Safety Supplies

CEO Daily Update – 10.20.2020

October 20, 2020 by Jason Gazaway

Confessions | Gloves Everywhere | 3850 Series Switches | What’s My Role? | News to Start Your Day

Happy Tuesday!

October 19th is Office Chocolate Day & National Suspenders Day…so wear your suspenders while eating chocolate today! (whether you are in the office or not)

Ok, you guys. Can I confess something to you? Some days it is hard to write these emails. On the hard days I either feel stuck in a “what in the world do I have to say that is interesting?” mode, or other days anything I may want to share feels vulnerable. I have a few tricks up my sleeve to overcome or push through those things (don’t worry I don’t picture you all in your underwear). But then there are days like today where we receive really impactful and meaningful emails from customers and … wow! Knowing we’re making an impact in someone’s everyday life, bringing a smile to their face or meeting a need they have by what we’re doing and how we do it, is real motivation.

One of our core values is Make it About Relationship, and the emails we receive with wonderful stories of how our team has impacted someone’s life helps me know that they are really living that out. I am a proud “mama bear” in those moments, and it makes me want to find more ways we can positively impact lives.

Some of you receiving this email came to us because you needed safety supplies, and we had them in stock. Others of you are a customer because of our core business, which is technology products. When COVID hit and PPE was difficult to find, we had customers ask us if we could source it for them. That began our journey into PPE, and it has been great for us. We strived to offer products at great prices, found products that others weren’t able to offer though they did come at a premium cost (I’m looking at you Clorox wipes), and will always seek to ship products quickly and provide exceptional (and unexpectedly positive) service. I think we always knew that selling PPE was a season for us, as masks and gloves and other safety supplies would at some point (and are now) more widely available. That leads me to confession #2: a couple of weeks ago we made the decision to begin exiting our safety supplies season.

Letting customers in on “inside information” probably isn’t considered a best business practice. To be fully transparent about it, we are hoping you will help us exit this season gracefully. As of right now we still have great stock levels on many products, but as we sell out of them, we do not currently plan to re-stock the shelves. We have learned SO much through this journey (I hope to be able to write about some of those lessons soon), and we are looking forward to being able to take those lessons and apply them to our core group of technology products. I hope you’ll continue to buy your masks, gloves and other safety supplies from us as long as we have it (and feel free to share the great deals coming your way with your friends). We would also love to serve you with any technology needs that you have now or in the future.

With much appreciation for each of you,

Christin

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:

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CEO Daily Update – 10.16.2020

October 16, 2020 by Jason Gazaway

Word for The Year | Gloves Back in Stock | Don’t Be A Know-It-All | News to Start Your Day

It’s Friday!!

(October 16th is National Boss’s Day. National Sports Day, and Global Cat Day…so take your pick on which to celebrate today.)

——

Well, it’s Friday and I’m not Christin. lol! She asked if I could fill in for her today and I always enjoy getting to talk to all of you.

If you are like me, then you are probably just as surprised as I am that we are already in mid-October. It is crazy how quickly this month has flown by, even how fast this year has gone by at times. I was joking with a buddy the other day about the craziness of this year and told him it felt like the year went like, “January, February, March, March, March, April, April, April, Ma-Ju-Jul-Aug-Sept-Oct.” I imagine the rest of the year will fly by just as fast, which means after Halloween next week, Thanksgiving and Christmas will be right around the corner before we know it.

Every year, I end it by reflecting on the past year and then nailing down what I need to focus on for the next year. I usually try and narrow it down to one word or a short phrase. For 2020, my phrase for the year was “Focus on the things that REALLY matter.” At the core of it was to be intentional about my relationships, my time, my energy, my health, and my spiritual walk. Little did I know how different 2020 would be than what I thought it would be at the start of the year and that phrase and the meaning behind it took on a whole new intensity during the year. I realized some things weren’t worth my time, effort, and energy and were just a distraction. Other things became more important, like my relationships and health, and gained more energy and time. The shift in focus has been very impactful for me both personally and professionally.

So, I have started the process already of looking towards 2021 (I think everyone has and just wants to move on from 2020, haha!). Right now, the concept for my word/phrase revolves around “Restore”. Not sure how it will evolve and what insights I will gain about it between now and the end of the year, but I am looking forward to continuing the process.

Have you ever done something like this? Do you usually have a focus for the year or do you just go with the flow? I don’t think either way is right or wrong, I think it is just different for each person depending on their personality. Just curious.

Hope you have a great Friday and weekend! It’s going to be chilly here in the South. I am ready for some real Fall weather!

Jason

Today’s Product Updates from Rebecca:

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CEO Daily Update – 9.23.2020

September 24, 2020 by Craig Haynie

PPE Coupon | Cisco Conference Phones | 15 Inspiring Acts of Leadership

Happy Thursday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

A little birdie told me that we just sent an email out with discount coupons on safety supplies. Did you get it?

I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard …

The national animal of Scotland is the Unicorn.

Today’s Product Spotlight from Rerun (AKA Rebecca):

We are currently offering one of our favorite conference phones, the CP-8831-K9 “NEW IN BOX” for just $350!! This VoIP conference phone features high-definition voice performance as well as 360° coverage and a full-duplex two-way wideband audio hands free speaker. We love the Cisco 8800 series of phones for their advanced features and scalability and we believe they are a sound investment for anyone looking to future-proof their space! With this phone, you get superior wideband acoustics with a two-element speaker for maximum voice bandwidth to give you enhanced speech quality and speaker recognition.

In addition, this phone can be scaled to meet the needs of rooms of any size as it features a detached control panel and optional wired or wireless extension microphones.

The Rerun & Joe Show! (Updates about Safety Supplies Product Line):

The Safety Supply deals just keep getting better! Craig hinted that we sent out an email with a coupon for Safety Supplies yesterday… It was originally going to be for 1 day only, but we are extending it out further! Use code PPESALE to get $10 OFF your order of $50+ (Safety Supplies only)!

Here are a few incredible deals that we have going on right now!

3M 8200 N95 Protective Face Mask, 20 Pack – $120.00

Medical Grade N95 Protective Face Mask, 20 Pack – $59.00

8 oz Gel Hand Sanitizer – $1.50

Clorox Disinfecting Wipes, Flex Pack, 75 Count – $14.75

15 Inspiring Acts of Leadership – by Gary Epp, Chief Administrative Steward

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CEO Daily Update – 9.23.2020

September 23, 2020 by Craig Haynie

Knee Shots | Chocolate Milk | PPE Sale | Inspiration vs Motivation, pt 1

Happy Wednesday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

My knee – Haiyaa. It’s worse, but I went to the ortho doc today. Fortunately they were able to fit me in. When the doctors are too busy they try to fit you in with the physician’s assistant. He was busy too so they got me in with the janitor. No real training but he’s overheard a few conversations that seemed useful.

They ordered an MRI because my pain level (an 11 on a scale of 1-10 when I try to bend it) was not normal based on his exam. They also gave me a steroid shot. Let me tell you something …. He walked in the room and said “are you ready for this?” Well, I WAS BEFORE YOU SAID THAT. Shots don’t bother me but when you’re asked if you’re ready it perks you up a little. He sprayed the area with a numbing spray and in the needle went. You know it’s going in there for sure. Then, oh boy …. then, in comes the injection of 37 gallons of liquid into a space the size of a pecan. GOOD LORD!! “Do I get a sucker??” I said gasping and wincing.

Speaking of needing a sucker, if you haven’t had a COVID test yet take a sucker with you if you go, you’ll want it when it’s over and unless they took my advice they don’t give them out. Since I sorta screamed it while honking the horn I doubt they took it to heart.

Something else noteworthy was the fact that the entire time I was going into the doctor’s office, getting X-rays, and getting examined (all but a small part) I had my Bluetooth headset in and was listening to, and sometimes participating in our weekly management meeting. WHAT A WORLD we live in that we have the technology to make this possible. Also, since our whole team works from home it’s not odd to be dialed in like that if necessary. Back when we met in person at the office having one person dial in would be strange. This new way of working certainly has some benefits.

I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard …

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CEO Daily Update – 9.21.2020

September 21, 2020 by Craig Haynie

Weekend Away | CP-7965G Phones | Clorox Wipes & Masks | Business Updates

Happy Monday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

Well, we did it! The camping weekend was a big success. Everyone in both families had a ton of fun. In fact, before we left we reserved two spaces for next year!

We didn’t actually get lost in the woods, but got “lost in thought” in the woods … and then of course this song/video came to mind. See how many 80’s bands you can hear/see in this video haha.

It’s amazing how much “fun” doing nearly nothing can be. Like the line from the movie Office Space, “I did absolutely nothing and it was everything I thought it could be”.

We cooked outside on a flat top grill, sat around the fire talking, and the kids rode their bikes up and down the road for hours. We went to a playground and let all the kids play and also played putt putt before we left. And, going with friends that already knew what they were doing made things that much more enjoyable.

And of course (and if you’ve ever gone camping you already know this) I have a shopping and todo list a mile long! Things I didn’t even know I needed I suddenly cannot live without. It’s incredible, but it’s like any “hobby” where spending money and working on things is actually enjoyable, so it’s great.

The unfortunate downside is I did something to my knee Friday when we got there that caused pretty excruciating pain when I went from bent to straight and visa versa, and constant aching pain even then, especially when not hopped up on Tylenol or Ibuprofen. All the reading I did seemed to point to the need to rest, ice, and elevate, which was pretty hard to do well under the circumstances. Not walking at all was not an option. So I did the best I could, walked straight legged, swinging it around, sitting as often as I could. Now that I’m home I’m trying harder to rest it and let it recover. Good Lord getting older is tough!

It’s amazing what some downtime will do for the mind. Now I’m ready to hit the ground running this week! I highly recommend taking a break every once in a while!

I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard …

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CEO Daily Update – 9.14.2020

September 14, 2020 by Craig Haynie

Helping Others | V-Racks | Darn Fools | Tech News

Happy Monday!

Welcome to the CablesAndKits CEO daily email. Read more about this email by scrolling to the very bottom.

(“Darn Fool” Article further down)

I hope everyone had a great weekend. My wife and I are like tired mufflers – exhausted. We helped with the garage sale for our friends Friday and Saturday and those early mornings, long days, and physical activity we are not used to was a sudden change and took it out of us! But, we had a lot of fun, it was satisfying to help friends, and we got a lot done! So, we ourselves had a great weekend … even though I can barely walk haha.

Annnnd … yesterday we came to Great Wolf Lodge. We have some friends that we’ve made a near tradition of meeting here for one of our kid’s birthdays. It’s a hotel that is also an indoor water park. Pretty awesome actually!

On Friday I was driving down the road and saw a lady who was fishing a spare tire from her trunk. She obviously had a flat so I turned around and went to help. I changed her tire and got her on her way, but afterward I had a thought …. I don’t even change my own tires! If I have a flat on the side of the road I am pretty sure I would call roadside assistance. The last time I had a flat I had Run Flats and was able to drive all the way to the dealer to have them replace it.

The realization that I had about the tire, and the garage sale, is that it is sometimes easier for me to help other people than it is for me to do things that I need to do myself. Can you identify with that?

I don’t know if it’s true, but I heard …

Red Solo cups are a common souvenir to bring back from the United States. The novelty comes from the cups being used in many party scenes in movies.

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