Pampered Auto Transportation Stays Up and Running Through Pandemic
Pampered Auto Transportation was initially a car detailing shop that opened in 2015. As they aged, husband and wife co-owners Vanessa and Tony Davis realized that they would soon no longer be able to meet the physical demands on the detailing work. In January 2020, they transitioned to providing non-emergency medical transportation services, such as hospital intakes and discharge, doctor and dental appointment, physical therapy, nursing/adult daycare facilities, lab work, dialysis. Additionally, they provide parcel deliveries, expeditor services, airport transportation, rides to work and more.
Together, they combine their strengths as a team: Vanessa operates the business and provides dispatch services while Tony runs the transportation side. Vanessa says she loves that owning a business affords her the opportunity to experiment and try new ideas.
“Being a business owner has given me freedom,” Vanessa said. “I love the freedom to try my own ideas.”
For nearly three months, they were constantly fully-booked. Then, COVID-19 hit. The stay-at-home halted the vast majority of nonemergency medical appointments, and as a result, the Davis’s livelihood quickly began to dry up.
“It was very scary,” Vanesa recalled. “It was as if the business stopped breathing.”
While they remained operational per CDC safety guidelines, the sudden drop-off in clients saw them facing a bleak reality, one in which they would soon be unable to maintain staff or pay their expenses.
Vanessa and Tony connected with the GROW Muskegon office and received a COVID-19 Working Capital Loan, a low-interest loan designed by the organization to provide swift assistance to borrowers impacted by the pandemic. The funding helped the Davises sustain their business as they waited for non-emergency medical appointments to resume. Vanessa said it came just in time.
“Right around the time the funds came through, we had to fix our lift,” she said. “The funds really helped with that and helped us keep going.”
The Davises said that in addition to providing funding, GROW connected them with webinars, coaching sessions, seminars and ideas on how to be successful in the business moving forward.
“We are grateful to GROW for the funding and support,” Vanessa expressed. “Karen [GROW business development officer] helped us to think outside of the box and pivot. GROW gave us hope.”
Today, Pampered Auto is growing. They have contracted with a non-emergency medical transportation brokerage, and are booking every day.
“Somedays, we are completely booked,” Vanessa smiled.
If you are business located in Muskegon County, please click here to learn more about our Muskegon County Fast Forward Loan.
