Like everyone else, I've made my share of New Years Resolutions: #1 Lose weight (I'm back in the gym), #2 Watch my diet (Gimme a break!), and #3 Do a better job of keeping the blog up to date (That I can do!)
So here it goes.
We just closed out 2009, and I've got to say, things are looking up. We've withstood the worst slow down in many years and although it was no picnic, we're stronger because of it. We had a strong third quarter, and are starting 2010 on solid ground. Although it might not be until the third or fourth quarter, all signs point to a recovery this year, albeit modest, a recovery nonetheless. Much better than the alternative!
Billings seems to have weathered the storm better than most small to medium sized metro areas with farming, ranching, cattle and grain hauling, and some oilfield business keeping us going, but western Montana was hard hit. In Missoula particularly, over 500 jobs were lost in the last 60 days alone! Smurfit Stone Container closed it's Missoula plant at the end of 2009, eliminating over 400 jobs and the ripple effect from that took the rest. Trucking and Logging, which used to be very strong in Missoula have almost ceased to exist.
So where does that leave Montana Peterbilt? You'd think I'd be singing the blues right now, well, quite the contrary: I'm very pleased to announce that in Missoula, we are hiring! We've added jobs in the last thirty days, with plans to add more. How are they doing this you ask? Well, when you've got lemons, make lemonade I say!
You ever heard of the old adage "I'd rather be lucky than good"? Well, I'll give a nod in that direction. Not that I'm knocking our ability to provide unsurpassed customer service, we have some of the best people in the industry at our stores. But combine that with a bit of good fortune and you have the recipe for not only survival, but, dare I say, a little bit of prosperity.
In Missoula, we are located at the intersection of Interstate 90 and State Highway 93. We have one truckstop across the road and another across the interstate, and pretty soon we'll have a third. A new, very large Town Pump truck stop is building right next door. This will effectively sandwhich us between two stores that provide goods and services for several hundred truckers (aka customers) every day.
We are hiring technicians and parts people, expanding our facility and our hours. We've hired two techs, a parts counterman and a delivery driver since the first of the year, added three more service bays, and have extended our hours to 11:30 PM. We will continue to stay open as late as our customers demand, and if the business dictates, we'll open on Sundays as well. After that, who knows? 24/7 is not out of the realm of possibility. When given an opportunity, one should grasp it and not let go. That's the plan.
So if you're in the area, stop in to say hello to Jimmy Wilson our service manager, Richard Virga- Parts Manager or Zane Lower- Sales Manager. Also don't forget to say hey to Todd Whitman our newest parts counterman, and let us buy you a cup of coffee. We'd love for you to see what we've done with the place!
Kevin
