Par Guns plugs into Network Surge with small businesses
Fri, 2016-09-30 05:00
News Staff
High School students participate in prayer around flag pole
By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press
The Network held its monthly “Surge” meeting and were treated to a sample of the situational awareness class offered at PAR Guns Tuesday evening.
The Network, a group formed in 2012 of various small business owners in Copperas Cove, meets every month at different small businesses in what is called a Surge, where everyone gathers at one business and mix and mingle and discuss a business-related topic.
“The mission of the Network is us getting the small businesses together, getting to know one another, like now we know Jimmy [Gasaway, of PAR Guns],” Joyce Hauk, treasurer of the group, said. If someone comes to members of the Network looking for recommendations on firearms or something related, they can now direct them to PAR Guns, Hauk said.
“That’s how we network and help each other,” Hauk added. “Find out who the business owners are and we all work together and help each other because when one business succeeds, we all succeed.”
This was the first time at a Network “Surge” event for Sharon Tabor, of the Refresh Boutique and Spa on Avenue D.
“I was very excited when I bumped into Joyce this weekend and found out that we had this because it’s normally the small business owners that support the other small business owners that keep it going,” Tabor said. “Because everybody knows how hard it is as a small business to survive.”
The speakers at Tuesday’s event were Mike Desmond and Jimmy Gasaway of PAR Guns and Detective Jon Nix of the Coryell County Sheriff’s Department. Desmond introduced the group to Gasaway and Nix, as well as Kaitlyn Lentz, the new general manager of PAR Guns.
The focus of Tuesday’s event was Situational Awareness, which is one of two classes taught by Nix. Situational awareness involves being aware of all of your surroundings, such as exits in a building in case of an emergency, and thinking of each scenario that could possibly happen.
Nix asked the business owners about money drops- does the same person make the money drop at the time, in a routine?
“You can’t stay in a routine because a criminal has nothing but time,” Nix said. “They don’t have a 9-5 that they got to worry about being at. They can sit in the parking lot and watch every time that person is taking that money bag to the bank and assess whatever situation they need to to get that money bag before it gets to the bank.”
It could also apply to something as small as an employee taking out the trash- could it wait until the next morning?
“Human beings are the most difficult thing in the world to predict,” Nix said.
He encouraged everyone, business owner or individual, to put themselves in as many scenarios as possible so that when something does happen, there was likely a scenario similar enough that would allow a person to get out of the situation to a safe place or to be able to defend themselves, with pepper spray or a weapon.
The topic of self-defense came up in questions. When asked about the legality of pepper spray, which is also sold at PAR Guns, Nix told the group that if they are ever in a situation where they are in fear of their life and would use a firearm, to use pepper spray and empty the can if necessary.
Hauk asked Nix and Gasaway what business owners should do if they find themselves at the end of a gun.
The first thing to remember is that nothing is more important than your life, Nix said. If business owners are still worried though, they could invest in an alarm company that will provide panic buttons, Gasaway said.
Nix also advised that business owners go to local law enforcement and give them the layout of their business for situations where police may have to enter and the doors are locked. Business owners should also make police aware if they keep large amounts of cash on hand, so that police are aware of why there could be so many robberies, Gasaway said.
Business owners should start thinking of a contingency plan, Nix said.
“That’s what we here at PAR Guns are trying to do to come out to each one of your businesses and see what your layout is, meeting with your employees and create a safety plan for your company and employees in case a situation does happen,” Nix said. It could be something as simple a fix as placing a mirror in a hallway or implementing the use of a safe word, Nix said.
The next “Surge” will be held at Underground Games with a to be determined date.