Posted by Steve O'Dea on Thu, Jul 29, 2010 @ 07:40 AM
As a child of the 1970’s and 1980’s I have noticed a huge difference between then and now. Many of the everyday tasks that we do now and the technology required for these tasks have absolutely no resemblance of comparable tasks we did 20-30 years ago. Social networking was hoping on your bike and riding to the corner street light to meet your friends. Gaming consisted of “cops and robbers” or “hide and seek” outdoors, in the heat without the aid of anything electronic. Sandlot baseball, football or dodge-ball games were commonplace. TV had 3 channels and one really snowy one. So much has changed, and that is great. I don’t want people to think that I am a guy who walked 20 miles in the snow, uphill both ways to school everyday. I did walk to school but it was primarily level ground and was only a 5 minute walk. I had it pretty good and you know what – I still do. It is just so different now.
With Facebook, Twitter and the many other social networking sites exploding in the last few years, people (and companies) are either going to keep up or be left behind. You don’t have to join these to be successful, but with new generations entering the business world who have only known these networking sites we need to realize that these are not going away. YouTube is the same way. Sure you can watch people attempt (and fail) at jumping off a roof into a pool, or a clip of a skateboard accident that serves as a warning for anyone hoping to become a parent one day. It is also a great place for businesses. Video blogs and how to videos are important and new ways to touch your customers and prospects.
Pacer, not to be outdone, has launched a YouTube page and we have our first video on the site. Christopher Carter here hosts that video and he did a great job in explaining a little about our company and our processes. We have very little experience on camera, and when my face inevitably makes up on YouTube for Pacer, you will see why. Our goal is to educate on how we are capable of helping you, your business or with your current project. Our goal is to have four or five of us from Pacer as your hosts for these very brief and informative videos. Our goal is to improve in the content and production quality so that you can lean on us as a trusted source for information both on our website and our YouTube page.
We welcome constructive criticism from you so we can get better on each one. Please be warned though, my forehead will not get smaller but only bigger as I lose more hair every day. Become a fan on Facebook and follow us on Twitter and you will see special offers in the near future. Since riding our bikes to the park will no longer bring us together, hopefully these social networks will.
View our channel on YouTube here.
Posted by Steve O'Dea on Tue, Jun 15, 2010 @ 08:16 AM
Do you remember when Outlet Malls were a new concept? About 20 years ago, retail establishments that we were all used to seeing in our local shopping malls decided to sell the irregular or overstocked products at one location: The Outlet Mall. The consumer would experience savings on the same name brands they coveted at the regular mall by visiting these "Authorized Factory Outlets." So these Outlets began popping up everywhere. As of this post there are at least 2 very big set of Outlet malls located less than an hour from where I sit.
As is typical of great ideas taken too far, the savings became less and less but the exposure and availability of the stores increased to any of the savvy shoppers who hunt for their bargains. While I will not name any retail store names, the same clothing store that can be found in most malls also has an outlet store at every outlet mall. This weekend, while traveling out of town for a wedding, my wife and I visited an outlet mall. I purchased a nice ball cap that was truly a bargain, but then overcome by thirst purchased a lemonade that was less than fiscally responsible. I figure it evened out. For the most part though there were not too many great deals to be had.
Well Pacer is pleased to announce our online Factory Outlet that you will see considerable savings. This to me seems more in lines with the original idea of a Factory Outlet. We manufacture wire and cable. We sell in standard put ups our various wire and cable to customers. There is always shorts left over or mistakes where we have extra wire with a colored tracer or stripe applied. Rather than throw these in the scrap bin, these extras might be exactly what someone is looking for.
When going to outlet store, you might have an idea of what you want but you also need to have an open mind when thumbing through the mark down racks. The same principle applies here at Pacer. Check our outlet store often and see how it may change from week to week. In addition to the wire and cable we make, we also distribute many electrical components. We might end up having excess stock of a breaker or a switch. You might not need it now, but could you use it in the future?
It is kind of neat to see an Outlet store that is truly factory direct, and not some over marketed store front that operates and prices their items the same as their retail locations. Where is the advantage of that?
Do you have any Outlet mall horror stories you would like to share? Please do not name any specific names and keep the stories clean, but we would enjoy hearing your thoughts in the comment section.
To visit our "Outlet Mall" please visit the following link: http://www.pacergroup.net/Categories2.aspx?Category=9008624a-1d43-46a3-84ef-e24b92690b88. You can also become a fan of Pacer on Faceook or -Follow Pacer on Twitter.
Posted by Steve O'Dea on Wed, Jun 09, 2010 @ 10:53 AM
In W.P. Kinsella's book "Field of Dreams" which was later made a movie starring Kevin Costner, one of the famous lines was, "If you build it, they will come." This saying was the driving force for the protagonist, Roy, to build his baseball park in the middle of an Iowa cornfield. It was a pretty good movie and a better book. Isn't that usually the case? Well, here at Pacer, we have been slowly building our website and our product offering in hopes that people will visit in droves. We have a long way to go but we are making progress. Our newest section contains pre-made battery cable assemblies.
As soon as we turned the "Open" sign on in this battery cable store we began to get more calls and orders for folks needing to upgrade or update their cables on their boats, cars, trucks and forklifts. As one of our newer customers commented to me, "this is exactly what I was looking for. No more excess pieces, no more failed crimps." That pretty much sums it up.
One of our new customers had us make a battery cable for his 1949 Ford Woody. He was so excited about getting exactly what he was looking for without making a compromise. He also told me that he was going to the "World of Woody Rally" in which he could not wait to tell all of his fellow "Woody" enthusiasts about where he purchased his battery cables.
On a typical day, our battery cable department makes anywhere from 400-800 battery cable assemblies. Often times they are fulfilling orders for any of our OEM customers for their custom assemblies. They are also ensuring that we have adequate stock of the battery cables listed on the site. One of the advantages our cables have is superior flexibility. We use very fine stranded copper conductors in our cable, and that flexibility helps when installing in a variety of spaces.
When we get an opportunity to make a custom assembly for a special antique vehicle or for a race car, the guys get excited. Perhaps it is the typical monotony of doing the same thing over again and when they get to do something different and know about where it will go, they enjoy the possibilities. I guess we all do in a way. When much of your market is recreation or industrial applications, the little kid inside still wants to build in the sandbox, but with full sized earth movers. Or with antique cars, race cars, all terrain vehicles or, well you get the idea. Remember we don't get to ride too many snowmobiles here in Florida. We can however make the battery cables for them so that they perform at their best up north.
Posted by Steve O'Dea on Wed, Jun 02, 2010 @ 08:09 AM
You just can't tell anymore. Whatever is going on with the economy, which it seems is currently positive for the most part, remains a mystery. In every sector there is reason for optimism but also reason for caution and treading lightly. Being a superior wire and cable manufacturer we are keenly aware of the movements of copper. Copper, like gold, silver or platinum can and should be classified as a "precious" metal. All you need to know to about copper in order to classify it as a precious metal is that over the past few years it has been a big target for thieves. In new home construction, at least back when there was new home construction, the thieves would rip out all the copper fittings from the plumbing work and all of the electrical wiring and sell it to scrap metal yards. When prices were hovering around $4.00/ lb this made copper an easy target for criminals. Most authorities began working directly with the scrap metal guys to alert them to suspicious transactions have for the most part stemmed this crime wave.
Copper is still very volatile. In the last month we have seen it move almost $.50/ lb, while the monthly average has stayed relatively consistent. What does this mean? There are so many factors that play a role in the view of our economy. Natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes and volcanic ash can and will influence our economic outlook. Man made disasters such as an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico or an uncertain election result will also send the markets into frenzy. The stability of the US dollar along with international currency such as the Euro influences investors as well. In our current media mad world, news from all over the world reaches us in light speed. Social networks such as Twitter and Facebook give the opportunity to be the news source for the user(s). Many people hear about breaking news from Twitter, as strange but true phenomenon. The problem with Social Networks is that one must take each bit of new news in its proper context with a grain of salt because reliability can be an issue.
So what does all of this mean to us? It means there is no clear answer or path to take. It does seem like business has certainly improved from 2009. Hopefully this is one sign of more economic improvement. One thing we can learn from history is: Who knows what the future holds? If you have any comments, theories or thoughts on the improving business climates, please share.
Posted by Sheila Knott on Wed, Mar 10, 2010 @ 03:06 PM
By Steve O'Dea - Pacer Solutions Expert
I would love to talk about college basketball and how the brackets are going to shake out and then subsequently be dismantled by Cinderella State University, the fighting Glass Slippers, but I will leave that to the experts. What I am going to talk about is the scramble to find parts to fix our warm weather equipment in order to be ready for when the warmer weather actually hits. Cabin fever has reached full pandemic in the winter of 2010 and the overwhelming desire to see some good weather and get out and enjoy it is clearly evident from the voices and faces of most of the people we talk to. Now everyone is working to make sure that their toys and equipment are ready for the good times ahead.
As most of us are people who work 50 hours a week or more, the weekends are more and more cherished. The last thing anyone wants to do is waste that time fixing equipment, keeping you from your favorite past time. Use what few weekends you have left before the weather really kicks in to get all of your favorite tools of the trade back up to competition ready.Here's an idea...go online and save time AND money by ordering quick and easy!
Depending on where in the country, or in the world for that matter, you are located, the weather will get better sooner than you think. For some folks you have a few months, but for others, like us in Florida, the mercury is beginning to rise in our thermometers and getting out and enjoying our outdoor pursuits is at the top of our priority lists.
So get ready and do not wait for better temperatures. Instead, prepare now and be ready for the nicer weather. The weekend warriors only get 104 Saturdays and Sundays per year and not all of those days are chamber of commerce brochure days. If you get 25% of those days as good weather days that only means 26 days to "play" with. You know something always comes up on many of those that prevent you from spending your time doing your favorite activity.
Use your time now to get ready and hopefully your "honey-do" list does not grow too out-of-hand to take more precious days away. In the meantime, stay safe and be warm.
Posted by Sheila Knott on Tue, Dec 15, 2009 @ 08:18 AM
By: Steve O'Dea - Pacer Solutions Expert
What a w
eek in Orlando, FL for the 2009 PRI Show! This was our second year being an exhibitor at this show and we made major progress from one year to the next. Most exhibitors we spoke to indicated that there would be fewer attendees than in years past. While this might have been the case, and understandably so, we had more people interested in Pacer Group and our product offering. Hundreds of people came to meet us at our booth and ask us about various product solutions. Many were excited about our website www.PacerGroup.net and many came to pick up our new catalog. While many professionals stated that they were buying most of their electrical products "from here & there," we feel confident that they will now turn to us to be their electrical resource. When they are buying wire and parts from a discount auto store, and then they see the savings and knowledgeable technical help that we, as the wire manufacturer, can provide, they are ecstatic. We always love the look on a new prospect's face when they ask, "you actually make the wire?" You can see the calculations in their head, tallying up the savings. Couple that fact with our electrical engineers ready to help with technical issues, Pacer moves from supplier to solutions provider.
We would like to thank the Jeff Gordon Foundation for their generous donation of the Jeff Gordon prize pack. He is a polarizing figure in racing to be sure. One thing that cannot be disputed about Jeff Gordon (other than his success) is that his Foundation is a wonderful and worthwhile cause. The man gives back and that is something we should all consider. Our success at the trade show means Pacer will be donating $250 to the Jeff Gordon Foundation.
We would also like to thank everyone who came by to say "Hi." When we are back at the office on the telephones with our customers we forget how nice it is to see them face to face. To put a face with the voice helps Pacer strengthen the relationships that are the foundation of our business and our customer service practice. The feedback you provide us helps Pacer to learn how we can help professional racers improve, simplify and excel in the electrical and wiring that is mission critical in your vehicles.
Finally, we would like to thank all those involved with the PRI show in making it a top notch event. There were many PRI professionals, including Susannah, who were walking around and greeting the exhibitors and asking for feedback and improvement ideas. When companies spend a lot of money to display a booth at a trade show it is refreshing to know that the organizing company is looking out for our best interest.
Pacer will definitely plan on doing the PRI show in 2010, for the third year and we look forward to helping all the racing professionals that were kind enough to come to see us and sign up for our website. Stay tuned as we will be announcing the winners of our Pacer PRI Give-away prizes! We are definitely lucky to be involved with fun industries like marine and professional racing. At our hotel there was an accounting conference going on during the days of the show and I thought to myself; they have no idea of the fun they are missing over at the convention center!
CLICK HERE to see some of the photos we took while at the show!