RPM WFG Rolls into Action to Aid Pettit and Kirker

Facing a pending New Jersey mandate to shelter in place, RPM’s Pettit Marine Paint and Kirker Enterprises businesses were concerned that their operations may come to a halt and they would be unable to service their customers. On Friday afternoon, they reached out to Johnny Green, OEM Industrial Group president, and Myron Miller, RPM Wood Finishes Group (WFG) president, for distribution and shipping support.

They connected Pettit and Kirker with Tyler Davis, WFG distribution manager. Without hesitation, he spent his Friday night coordinating six trucks to pick up products from Rockaway and Paterson, New Jersey, so they could be transported over the weekend and stored at WFG facilities in North Carolina. Tyler worked to ensure that the shipments were transported without issue, despite not knowing any of the individuals or businesses for which he was sacrificing his weekend.

Operations teams from both Pettit and Kirker answered the call and worked an unplanned weekend to finish, fill and load these trucks to get the products safely to North Carolina in advance of the shelter-in-place order. Individuals from Pettit included: Jack Dreisbach, Jose Pizarro, Carlos Pinto, Keroil Sandi, Henry Sandi, Henry Suquilana, Jose Lora and Cathy Hughes. The team from Kirker included: Bill Sagui, Gus Mustica, Angelo DeGiacomo, Eddie Rios, William Milan, Antonio Cordova, James Ramos, Ray Torres, Luis Dumeng, Afredo Islas, Larry Klamer, Ken Grant, Juan Badillo, Pete Librizzi, Seth Petronio, Fred Carr, Jamie Mendoza, Herson Cordova, Nancy Perez, April Kunz-Zock and Loredana Jimenez.

While it turned out that both Pettit and Kirker can claim exemptions under the New Jersey order, both companies still faced issues coordinating product shipments because of the uncertainty caused by COVID-19. Thanks to the support, dedication, and hard work of all parties involved, both Kirker and Pettit are in a much better position to ship product to two large customers, both of which are located in North Carolina.

Inspiring stories like these are occurring around RPM every day. We look forward to sharing more of them with you in the coming weeks and months.