Would You Be Ready If You Were In His Shoes?
According to an article on WRAL.com, a state audit released today questioned a state contract with a tire company; the contract is estimated to be in the range of $2 million per year (disclosure: State Auditor Les Merritt's campaign committee is a Pioneer Strategies client).
According to the WRAL.com article, the audit questions the state's contract with White's Tire's Service in Wilson, saying that there was a potential overcharging of $361,000 per year for the past four years, adding up to $1.4 million over a four-year period. It is important to note that, according to the article, the auditor's office is not alleging fraud. A spokesman for the auditor's office said the concern centers on spot repairs, where tire company employees fill in each individual cut or hole in tires prior to the retreading process. That can add as much as $40 to the cost of the repair.
Put yourself in the shoes of Ed White, owner of White's Tire Service. Even assuming that the company did absolutely nothing wrong and stuck to the letter of its contract with the state, would you be prepared to handle media inquiries on this kind of topic? An innocent business owner who looks like a deer in the headlights can give the impression that they are guilty or, at a minimum, have something to hide.
Smart business owners think three steps ahead and plan for the unexpected. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Failure to prepare is preparing to fail."
posted by Frank Williams @ 7:13 PM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Ed White started that business from the ground up. I can't speak for his sons but he is an honest hardworking man that has my complete trust. He makes the safest longest lasting tires they can purchase at a deal of a price and they claim they are being overcharged. Shameful. With a safety record like that, do you really want to switch to a cheaper less quality tire? If my kids were riding those buses, that would be an unacceptable gamble. It is another case of opposing business interests and politicians getting together to get what they want. Good press by ending "corruption" and more business by putting the lead competitor out of business.
In response to your comment: as my original post said, "It is important to note that, according to the article, the auditor's office is NOT alleging fraud."
This post was intended to focus solely on the media relations challenges associated with this situation.
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