Countdown at twenty days and all systems are not go!

My Monday was spent primarily on the telephone. For the most part it was a good day. I picked up lunch and shared it with Krl at her desk so that was a highlight. Things are slowly coming together. The biggest hurdle right now is updating a forklift. For several years I have been working with the same supplier and the same salesman. I have bought equipment from them and I have leased equipment from them. Use to be the benefits were to own the equipment. I would buy a new machine every year and rotate them down the work chain. Then my salesman wanted me to look at their new leasing program. Fully deductible, no maintenance and twenty-four hour emergency service. Sounded good didn't it. When it came to maintenance they put it all off on me. They would send any parts I needed but the technician never showed up. Of course sometimes it took the parts three days to make the trek from Houston. Last year they increased their leasing fee by forty-one per cent. This year my salesman was not very prompt in getting their pricing to me. When I told him it was getting to a critical point in the time frame he sent their pricing along with his apologies. The reason he was not prompt was that he had been arguing about their new pricing with his superiors. They have increased their lease fee by two-hundred per cent (on top of the forty-one per cent last year)! Hello! Why not just buy and pay cash! One of the things I really liked was that this manufacturer was a domestic company! Hello imports! It seems the old company's management has been restructured and now the West Texas locations are under the umbrella of Houston and Dallas. It would appear either the populated areas are not competitive or they are all greedy. Business is good!

Today I will concentrate on sub-contractors! Wish me luck!

FATHER, thank YOU for bringing it all together. FATHER I pray that YOU will always keep me fair in my dealings. Help me to be fair in my offering of compensation, help me to never ask anyone to do something I cannot do or that I am not willing to do. Help me to be effective in my staffing. Please give me new direction as I fill the equipment needs. FATHER, the weather has been so volatile in some areas the last few days, I ask that YOU keep the beautiful crops from harm and allow the farmers to bring them to harvest. I continue to ask YOUR blessing on Rene', Carol, Michelle and Aimee. Bless those in our church family who have needs and issues. May this day be blessed and may it bring glory to YOU!