I am writing this on March 26 and the virus is well into its third week in the United States. We received a letter from Homeland Security that North American was essential to the country and we had to stay open. I am sure there are a lot of companies like ourselves that are essential, but it was nice to be recognized.
Normally I save this for the end but, given the crisis we’re living through, I think it’s more appropriate here. Thank you all for everything you do for us. We try really hard to make your lives a little easier. We wish you the best of health and happiness. Stay home if you don’t feel well and get medical help ASAP if you need it.
The airlines all thank you for flying with them because they know you have a choice. We thank you for choosing NASVI because we also know you have choices. The difference between us and the airlines is we go out of our way to make working with us easy, and if we make a mistake, we make it right.
We go to Mexico every winter and take our dogs with us. We fly Alaskan Airlines because they treat the dogs better than any other airline. We add a stop and even an overnight stay to fly with Alaskan. This year, our reservations that included flying with our dogs were confirmed. Then Alaskan changed all planes that were flying into Zihatenejo from 737s to Airbuses after the first of the year. The Airbuses do not accommodate dogs, so they basically told us “we got you there but now you need to find a different way home.” Nice, huh? NASVI doesn’t do things that way. If we make a commitment, you can be assured we’ll come through for you.
I could also tell you how American canceled our return flight, and we might have to make a three-day drive home, but I’ll leave that for another newsletter.
We really appreciate all of you who take the time to compliment us or tell us about the great service you received from one of our salespeople. It’s a lot easier to complain, and we’re truly grateful for the positive feedback.
If you go to Las Vegas after this mess, I would recommend that you stay at the Wynn hotel. It is first class and doesn’t cost much more than the others. We had to cancel our plans to stay there because one of our dogs had to be put down the day we were supposed to leave. I called the Wynn and told them that we had a death in the family, and they refunded all our money.
For those of you who live in the Kansas City area, here’s another recommendation – Tatsu’s French Restaurant. It has been at 90th and Nall hidden away in a little strip mall for 40 years. It is the most consistent, delicious restaurant in town. It is owned by a Japanese man and serves French food. There is not a bad item on the menu. It isn’t cheap, but it is worth it. A lot of local restaurants are having a tough time right now. Support them if you can.
Speaking of praise, I would like to give a shout out to our Super Bowl champs. We have a super quarterback and super offense. Our coach finally got the monkey off his back. But I think our general manager has not been given enough praise. He revamped our defense and constantly brought in players all year that were instrumental in the success. He wheels and deals like a fan. He is not afraid to screw up.
One final recommendation to you, our loyal wholesalers: Keep talking to your customers about safety valve sales and service. Don’t be afraid to call on the big boys as well as the others. We can design a program for whatever their needs are. We won’t screw up because we know what we’re doing and don’t shoot from the hip. We have products and service that will be profitable for both of us. If, for some reason, we can’t do what your customers need, we will tell you so.
Stay healthy, and we will try and keep your blood pressure down.