48 GEARS April 2004

Fire. What other single wordcan evoke a greater sense ofunease, or even outright fear?

What comes to mind are visions ofhomes or businesses, completely guttedand reduced to little more than a pile ofcharred ruble … and the loss of itemsthat have irreplaceable value. Be it ourhome or business, the very possibilityof losing what is dear to us through fireis so powerful we tend to push thethought to the back of our mind. Butsometimes that possibility becomes areality, and the effect devastating.

For the owners of ProfessionalTransmission and Converter Corp., inFrankfort, New York – just outside ofUtica - the possibility became a realityon February 14th of this year.

Joe Giannotti and Richard Morrishave owned the business since itsinception 22 years ago. By all accountsit was the kind of business many peoplein this industry hope to have. Builtfrom the ground up through hard work,community good will, and customerservice, Professional Transmission andConverter enjoyed steady growth. In1994, they expanded the original shop

facility with the addition of a concreteblock structure, bringing some 15,000square feet under roof and greatlyincreasing the facility’s size. Just intime, it seems, because over the last twoyears, their business doubled.

The operation employed 18 peo-ple, rebuilding both transmissions andtorque converters for their own use andwholesale distribution throughout amulti-state area.

I recently spoke with CharleneMorris, Rick’s wife, who told me whatoccurred.

As was customary, the shop wasopen a half-day on Saturday, from

8:00 a.m. until 12:00. This Saturday,coincidentally, was Valentine’s day.Rick was the last person to the leave thebusiness, locking up at noon. Nothingwas unusual or different at the time ofclosing.

At about 5:00 p.m., Rick andCharlene received a phone call at homefrom their alarm company, telling themthat an alarm had gone off at their busi-ness. They raced to the shop, arriving

by Paul Morton

FIRE!FIRE!FIRE-InsCorner.qxd 3/15/04 4:18 PM Page 48

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almost simultaneously with the firedepartment, and found what seemed tobe a manageable fire. This is wherefate intervened.

The first fire trucks at the scenebegan laying hose from the nearesthydrants, only to find them frozenclosed by mid-winter temperatures.Precious time ticked away as the firefighters frantically searched for ausable hydrant. When you realize thatmost fires double their size everyminute, any time lost is critical. Thenearest viable water source the firefighters could find was a hydrant onemile away. By the time they were ableto put water on the fire, the buildingwas fully engulfed in flames, fueled inpart by the common flammable materi-al found in all shops. Despite thearrival of fire engines and personnelfrom neighboring communities, theconflagration could not be extin-

guished. Within a short while,Professional Transmission andConverter was a business in name only.

“It’s like a death in the family …you never think it will happen to you,”Charlene told me. “I never would have

dreamed a building made from concreteblocks could burn like that … even withthe wood (trusses and) ceiling. It wasdevastating … there was nothing sal-vageable … even the tools had melted.”

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50 GEARS April 2004

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The first fire trucks at the scene beganlaying hose from the nearest hydrants,only to find them frozen closed by mid-winter temperatures.

FIRE-InsCorner.qxd 3/4/04 4:23 PM Page 50

ness, it comes from the fact that thebuilding and contents were insured, andthe coverage kept pace with the expand-ing value and growth of the business.Professional had also included in theirinsurance a “Business Interruption”provision that helped defray the cost oftemporarily re-starting the business inanother facility or location.

Other lights came on when Joe andRick found a storage facility nearby thatcould serve as a temporary shop – albeita primitive one. And other nearbytransmission shops – their competitors– offered the use of tools and equipmentthat would enable them to tend to theircustomers needs. That alone, I believe,speaks volumes about the reputation ofProfessional Transmission andConverter, and the decency and profes-sionalism of those shops that helpedtheir neighbor in time of need.

I have no doubt that ProfessionalTransmission and Converter will beback in business before long. CharleneMorris probably said it best: “These aretwo hard-working owners … just lookat what they started with and what theymade. It says a lot about how they tookcare of their customers, and it makesthem want to get back in it.”

To paraphrase an old adage, it’shard to keep a good business down.Our best wishes go out to all those atProfessional Transmission andConverter, and we certainly hopethey’ll be back in full-swing just assoon as possible.

GEARS April 2004 51

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by Frank Pasley

Insurance is a painful subject formost shop owners. If you don’t use it,insurance feels like a waste of money. Ifyou do have an insurance claim, some-thing bad has happened to a person orsomething you own. In most cases thereis both an emotional and financial loss.

In today’s world you can’t be inbusiness without insurance, unless youare willing to risk your home, personalproperty, everything you have workedfor and future income.

Insurance policies almost neverallow a 100% recovery to the insured inthe event of a loss. First party insurancecoverage, like Automobile Collision,Building Fire, and BusinessInterruption Insurance Policies areintentionally designed to have theinsured person or company participatein the loss through the use ofdeductibles or co-insurance clauses.

Here are a few tips to reduce yourexposure to unexpected losses.

• Have your building, equipment &tools values adjusted every yearto reflect current replacementcost. Buying too little insurancemay save a couple of bucks, butit means big problems at claimtime.

• Increase coverage when newequipment is purchased insteadof waiting until renewal time, thecost is just pennies per day.

• Inspect your business monthly forsafety issues like frayed electri-cal wiring, flammables storage,fire extinguisher operation, slipand fall conditions, safe storageof cores or parts to reduce fallingor collapse problems. Inspectlifts weekly or even daily.

The transmission business hassome unique problems. It pays to dobusiness with an insurance agentknowledgeable about the industry.

Insurance Corner

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