The Challenge Ahead - An Opportunity to Thrive
Dear GCLA members,
First let me say how sorry I am that you are faced with such challenges in what should have been a great spring season for all. On a bright note, as I type, I have learned that a vaccine, which worked for Eboli, is successfully curbing this new virus in lab tests. Fingers crossed that this is a turning point. As with most viruses, warm weather is not a friend so thank goodness we are approaching the warmest months of the year. The continued efforts to quarantine our state and the outpouring of good people doing good deeds is paying off as well. Mind, body, and soul – we have to stay well. Be careful not to watch too much news. Instead, watch comedy and read positive affirmations (check out https://www.successconsciousness.com/index_000009.htm). Eat healthy and get exercise, even a few jumping jacks in your living room will make a difference. Do nice things for those around you – family, friends, co-workers, clients, neighbors or even strangers. Dr. David Hamilton writes a great article on the healing powers of kindness https://drdavidhamilton.com/how-kindness-can-heal-the-body/.
Our services are considered an essential business as long as we are helping those industries and people within them that are considered essential. That includes non-emergency medical transportation – so find out if any of your clients have chronic conditions and need a ride (i.e. physical therapy, dialysis, eye appointments) for medical treatments. You will likely be amazed to find out how great the need is out there. Here is a link to a comprehensive list of “essential workers” for your review. Look to see if any opportunity exists for you to be of service. There is work out there. Gary Bauer, Bauer’s IT in San Francisco is running 50 buses a day – all of them on the “essential” list. Forbes put out an article listing the worker categories https://fortune.com/2020/03/20/essential-workers-government-list-employees-coronavirus/
I have been in this industry a very long time running LCT. I was hired right after the Savings & Loan crash which wiped out the banking industry. In less than 18 months, 4,000 operators went out of business and 35 limousine manufacturers closed their doors. For two years, we had to clean up the rubble before firing up the engines. After which, the industry went through a boom that lasted 7 straight years. 9-11 was not a market crash but something maybe worse – our free society watched in horror as commercial planes were used as weapons of destruction on our own turf. That was actually worse than this virus pandemic because it was an act of violence and evil at the hands of mad men. I remember the aftermath very well. It was as if the world ended. That is, until America rallied together in unprecedented fashion to once again soar to new business heights for another straight 7 years. Next up, the housing bubble burst and much like before, the banking industry was decimated. The Great Recession was on. I remember being called to a meeting with Ed and Ty Bobit who asked me if I thought the limo industry could survive this. Without hesitation I said, absolutely!
We did survive and in many cases, we thrived. We have prevailed through the craziest of circumstances for as long as I have been here because we are tough. That resilience, that scrappy street-smarts is what will carry you over this hurdle so you hang in there!
Also, I need stories that can be shared with our membership – ideas on what you have come up with to solve a problem. Email me (sara@ras-int.org) so I can spread the word and help keep you all connected to one another. There’s 40 million residents of California. There’s need out there for your services now and into what will be a full recovery.
Respectfully,
Sara Eastwood-Richardson,
Executive Director
