June 18, 2020 – Bainbridge Island, WA

Local adventure travel company PacWesty specializes in getting people out and about the beautiful Pacific Northwest in its fleet of iconic Volkswagen vans. But this spring the world’s “normal” changed and PacWesty found itself with a fleet of camper vans ready to roll, a team of talented employees, and no adventure travelers to be found.

“There was no way we were going to break up our team,” said company General Manager Greg Dronkert. “And because we also provide automotive repair services, when the Stay at Home order was issued we were designated an essential business. This allowed us to stay open, but we still had to figure out how to keep our team working and the business going.”

In addition to adopting meticulous disinfecting, personal distancing, and PPE procedures, PacWesty reached out to local grocery group Town & Country (T&C) Markets to see what they were doing about grocery deliveries. “Frankly, all we were trying to do was help out a bit and keep our team productive,” said Dronkert. For the first two weeks PacWesty provided deliveries around Bainbridge in their fanciful vans and donated the delivery fees to Helpline House, the local social services center. But once it became clear the Stay at Home order would be in place for a prolonged period, it dawned on the PacWesty team that deliveries might be a new line of business; so the company pivoted and made T&C Market deliveries a top priority.

Meanwhile, T&C Markets was working feverishly to stand up a full-featured online marketplace with options for store pick-up and home delivery. “This was a matter of good timing, during turbulent times,” said Ryan Ritter, T&C Markets’ Senior Director of Information Systems. “Even before the COVID-19 crisis hit, we had determined this was a service our customers wanted. Once the State imposed home isolation we knew we had to accelerate our project implementation timeline.”

A truly unique aspect of the PacWesty delivery service is its commitment to using zero-emissions electric vehicles for the majority of orders. Now, 12 weeks after the first grocery bags were carried in a PacWesty van, T&C Markets has its online grocery portal in full swing and PacWesty is providing deliveries at T&C’s Bainbridge, Poulsbo, Ballard, and Shoreline markets. “I can’t tell you how thrilled we are to be working with T&C Markets,” Dronkert said. “They’re a pillar of the community and represent the very best of neighborhood spirit.”

As for T&C Markets, Ritter says, “This is a great partnership. PacWesty is a highly competent and professional company that cares deeply about its people, the environment, and the communities they serve. Their values are tightly aligned with ours. They’re a great fit for us.”

Pacific North Westy, LLC (PacWesty) is a Bainbridge-based adventure travel company that connects people with the communities, culture, and environment of the Pacific Northwest. They also provide automotive repair and transportation logistics services.

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Contact:
Greg Dronkert
General Manager
Pacific North Westy, LLC
gdronkert@pacwesty.com – mobile (206) 948-6856
https://pacwesty.com