Pedco Changes Hands

[TomC]

Pedco in Santa Fe Springs, Ca has been sold to Ironman-who specializes in exhaust retrofitting.  Virgil (the owner) finally got his wish and sold the company.  I drove by and all the engines and transmissions that had been stored outdoors were cleaned up and gone.  The business still says Pedco, but I don't know yet if they are still doing any Detroit/Allison work.  Thankfully-I got my truck transmission conversion done before this happened.  I'll try calling and see what is up with them working on 2 strokers and Allisons.  Good Luck, TomC

[luvrbus]

The last time I spoke with Virgil about a month ago he was thinking about moving to ALB NM 

good luck

[HighTechRedneck]

Ironman took over in October of last year.  I don't know if they are working on 2 strokes and Allisons anymore.  But I do know that in spite of Virgil telling them of the business bus nuts brought him, their Marketing Dept informed me that they have no interest in marketing to the bus conversion niche.

[TomC]

I stopped by Pedco today and Virgil was there.  Yes he sold the company to Ironman, yes he has retired.  But-he still has his office there and as far as working on 2 stroke Detroits-they still are.  As to Allisons, still working on them too.  All the spare engines/transmissions that were cluttered in the yard are now at a separate storage yard.  So-more or less-business as usual.  Good Luck, TomC

[Sean]

Before Tom just posted his latest, I picked up the phone and called Virgil to get the straight scoop.

Mondo is still running the shop, and they are happy to work on bus conversions.  As Tom wrote, more or less business as usual.  There's a new bean counter who simply decided that the return on the BCM ad did not warrant the outlay.

Virgil still has an office there, even though he is not on the payroll.  No truth to the ABQ rumor; he still has a boat in the harbor and a whole bunch of grandchildren in the area; while he might do some traveling, home is staying put.

Hope that clears things up; these guys are still a great resource for those of us with 2-strokes and Allisons.

-Sean
http://OurOdyssey.BlogSpot.com

[luvrbus]

Virgil been trying to sell Pedco for years wonder if he still there because he hasn't got his money yet doesn't sound much like Virgil hanging around for no money.



good luck

[HighTechRedneck]

Mondo is still running the shop, and they are happy to work on bus conversions.  As Tom wrote, more or less business as usual.  There's a new bean counter who simply decided that the return on the BCM ad did not warrant the outlay.

It is good to hear that the local operation of the shop is still familiar people for those that rely on them.

It is interesting about the ROI of the ad since Virgil had told me that they got pretty good business from it and that he told that to the new owners.  It is clear that the local folks running the shop still want bus nut business, but they don't make the decisions on how to spend the money anymore.

Either way, it does bring out an important point.  Advertisers need to know you support them advertising in BCM.

There are three basic elements necessary for the long term success and endurance of the magazine - subscribers, advertisers and writers.  All three are equally important and interdependent.  When any of them diminish, there is trouble for the whole.

We have gotten a lot of positive feedback about the returning size and quality of the magazine.  And hearing that feedback makes us feel good and helps to keep us motivated.  But the keys to attaining and maintaining the restored page count are the advertisers and the writers.  The only way we can print the additional pages is with advertising support.  And the only way we can fill those pages with fresh interesting content is when people are willing spend time writing articles.  And for whatever the writer compensation plan we recently unveiled helps with the latter, it will be supported by advertising dollars.

The magazine is recovering in every measurable way.  We owe that to many of you and countless others that are renewing or reviving your subscriptions or subscribing for the first time.  We owe it to the advertisers that hung with us through the changes and to those who came on board to give it a try.  And we owe it to those who have contributed their writing efforts.

So in conclusion, if you like the way things are going with the magazine - I would ask that you take a moment to thank an advertiser and let them know you appreciate their support of the magazine.  If you are in the market for something an advertiser sells, I encourage you to show the support for them that they are showing for bus nuts via the magazine by purchasing from them when viable.  And again, let them know how you came to them. 

Likewise, when you find an article interesting or helpful, let the author know.  They will appreciate it and it will help give them the motivation to write more helpful articles.

And from Chad, Phil and I - we appreciate you the readers supporting the magazine through your subscriptions.