Securing Peace of Mind After a Break-In
It is hard to be a small business owner during COVID-19. For Jacob Hooter, the last thing he needed on August 31st was to find one of his food trailers with a busted lock, his generator gone, and his Gelü Italian Ice in a melted pool. Instead of making money selling Italian ice to hungry college students on a hot Texas day, the theft cost him over $900 for a new generator and lost revenues.
The pandemic had already taken a toll on the business. In the midst of adapting to serve with masks on, observing social distancing, and increasing frequency of cleaning, the robbery was a blow Jacob was not interested in taking again. There is little Jacob can do about the uncertainty of owning a food business right now, but he realized he could buy a little peace of mind from the risk of theft.
Jacob recently purchased a DS600 Portable Alarm with GPS from DEWALT MobileLock. It is a battery-powered, wireless security system, created specifically for the purpose of providing peace of mind to those whose businesses are on the road, which are more difficult to secure than a stationary building. Once set up inside the trailer, the DS600 has sensors that detect movement, vibration, tampering, acceleration, temperature, and loss of power. Jacob can now monitor his Gelü Italian Ice trailer remotely, tracking the truck during daily routes and receiving alerts straight to his cell phone.
At the time of the break-in, Jacob was working to drive into and serve neighborhoods that are more commonly avoided by food trucks in Waco. He explained why in an email saying, “It is important that we don’t allow certain areas to be stigmatized as ‘less than.’ We believe that by having our business within this community, it will encourage other businesses to move there, encourag[ing] growth and show[ing] the value that resides in and comes from that community.”
As Jacob’s three food trailers serve delicious desserts all around town, he believes the DS600 Portable Alarm is the tool he needs to prevent another break-in and help him serve the community he belongs to. The next time someone even touches his trailer the wrong way, he will immediately know, and the police will too.
Check back for a follow up to see how Jacob and the Waco Gelü team is doing with their new security.
