IBVI’s store managers and BSC personnel have risen to the challenge revealing their dedication and generosity by continuing to support our mission and supporting their military bases.
The Coronavirus has affected all Americans and the entire globe, completely turning life as we know it upside down over the last couple of months. In a matter of days, the nation was shut down with only “essential” businesses remaining open. IBVI was immediately deemed one of those essential companies and our AbilityOne Base Supply Centers (BSC) located on military bases across the nation have remained open throughout. This has been both a blessing and a test for our business plan, leadership, and our employees, especially those working the front lines in our stores. Once again, our store managers and BSC personnel have risen to the challenge revealing their dedication and generosity by continuing to support our mission and supporting their military bases.
With BSC’s nationwide at different types of military bases in different states, the response by each store manager was most definitely personalized. Each state has had different restrictions put into place at different times. Along with that, each of our BSC’s are located on bases with individual commands making further restrictions. Each store has had to adapt based on the daily regulation changes. One of our stores is open by appointment only and the customers are scheduled a shopping time. All stores are offering curbside pickup, and our free delivery is still in place. All bases are requiring the wear of cloth face masks for military and civilian personnel. We have 6-foot distance markers at the checkout counters to encourage “social distancing”.
COVID-19 related products and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) have been all over the news as the demand is high and the supply is low. Our managers saw this on day one and immediately went into action proactively reaching out to suppliers sourcing those hard to get items. We have had to find new vendors, source products we have never sourced before and order huge quantities on other items like hand sanitizer, toilet paper, disinfecting wipes and more. Our BSC at our Fort Detrick, Maryland location has had some of our biggest successes. They have been awarded a contract to install and maintain over 600 Hand Sanitizer dispensers on their base. This is huge! This means not only do we install the dispensers but will continue to supply the sanitizer that goes with them. This success did not just start in the last two months. For many years, our store managers have been building relationships and building trust with their customers. Now, in this time of crisis, the customers are completely at ease knowing that their local BSC will be their first source of supply for their COVID 19 supplies.
Recently in an email to all BSC’s nationwide, Luis Lebron (Director BSC Program) stated, “I can’t stress enough that this pandemic, as bad as it has been, is an opportunity for us as BSC operators to show our customers our worth and to re-establish ourselves as the primary supply partner for the bases we serve, the Fort Detrick BSC (located in Maryland) does just that…” This business practice and relationship building is evident in all of IBVI Supply BSC’s.
