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Dear Vortexians,
Our COVID-19 Response team is now only meeting on Monday, so updates will come earlier in the week. With Phase 3 now in place, please do not become complacent or unnecessarily expose yourself and your colleagues to a potential spread of the disease.
These guidelines are particularly important, as more team members report to the offices.
Here are some of the guidelines to Saline County Phase 3:
Gatherings:
Individuals:
Employers:
Travel:
High risk areas that currently require self-quarantine:
Keep your heads’ up and your hearts’ strong!
Kind regards,
Travis Young
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Office: 785.825.7177
1725 Vortex Avenue • Salina, KS 67401
Dear Vortexians,
Saline County will move into Phase 3 of its reopening plan at 12:01 a.m. Friday, three days earlier than outlined in the original statewide Ad Astra plan. The county plan would allow all activities and establishments to be open, with a mass gathering limitation of 50 people. According to the plan, Phase 3 is intended to last until June 19, depending on metrics.
With the re-opening of the county, we are all starting to see new faces in the office areas. Welcome back! You may need to reintroduce yourself. We still need to maintain a level of caution. Please keep up with hygienic practices and minimize close contact. It is common to have a surge in cases as restrictions are eased. Though we have not had a case at Vortex, we want to keep it that way.
It has been a rough three months for the company and our people. The level of uncertainty can be straining financially and mentally. 1725 bookings and invoices are down 15% year-to-date compared to 2019. We can contribute this to the pandemic, especially when you see our 12-week booking average is down 30% percent. 304 invoices are also down, putting us at 85% of our 2020 goal. If there is a “bright side” in our numbers, it would be 1725 quotes. Year-to-date we are 106% of our 2020 goal, and only 2% off of goal on our 12-week average. Hopefully these quotes covert sooner than later, allowing us to rebound in the 3rd and 4th quarters of 2020.
Management is constantly monitoring the federal programs made available to businesses and employees during this time. These programs have helped take the “sting” out of decreasing revenues, but as with most things in politics, it is a moving target. We will do our best to leverage such assistance as long as it is available to support the company and our team.
This is the third “black swan” event in the company’s history. The first was 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis was second. Basically, nobody saw these events coming. In our prior experiences, Vortex has come out stronger. It may take some time to recover, but we end up more resilient. Let’s take some lessons from this event and find ways to be better than before, individually and as a team.
Unfortunately, we will not be able to have our traditional Vortex Pool Party this year, due to the closure of Kenwood Cove. We asked Kyle Langley if we could have it at his house, but have not heard back. Despite all of this, we’ll find a way to have some fun this summer.
Keep your heads up and your hearts strong!
Kind regards,
Travis Young
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Office: 785.825.7177
1725 Vortex Avenue • Salina, KS 67401
Dear Vortexians,
We have a few updates this week to share with you.
Re-Opening of Saline County/Kansas
We are currently in Phase Two of reopening, which limits gathering to 15 people, provided social distancing is maintained. Phase Three is tentatively scheduled for June 8th, but that depends on health statistics in the county and state. The key point of Phase Three is that businesses are longer restricted with having personnel telework. If Phase Three is implemented, it will be up to individual managers on how and who needs to physically report to work. At this time, our goal (barring any changes in guidelines) is to have everyone back at work by July 1st, 2020.
You can read the details on each phase here. If you want to watch a Japanese Pug ride a skateboard in a sweater click here.
Gym Re-Opening
For all of you “Hans and Franz” buff bodybuilding types out there, we are planning to open the gym starting next Monday, but there are some rules of engagement:
Sorry if you are too young to know about Hans and Franz.
Other News
Vortex was chosen as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas’s Ad Astra Strong Star. We will be featured in BCBSK’s media next month, including the digital billboard at the Evergy Center in Topeka. Well done team! #vortexstrong
Please keep practicing safe measures to keep you, your family and the compay SUPER STRONG!
Kind regards,
Travis Young
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Office: 785.825.7177
1725 Vortex Avenue • Salina, KS 67401
Dear Vortexians,
I am sure you have been waiting in great anticipation for this week’s COVID-19 update! You can now relax, sit back, and enjoy. I’ll try not to disappoint.
If for some reason you haven’t noticed, things are getting a little closer to normal. Those of us in Kansas can actually have up to ten people over to the house and get legal haircuts by licensed professionals. Just in time for Labor Day weekend! Or is it Memorial Day? What month is it?
Of course, we still need to be diligent and limit exposure as much as possible. You don’t want to be that football player who celebrates too early and gets denied the TD https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o_-GGDNIVg. Let’s get this thing across the line and get a win for the Team! With that, I have attached the State’s “Safe Memorial Day Guidance”
For those of you who’s arms are getting super flabby, we are looking at opening the gym up in early June as long as we have the wash down chemicals and equipment needed. We’ll let you know when we have a date.
Keep washing your paws and don’t drink the Lysol! Have a great long weekend!
Kind regards,
Travis Young
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Office: 785.825.7177
1725 Vortex Avenue • Salina, KS 67401
Dear Vortexians,
Not a lot to report this week, as there are no changes in our guidance as it applies to COVID-19. Attached is our overview on the guidance.
Some have wondered about the gym opening up, as gyms in the county are due to open on May 18th(barring any changes from the State of Kansas). To err on the side of caution and to make sure we have enough disinfectant on hand, the gym will remain closed for the time being. You may still use the showers in the facility. Sorry about that, but we need to still protect the company by making sure our team members are not a part of a viral spread.
Since we could not participate in our normal Project Salina food drive, we have launched a campaign to raise money for the cause. I am pleased to report that we’ve raised $680 so far. Vortex has matched up to $500, so that is $1180 in total. If you want to donate, please visit the Vortex Strong Facebook page or see HR on how you can help. #vortexstrong
Kind regards,
Travis Young
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Office: 785.825.7177
1725 Vortex Avenue • Salina, KS 67401
