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Episode 32: Party Reflections Warehouse Tour
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You definitely want to head over to YouTube as Nate and Kyle interview Party Reflections Director of Operations Jay Gorman while they walk through their warehouse.
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Transcript
Introduction to 'Under the Vinyl' Podcast
00:00:00
Speaker
This is Under the Vinyl, a rental management media podcast. I'm Nate. And I'm Kyle. And this is what we talk about, tents and everything tent-related. Let's dive in.
Tent Rental Business Song
00:00:10
Speaker
I'm the one you call when you need a tent up or down.
00:00:14
Speaker
I'm a tent rental man, I'm working on all day. Getting mistakes in the ground no matter what they say. From sunrise to the night, make sure everything's right. Yeah, I'm tent rental man, I'm working on...
Live Introduction from Party Reflections
00:00:29
Speaker
We're live today on site at Party Reflections. We've got a good tailgate talk to you get to you today. We got Jay Gorman from Party of Reflections. and ah I'd like say Vice President because that's just what I had in my mind.
00:00:41
Speaker
but Director of Operations. Director of Operations. Or if you do some research, at one point he was the president of Party Reflections. yes Just ask Dan about that. yeah But we're gonna give you a little rundown on what they got going on and how they are processing things at busy time and how they take care of their product and just some different products that they have in their warehouse. So let's go for it.
Warehouse Tour & Tent Drying System
00:01:01
Speaker
For everyone listening, you're gonna want to watch this one on YouTube because we are live in their warehouse walking around so you can actually have visual aid while we're talking about stuff. Yeah, they got a wonderful facility here. Jay, how many square foot are you guys at? We have about 95,000 square foot in our warehouse. 175 total with the building office space and everything. So yeah, what you see behind us here, this so this is our tent drying system.
00:01:25
Speaker
Basically we have rigging at the ceiling. After it comes out of our TECO wash machine, the guys hang it up, clipped, and it hangs for about usually a day or so just because while the vinyl dries quickly, we do need the additional air time for all the ketters and everything to make sure they're nice and dry so don't get molded when they are wrapped up in the- Are you checking them with a moisture meter or are you just going off-
Tent Washing & Logistics Management
00:01:48
Speaker
not. Usually we we don't get that detail, but we know that, I mean, if you you can see if they do get wrapped up before they're dry, they'll be sitting there and there'll puddle water and sitting there with the ketters wet.
00:01:58
Speaker
And are you guys leaving these fans running We do, especially in the warmer months, but they do run just to keep the airflow and everything going. Okay. And then what about when it gets cold in here? Usually we don't run them as much, but I mean, um mainly because the other departments, get it gets a little chilly for them. so How many guys are running your wash facility? Currently on the tent tip pad, we have about six guys running it. Just they do process.
00:02:23
Speaker
They'll come in the morning, drop everything, fold it, roll it, reload for the day, and then they'll use just the other time to wash. they did We do still do some hand washing. How many loads are you were trying to get? ah Depends on what we're washing. depends really because I mean we can hang 40 in theory you can hang up I mean we do we've hung 30 meter tops up here before so it just depends on how many we can get in and you know you can get more 10 by 10s you can get 30 meter panels in.
00:02:49
Speaker
Tell us a little bit about a busy time versus slow time. You know, you're getting so much material in at one time. How are you guys keeping up with that? What's the turnaround time? Are you guys pretty backed up when it comes to busy season? I will say we just came off our largest ten install of the year, Wyndham Championship. We had a roughly 90,000 square foot of tenting up and they've gotten through a huge chunk of it. And only, but we started breaking down about two weeks ago. So they've been really on it getting processed just to make sure. Cause especially in these warmer months, and it was raining, it was breaking down. So we can't, if it's sitting there longer than any time, it's going to bake and mold very quickly.
Handling & Grading Returned Tents
00:03:24
Speaker
And what's the process look like when it comes back? So you guys bring it in here and then what what is the starting process of the cleaning? we do have, it all comes off the trucks and it is staged and then they will sort it by size somewhat. And then they'll bring it to either put the tent washer or clean on the tent bed. It also depends on if we need priority, whether it goes in the tent washer or it just gets hand washed with that.
00:03:44
Speaker
And how does it get prioritized as far as how do you know what? Just based on needs, what orders are coming up. If there's something that's needed to flip quicker, we'll just and check it with it, you know, open it up check it and watch. So are you checking everything every time it comes back? Right now we are, yes. We're working on a system, a gra a grading vinyl system to come out the field, different colored system. We haven't quite fully implemented yet, but we're working on it. Aren't we all? Yes. were We are all trying to get to that point.
00:04:08
Speaker
Tell us a little bit about your rigging. I'm very, I love how you guys did this. I know everybody is totally different. Everybody has so many different rigging ideas, but i I love how you guys did this. So
Automated Rigging & Safety Systems
00:04:18
Speaker
tell us a little bit about it. So basically we took TelSpar as the base and we have hung four points on the ceiling and we had a,
00:04:26
Speaker
um It's similar, very similar to how you do stuff in the theater is where it came, kind of the idea came from. It's chained up and it runs. Everything's automated. each Each of these lines has a separate winch that lifts the vinyl up and down.
00:04:40
Speaker
um One of the things we did that, one of the reasons why we all did that is because it' we were hand pulling them before and that's, you know, two guys to pull up a top and get, you know, God forbid something happens, that's ah that's a huge liability. So we are, these help raise and lower the tent ten tops as needed.
00:04:57
Speaker
And the guys, they love it? Yeah, well they love it. Back saver, labor saver, so all that stuff. yeah and so No stress. How many square foot do you roughly can you hang in the air?
Color-Coding for Tent Readiness
00:05:07
Speaker
Have you found out yet?
00:05:12
Speaker
18 times, I mean, I can do if- Tenors met a lot of tops, right? Exactly, a lot of tops. We have 18 lines total, so just depends, again, what you're hanging how you hang it. So I see some blue wrap, some red wrap, and I think I saw green somewhere. Yes, there is green. So the blue wrap you see here is all of our stuff that's cleaned in the warehouse.
00:05:30
Speaker
So when the guys get the field, they know that that's been cleaned and checked in the warehouse. Red is damaged or needs repair or there's something wrong with it. So we do have that as well. Okay, what's green? Green is field checked.
00:05:41
Speaker
So it's supposed we certified to certified. Someone in the field say, correct. Is that a, Hey, this came back. We took this down. It's okay to use again. Just put it back on the shelf. yeah So what you're telling me as a tenor that needs to be checked no matter what. Yes, because the, yes, that's, and that's why we have the different colors is because as we all know, there's times in the field where it now everyone agrees on what was done. So right we know who did it. Yeah.
00:06:04
Speaker
So I saw some, you have Levo,
Challenges with Shade Cloths on Levo Tents
00:06:06
Speaker
right? Yes, we do have a 20 meter Levo. Clear and translucent? We have a clear 20 meter. we have ah It breaks down to a 15 meter. We have that and translucent and clear.
00:06:15
Speaker
Have you had to put a shade cloth on it? Because I just did a job and I had a really hard time putting shade cloth it. have not, but I hear there is one company out there that has somewhat perfected the idea. So we have done the shade cloth. ah It is something that I tell my customers I don't want to do, but we will do it because let's be honest, in this industry, do we say no? No, not usually. So we always we always come up with the idea. So what we have done is we've we've built actual vinyl tops, a thin vinyl top, cheap vinyl.
00:06:46
Speaker
We've made them into a whole bay but gone a little bit longer than the tent. And then we've made a pocket to be able then to go ahead and put the bar through to tension it up and pull it tight so that way the rain doesn't hold and things like that.
00:06:58
Speaker
So that's what found. Yeah, because I've before with clear bagging water once we shade cloth it. Yeah, I think i think sir everybody is worried about the bagging of the water and and that's what we've tried and it's worked.
00:07:09
Speaker
Now, how you're getting that tarp over or that vinyl tarp over and and the rope over, I'll leave that up to you guys. We found our way. I won't necessarily tell you how we found that way, but that's a story for another time. So...
Storage Systems for Tent Materials
00:07:24
Speaker
All right, so tell us a little bit here about what we got going on. What frame are you guys in and the smaller stuff here? So all of our smaller six meter and nine meter framing structure framing is all shelter, G.S.
00:07:37
Speaker
structure. So that's all stored inside here. There's also all of our fixing rails for all of our glass and doors is also stored here. So that's all behind you is doors out. Someone has 14 of my doors right now.
00:07:52
Speaker
For event in Nashville. So yeah, and we've got all the glass and all that stuff That's us. See guys. We weren't lying when we said we celebrate everybody Everybody needs to have some friends. Yeah, I have a friend now. Wait a minute Tell me about you still got the colors going on with the plastic that's the wind that's again That wasn't see that was supposed to be used to wrap vinyl a field. They just found it Okay, I didn't know if this meant that these parts are gonna be checked before they go out. Okay.
00:08:17
Speaker
Well, they use system in clear. hey All right multi-use system. Yep. Yep. So So you guys got quite a bit glass here. Do you do a lot of 4 meter, a lot of 3.4? What's the most glass you guys do? The majority of our glass is in all 3.4 meter. Okay. um I think I've got, ah it's a lot, so ah quite a bit.
00:08:36
Speaker
We have a lot the large gulf room I talked about is a lot of glass on that. So we also have, um all this is Lowesburger glass indoors. We do have some of the Fred's doors, the aluminum doors.
00:08:48
Speaker
And then for our Levo, we do have some vertical glass, black glass, and some Fred's, the nine foot doors. So you talked about the golf tournament that you guys just did. Tell us a little bit about that. is what was that What's that look like for you guys as far as the time frame? We just talked with the tent boy himself, Richard Martin, to give us some information on how they do it.
00:09:10
Speaker
What's that like for you all on a logistics standpoint, getting everything out and and the
Logistics for Golf Tournament Setup
00:09:14
Speaker
timelines and the weather and stuff like that? Yeah, so it's about this install. We started ah second last week in June, so it' was about a six week install for us.
00:09:22
Speaker
yeah um All the tournament was the last week in July 1st, that first July for August 1st. Where's the tournament? It's in Greensboro. So it's an hour and a half up the rally that's an hour and a half up the road for us. So Okay. We typically will come up with a game plan of like what holes we're doing at what point in time.
00:09:39
Speaker
And then we'll load all the tenting for that hole, all the larger tenting for that hole on the flatbed semi trailers and ship it up there. um Get all tents, frames in the air and everything in the air. And then we'll come back into the glass.
00:09:51
Speaker
You have another office in Greensboro? We do have an office in Greensboro. you guys pull people from that office as well? Yes. This year we actually did pull some of their crews over to do like help with the glass and stuff just because it got, you know, it's it's a lot. Okay, and what comes out in and out of that warehouse? is It's all just, that was just mail labor. And sometimes we'll get tempted if we need stuff like inventory from them for the job, we'll grab it from them.
00:10:12
Speaker
But a lot of time it's just, it was their labor. Are your labor crews staying up there? are they driving in the hour and a half factory? They are staying up. that we do have They do stay on site. So I saw today, Obviously, it's going to come out later than today, but on Facebook, someone asking about per diem and hotels and all that stuff.
00:10:26
Speaker
How's that look in your company? ah So we pay the guys. Our rate is $60 a day they get. So that's pretty much normal. normally Yeah, so we get them standard. Yeah. yeah Give them $60 a day. We get their hotels and all that stuff. I just got a crew on the way to New York right now. okay um so they're same thing 60 a day for from they leave the day they leave till the day they get back right and those guys for the golf tournament were there monday they monday through saturday come home saturday be home sunday nice and then go back on monday and then do you leave somebody on site for that golf tournament for the duration for a safety aspect yeah we had two guys on site from the whole the whole tournament and so
00:11:06
Speaker
How does the whole safety aspect look for you guys? you have to create an evacuation plan of any sort? Do you have somebody on
Weather Challenges & Safety Protocols
00:11:12
Speaker
site that makes that call that says, hey, it's about to get wild out here, let's get everybody out? Usually it's the golf. With golf trends like that, they've got enough weather stuff and stuff like that. We usually work with that.
00:11:22
Speaker
Okay, cool. no No problems with any tents during the weather there? We got lucky. like i mean, it rained every day basically from the time we got there to the to the Gulf for the week and then it didn't rain for the week and then rained after. love that.
00:11:34
Speaker
Did you sink any forklifts anywhere? No, no, thank God we didn't. Didn't hit any water lines. We've done that before. All the things were good. so So what has been your biggest struggle in warehousing here and everything and getting stuff in and out?
Warehouse Space & Storage Solutions
00:11:48
Speaker
I mean, you think with 70, what I'd say, 95,000 square feet, I'd have plenty of room, but obviously, you know, we're already, as you can see, there's stuff that's not, this is typically supposed to be for a load square as it yeah like the guys get pulled orders and sit here. yeah But again, we're running ah just space wise. It's still a challenge sometimes.
00:12:05
Speaker
We do have racking and we've got you know our reach forklifts and stuff like this. Coming up behind you is all the hard goods department. So all that's pulled off a reach forklift.
00:12:16
Speaker
So condensing as much as possible so your IOs are narrow, you more space in here is kind of one of the challenges there too And I think that's been everybody's problem in this industry. doesn't matter how big of a warehouse you have, you're always gonna run out of room. I have 20 meter outside full of stuff that's got... Well, that was my next question is how much is sitting outside versus how much is inside? 20 by 25 meter that's got all of our Duradec flooring, Atlas beams out there.
00:12:42
Speaker
I also have all of our larger structure, our P3, our P5, our P2 is all out there. So all that's outside, all the framework for all that sits outside.
Team Dynamics & Field Operations
00:12:53
Speaker
How many employees work only in this warehouse? think 36 I have, 37 or so.
00:12:59
Speaker
And that is only the stays in the warehouse, nobody that goes outside? Yes, they're all dedicated everyday warehouse. And you guys are running how many crews on the road? It varies. I have about 30 right now full time in the field. Okay. They can mix between a crew of three and a crew of Does that include hard goods, guys?
00:13:17
Speaker
We, so we run our crew, field crews do everything. Okay. We don't have 10. Yeah. Yeah. If you're there, I mean, now listen, if it's a multi-day tenant install, we may send a different crew to do all the equipment stuff. But if it's usually, if it's tent and tables and chairs in the backyard, it'll be one crew that goes in. And I feel like you're pretty selective, especially if you got guys going to New York right now, who you want to keep in town to handle this stuff still. Yeah. Well, yeah, but we've got a,
Popularity of Levo Tents & New Colors
00:13:38
Speaker
like we said, we've got that third, uh, the 20 meter lever going up tomorrow. So that'll be a,
00:13:42
Speaker
And if you guys, how's that been for you? How's the Levo been? It's been good. I mean, it it moves more and more. it's it is that thing in the market that everyone likes. Now the question is, we have a black one, and I know you have a white one. or Someone that knows someone has a white one. Yeah. um But, I mean, that's the next color. We had that conversation with Leipzig. What is the next color? good I was talking i was talking to a manufacturer. They asked me the same question at lunch. I was like, ah, I i don't know, green.
00:14:09
Speaker
Is it gold? I'm saying it's got to be gold, right? Taylor Swift, what color do you want? Exactly, who's doing that one? Well, I did text her tour manager today, actually.
00:14:20
Speaker
we have when you're ready, let me know. i have an insight with ah her. Actually, we built Taylor Swift's recording studios for her out of P3 in her and her airplane hangar. Wow. That's pretty funny. You got nice airplane hangar.
00:14:35
Speaker
Does she have two of them? Can't tell you that. I mean, come on. I'm sure she's got four. But um so how long you how long have you been here, Jay?
Jay Gorman's Career Journey
00:14:42
Speaker
I've been here for 13 years. So I started in sales back in the day. I was not, listen, I wasn't the best salesperson, but they kept me around. um I moved over to operations, did some IT work, and about five years ago, I got asked to be the operations manager for the Charlotte office.
00:14:58
Speaker
which was great timing, as we all know, but it worked out and I think it really helped me grow a lot and you know professionally and all that stuff. And what would you say, if you could give a piece of advice to somebody coming in to Party Reflections come work for you, what are you guys looking for in a new person?
Core Values & Employee Attitude
00:15:18
Speaker
positive attitude. It's right there. Yeah. Core values. It's right there, Nate. Gotta be part of the core values. Core values, yeah. um You know, those are our core values. We built those off the company it was based off of. So they've, you know, that's one of the things, protect the investments. You know, we'd like to be a family here. I'll treat everybody with respect, you know. I like the protect the investment.
00:15:39
Speaker
Get your crew to understand that this stuff is not cheap to buy. No, yeah. it so It is a challenge and, you know, you we've got a good crew and good people in the warehouse and getting them all to work together and understand that we're all in for one goal. And yeah, you know, it's funny. We put up at the event outside for the area for this thing. And everyone's like, you know, it's funny when these guys, you know, they see one thing go out the door and it never come. It just comes back dirty. They don't get to see what that item is used for. It's good to find to see this.
Conclusion & Thanks to Jay
00:16:05
Speaker
See all that. That's what I do this. You know, that's what I do. That's what every day that I make a difference. yeah we're We're the first people to show up unless I leave and we miss everything in the middle. And then we get shit on at the end because we're the last ones to leave because the site is left somehow damaged. that We didn't do the damage. The AC guy drove the wall through the wet grass. It's not my fault. that It always happens. butistic Well, we appreciate the tour today, and we're looking forward to looking forward to a good 24 hours here at Party Reflections. I think we've got a lot of cool stuff coming and some good talks coming, so it's been a good day.
00:16:37
Speaker
So this has been another Tailgate Talk with Under the Vinyl. Thanks, Jay. Thank you. i'll Have a good one.