While the governor’s decision to allow local businesses to reopen the state has been a controversial one, Bulloch County business owners are striking just the right balance of service and safety. Many of our locally owned businesses have stayed open because they are or serve essential personnel that have been keeping the state and country moving during this time.
At McKeithen’s True Value, business has continued through the shut down, providing construction and repair experts and homeowners alike with the tools and products they need.
Throughout, the management and staff have been taking every measure to ensure the safety of their customers and staff. For the regulars who have come to trust McKeithen’s, it comes as no surprise that they are working ever harder to maintain the highest standard of safety during this time. Those standards include:
• sanitizing of register areas, doorknobs, hi-touch items, etc
• Maintaining social distancing measures between employees and customers
• Shield between cashier and customers
• Regular handwashing/sanitizing enforced for all employees
• Curb-service provided for any customer who requests it.
• Offering sanitation supplies (wipes, sprays) to doctors offices and first responders first.
Beyond meeting these protocol, owner Tom McKeithen and his managers have been taking steps to support the community and their employees in other ways, as well.
Participating in the Statesboro “Pay it Forward” initiative has offered McKeithen’s, as well as other companies still in operation, the opportunity to support their fellow local business owners by purchasing gift certificates for local businesses to offer their own customers.
Another way they are supporting the community is buying lunch for employees from locally owned restaurants, the company is “paying forward” in another way, as well – helping keeping locally owned restaurants in business.
Owner Tom McKeithen said: “We are privileged and honored to be considered an essential industry. We have customers on a daily basis with an urgent need for home repair and maintenance supplies without which they would sustain further damage and additional repair costs. In addition, with some many folks staying at home they are attending to routine repairs and maintenance that have been put off for a while.”
In the short time since opening, McKeithen’s True Value has proven to be a tremendous asset to the community. Since this crisis began, it is easy to see why. Their consistency in service and support for Statesboro has been evident.
“We love this community and the way everyone has responded to this situation.” McKeithen concludes. ”We are doing everything we can to continue to have a healthy Statesboro/Bulloch County.”
For more information about “Pay It Forward” in Statesboro, contact the Statesboro/Bulloch Chamber of Commerce. Be on the lookout for other businesses taking part in the “Pay it Forward” initiative and visit McKeithen’s True Value for your hardware and lawn care needs.