When coronavirus hysteria reached fever pitch, in mid-March 2020, many businesses were forced to close temporarily or, within a matter of days or weeks, permanently. Some others went into hibernation like a bear curling up for a deep sleep and hoping to re-emerge during rosier times. And some businesses such as Bailey Coach pivoted, in their best efforts to survive, hard enough to trip up an NBA superstar.
Diversification Has Been Vital to Bailey Coach’s Bottom Line
Bailey Coach, Southcentral Pennsylvania’s fastest-growing transportation company, was deeply impacted when travel ground to a halt starting in mid-March. John Bailey, president of the Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, company had been through tough times before while helming the company he founded in 1998. The September 11, 2001, attacks forced him to lay off staff for the first time, and four years later, he got the company back to where it had been prior to the attacks by focusing on diversification such as handling travel for sports teams, military units and weddings.
Use of Electrostatic Sprayers in New Ways Helped Bailey Coach Weather a Brutal Financial Storm
“Our transportation business was experiencing thousands of dollars in cancellations each day,” said Courtney Bailey, Bailey Coach vice president of sales and operations. “Our president, John Bailey, sat in his office and prayed for help to keep our business afloat. Minutes later, when he was in our shop area, he saw one of our electrostatic sprayers. These sprayers were used to keep our vehicles disinfected, and that’s when the lightbulb went off. He thought, ‘Why don’t we offer to disinfect area businesses?’ This would allow us to generate some income, keep some staff working and allow us to do some good in the world.”
These electrostatic sprayers, also known as foggers, are commonly used in airplanes, cruise ships, hospitals and meat-packing facilities, Courtney Bailey said. Bailey Coach had been using these electrostatic sprayers in their vehicles for years to keep passengers safe. These machines distribute a disinfecting solution via an electrostatically charged mist onto surfaces and objects.
For awkwardly shaped objects or hard-to-reach places, disinfecting staff have to only point and spray, Courtney Bailey said. The nature of the mist allows it to coat surfaces evenly, and envelope objects—even if the mist is sprayed from only one side. After the spray is applied, the sanitizing agent works to disinfect the covered surfaces. The space can be reoccupied just minutes after the treatment, lasting 2 to 5 minutes, is completed, with no wiping down needed.
5K | Formerly Conklin Media Helped Position Bailey Coach for Success With New Venture
For Bailey Coach, the 5K | Formerly Conklin Media team built out web pages for the company’s new disinfectant service and ran a custom Facebook campaign with videos to advertise new services.
“This is a classic example of an entrepreneur pivoting at a time of need in using scarce resources to create a new revenue stream,” said Josh Eberly, a 5K | Formerly Conklin Media partner and the agency’s chief operating officer. “For other businesses, you can think about what resources you have that can serve as standalone services.”
Bailey Coach’s Disinfecting Services Help Provide Safety and Peace of Mind
Bailey Coach’s specialized solution is nontoxic and safe for use around humans, pets, electronics, woods, fabrics, manufacturing plants and more, Courtney Bailey said. It’s been shown to be 300 times more effective than bleach.
The Bailey Coach team is able to disinfect 15,000 square feet of space an hour using its foggers, Courtney Bailey reported. The company has worked to disinfect 2.5 million square feet of space for 50 businesses each week, on average, since mid-March.
The Bailey Coach Team Gives Back Even When Challenged Financially
Amid its pivoting and reinventing itself at a critical time, the Bailey Coach team continued to live up to the company’s mission to give back to the community. Bailey Coach dedicated one of its electrostatic sprayers to be used eight hours per day Monday through Friday to disinfect first-responder vehicles at its Spring Grove shop. In the first 20 days of offering this free service, Bailey Coach disinfected more than 500 first-responder vehicles, Courtney Bailey said.
Additionally, the Bailey Coach team found a way to help the United Way of York County. “We offered to disinfect anyone’s vehicle for a $10 donation to the United Way during the same hours we do the first-responder vehicle disinfecting,” said Courtney Bailey, adding that this effort was carried out by a mixture of Bailey Coach staff and Bailey family members on a volunteer basis.
Bailey Coach Is Ready to Get out on the Great Open Road
With COVID-19 self-quarantine restrictions easing in May and into June throughout Pennsylvania, the Bailey Coach team has its sights set on resuming its travel business, which dipped 96 percent over the period spanning March through July, Courtney Bailey said. This represents $1.1 million in cancellations and lost business, she said.
“The revenue we bring in from the disinfecting business is just enough to allow us to cover our expenses to pay our employees, with a small profit margin to help our transportation business stay afloat,” she said.
Sixty percent of Bailey Coach’s business comprises transporting college sports teams in motorcoaches, and 25 percent comprises business travelers and vacationers who Bailey Coach transfers to an airport in a private sedan, van or SUV, Courtney Bailey said.
“As soon as schools, business travelers and vacationers are back to a normal schedule, we will be, too,” she said. “Plastic shields are being installed in our motorcoaches, and vehicles are being disinfected between each trip.”
How Bailey Coach Is Keeping Its Transportation Customers Safe
Level up With Business Growth Opportunities
If your business is seeking creative solutions to help break out of the COVID-19 funk, strategize with the 5K | Formerly Conklin Media team on ways to help reach existing and new customers and/or clients. Our business growth experts have helped businesses reimagine the way they do business and achieve success quickly.
