OPERATIONS: JEFF ABBS – Page 6
We are beginning to see the signs of Spring, and while the weather is still not very pleasant we are starting to have some warmer days. Spring is usually the season of new beginnings, and it is usually one of my favorite times of the year. Unfortunately, we are continuing the trend of the last few years in having a slow start to the new year and we are down in many important business segments which include Interstate Hauling, Insurance, Local, and Packing. However, due to Reebie’s diversity in business lines there are usually some bright spots that show up on the financials, even during bleak times. Through February, our Skyview Warehouse is up 36% and our Naperville warehouse is up 3%. This is in large part due to our efforts to bring in more commercial storage over the winter. In addition, our Office and Industrial has seen a slight increase and was up 5% through February.
With that being said, I am both excited and nervous about what this summer is going to look like for our business. After the last few years, it’s difficult to imagine what kind of curveballs we are going to see this year. The housing market continues to suffer and it affects our business directly. We are already seeing rising fuel costs as the war in Iran continues, in which the long term effects are still unknown.
On a brighter note, I would like to take a moment and congratulate Juan Romero for taking a big step in his career and converting from an employee to an owner-operator. Juan joined Reebie in September of 2004 as a Class A driver, and has been such an integral part of our Operations. With already over two decades of service, I am excited and proud of Juan for taking the next steps in his career with us. Please, if you see him, wish him good luck.
Gilbert Arland offers this advice: “When an archer misses the mark, he turns and looks for the fault within himself. Failure to hit the bull’s-eye is never the fault of the target. To improve your aim – improve yourself.” I think it is important that we all continue to try to learn and improve ourselves every day, and with that will come success.
Sincerely,
Jeff