August 23, 2021
Both the CDC and OSHA have recently recommended that fully vaccinated individuals in areas with “substantial” or “high” coronavirus transmission wear a mask indoors. As of the date of this communication, every GPEC branch resides in such an area. Our own significant increase in COVID cases among our employees reflects this reality. Transmission rate data is here – https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view (County) and https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_community (State).
As our communities strive for higher levels of vaccination rates and lower infection rates, some have returned to indoor mask mandates. On Friday, August 13, the City of Raleigh issued such a mandate. All four of our Raleigh-based branches were impacted. From the very beginning of the Pandemic, we have applied the same employee health and safety COVID protocols across the organization.
For all of the above reasons, on Monday August 23, 2021 the attached GPEC Face Covering Policy will be effective at all GPEC branches. All employees will be required to wear face coverings as outlined in the policy. This change was effective for the Raleigh Campus on Monday, Aug 16.
Customers and visitors at branches that fall under a local mask mandate (e.g. Raleigh) will be expected to wear a mask indoors and customer-facing employees have the authority to enforce the mandate. Customers and visitors present at branches that don’t fall under a local mandate should be encouraged to wear a mask while indoors to protect our employees.
These are trying and stressful times. While the decision to return to wearing a mask indoors is the right thing to do, it was not an easy decision. Today, it may feel like we’ve taken two steps back. Our hope and prayer is that this decision, along with increased vaccination rates, will ultimately allow us to put this Pandemic behind us once and for all. Thank you for thinking of each other as you adhere to this policy.
May 18, 2021
Effective Tuesday, May 18 and in alignment with CDC guidance, customers and associates who have been fully vaccinated (final vaccine dose two or more weeks ago) will no longer be required to wear a mask inside Gregory Poole facilities. Customers and associates who are not fully vaccinated will be required to wear a face mask and continue to social distance.
April 2, 2020
We want to reinforce that all of our locations will remain OPEN, as we are considered an essential business. You can view our locations here.
We will continue to keep you informed of the actions we are taking in accordance with national, state, and local governments. We are here for you, to keep your business up and running.
If you, or someone from your company, is planning to visit in person, we have outlined below the precautions we will be taking to keep everyone safe and healthy.
Once you arrive at one of our locations, we ask you to follow this process. (Employees are also being screened in a similar manner)
Where To Check-in:
- If entering a building, there will be signs posted directing you where to go to check-in
- If entering in a vehicle through one of our gates, the gates will be manned by employees who will perform your check-in at the gate
Check-in Process:
- Building doors will be locked, there will be a Gregory Poole associate available to let you in and conduct the check-in procedure
- Your temperature will be taken in the lobby with a non-invasive, infra-red thermometer – temperature must be below 100.4
- We may ask you questions about fever, travel to hot spot areas, or exposure to anyone who has tested positive for COVID-19
- One of our employees will escort (indoors) or direct you (outdoors) to the proper destination
During these difficult times, we hope you and your families stay safe and healthy. Thank you for your continued loyalty to Gregory Poole Equipment Company and please be assured we’ll do everything we can to protect and support the well-being of everyone in our extended community.
Thank you,
The Gregory Poole Team
March 25, 2020
We know and understand the concerns you are having about being able to keep your business going during this time – when several industries around our communities are being forced to close temporarily.
Please take comfort in knowing Gregory Poole is considered an essential business and will remain OPEN to help keep you, your machines, and your business up and running. You can view our locations here.
We will continue to keep you informed of the actions we are taking in accordance with national, state, and local governments. Also, we will continue to enforce our stricter safety guidelines to support the health of both our customers and employees, as we all try to get through these coming weeks together.
Below we’ve highlighted some specific considerations and procedural changes that we have implemented regarding each business area you may encounter:
| Sales & Product Support |
- Please do not hesitate to reach out via email, phone call, text, or FaceTime. We are prepared to be flexible and work with each of you individually to do business online, over the phone, or by bringing our machines and services to you.
| Service |
- Please do not come to the dealership for Service and Repairs without calling ahead
- If you are sick or uncomfortable coming to our locations, give us a call and we will either:
- Make the necessary arrangements to take care of your equipment coming into the shop
- Dispatch Field Service Technicians to you without risking the health of our employees and your associates
- All of our Field Service staff and Delivery Drivers have been instructed to follow COVID-19 safety precautions while on-site
| Parts |
- We are encouraging phone calls for orders, or online ordering at Parts.Cat.Com
- We will continue to offer Parts Pick Up at our locations, with required social distancing. Please contact your parts location first, and we can schedule a time for that pickup
| Rental |
- Rental needs can be met by calling your rental representative or any of our rental counters:
- You can find your closest Rental location here
- You can call 888-646-RENT to be connected to your local rental counter
- Please schedule pickup or drop-off of rental equipment by calling your local facility and scheduling a time
- We continue to deliver rental equipment to jobsites as normal but are practicing social distancing for everyone’s safety
Again, please know that we are here for you and your business. We are committed to serving your needs during this unprecedented time. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to your nearest location or your sales representative.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation.
The Gregory Poole Team
March 17, 2020
To Our Valued Customers and Community,
Gregory Poole Equipment Company’s number one priority is ensuring the safety of our customers and employees. Per the Gregory Poole Mission Statement, “we are stewards of our communities, our environment and the industries we serve” and “we are dedicated to our customer’s success.” We would like to keep you, our valued customers, informed of our company response during this time.
For the time being, all Gregory Poole locations are operating at normal business hours and are taking precautions onsite to help control the spread of COVID-19 (commonly known as the coronavirus).
As the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak is a major concern for everyone, we want to share how we are managing the situation. We have not had any type of exposure, but our first priority remains the health and well-being of our associates, customers and community.
- We are open for business in all locations to support you, and will send a follow up note if that were to change
- Company-wide policies have been put in place minimizing our associates’ and customers’ exposure to COVID-19 – outlining guidelines for coming to work, self-quarantining and proper hygiene and social distancing practices as recommended by the CDC:
- Limiting direct exposure for our employees and communities as much as possible, including restrictions on non-essential travel, postponement of large events, and enhanced social distancing practices
- Deploying deep cleaning with CDC approved disinfectants to protect our facilities and mobile service vans, as well as the products we deliver
- Placing hand sanitizing stations throughout our offices and wearing gloves when loading and unloading machines
- Requiring employees to stay home if experiencing symptoms, if returning from events elsewhere, or have traveled on mass transit
- We are asking our sales force to refrain from entering a customer location without an appointment or direct permission
- We have implemented a No Handshake policy
- We are encouraging the use of cell phones, FaceTime, and email as first line of communication
- For our customers who are sick or do not feel comfortable coming into one of our branch locations:
- If you have urgent repairs, please do not come to the dealership. Give us a call and we will dispatch field service technicians to you without risking the health of our employees and your associates
- If you would like to purchase a piece of equipment, please do not hesitate to reach out via email, phone call, or text to your Gregory Poole representative. We are prepared to be flexible and work with each of you individually to do business online, over the phone, or by bringing our machines and services to you.
- If you need to order parts, we are encouraging phone calls for orders, or online ordering at Parts.Cat.Com. We will still however, accept walk-in customers and parts pickup, with required social distancing.
We recognize this is a fluid and dynamic situation – be sure to keep an eye out on updates from our website homepage, further email communications, and social media accounts as things continue to change throughout our National, State and City governments and local communities to prevent the spread of this virus.
We are committed to serving your needs during this unprecedented time. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to reach out to your nearest location or your sales representative.
Thank you for your understanding. In the meantime, please be safe and know our hearts go out to all those affected.
The Gregory Poole Team