This disaster is much bigger than people losing their homes or businesses. This is our entire community losing.
We're finding out about friends and businesses and the sheer impact of it all. At a community meeting, the mayor said it would be a minimum of two years before we start rebuilding Lahaina. I feel so overwhelmed by that because not only did we lose our business, but we also lost our home.
Welcomed Support
We’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of care, concern, love and support we've received from our industry. Almost immediately, Rob Collins, Michael Chong and Brandon Okahara from the Automotive Body and Paint Association of Hawaii contacted me. They have all been a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen to sound advice. They’ve been amazing.
Michael Quinn and Petra Schroeder from the Collision Industry Foundation (CIF) have been wonderful. Michael was able to help us apply for funding and Petra is so kind and helpful. CIF provided a $20,000 grant for our shop and split it among our employees so everybody received a $2,500 initial payment.
CIF is also going to help retool everyone. Todd, my estimator, was my painter and his equipment was destroyed in the fire. For my body techs, they were going to put together a tool drive on Oahu so if someone had an extra tool or retired, they could donate it. Greg Schneider, president of Hi-Line Distributors, reached out and wants to work with me on getting new equipment as soon as we find a space.
Axalta has already gone above and beyond for us. I can't believe how much care they've shown. They're just amazing. CCC reached out and was able to help me access my databases and wrap up some files so I could still assist my customers.
There are so many people who have done so much for us. One of the hardest things during this experience was taking the help offered. Jess and I are very independent and built this business. We've done everything on our own. We don't take out loans or have debt aside from our mortgages. If we want something, we save up and buy it. To be in a position where you don't have any control over anything and can’t help yourself was a hard pill for both of us to swallow.
I always knew that our industry and auto body association want to see each other succeed. The amount of support and genuine concern everyone has had for us is humbling. People really do care.
Words of Advice
One of the most important things I've learned from this experience is to ensure you have the appropriate insurance coverage and talk to your agent to prepare for something like this. I wasn't. None of us think we will be in a situation where we lose everything.
Make sure that you run through all the scenarios and have a contingency plan. I recommend having everyone's phone number saved in your cell phone or cloud to ensure everyone is OK.
We all know how hard this industry works but when you get thrown a curve ball like this, you realize how important it is to access information. Make sure all your databases are backed up and everything is on the cloud. If your computer burns and you don’t have anything saved digitally, it’s much harder.
The Healing Process
We’re currently living in Napili. Jess and I are very much a team and we could not do any of this without each other. We both have good days and bad days and some are harder than others. Everyone reminds me that I need to take time for myself and grieve. I'm trying to do that but I want to put plans in place for the business.
I'm working with a Realtor to find another commercial location to reopen our business. The service we provided for the West Side was an essential piece of our community. If our business wasn't there, you would have to drive 45 minutes to the next closest shop.
We prided ourselves on being part of our community and serving customers with a quality of repair and a lot of Aloha. We need to get that back.
To donate to a GoFundMe set up to assist Amanda and Jess, click here.
Stacey Phillips Ronak