with the marketing area managers to see what we could do that was within reason.” Their relief effort response is the first of its kind for ACDelco. Approximately $100,000 in vouchers was given to key ACDelco Florida-based district managers to hand out to TSS customer accounts impacted by the storms. With each certificate holding a $500 value for free ACDelco products, TSS accounts have until Dec. 31 to submit their no obligation order.
Mike Bracken, owner of Quillin’s Auto in Punta Gorda and Henry’s customer, is one of the shops that received a hand-delivered voucher from ACDelco. “I was really humbled to see Lewis at a time like this because at that point, you’re dazed and you’ve seen other people’s plight. I thought I was probably one of the more lucky ones because I at least had four walls.” Bracken’s six-bay shop experienced heavy structural damage and loss of power. “I lost all my overhead garage doors…the front door was jammed underneath a car on a rack…sections of the roof were blown out…we were out of electricity for 13 days.” Initially, after a week of being closed, Bracken’s team could only perform light work that didn’t require a lift. He operated the phone system off a generator. He says many of his customers whose homes were destroyed have stopped by to say goodbye before moving out of the area.
The road to recovery for Bracken, and many others affected by the storms, is still long and difficult — but ACDelco’s program has already assisted 25 shops in Florida and by the end of this month, will have helped many more.
