By LINDA CHION KENNEY
Donna Fore of Riverview knows for sure what got her mom-and-pop business off the ground 30 years ago, as she and her husband, Pat, celebrate the decades-long milestone for PF Auto Glass in Tampa, servicing Hillsborough and surrounding counties.
“My husband decided to quit his job and build a glass rack for his Chevy S10 truck,” Fore said. “He went out and picked up a couple of customers, and then he called me and told me about it.”
In turn, Fore said, she gave her husband “two weeks to get his head together and get back to work.” Those two weeks came and went, leaving in its wake PF Auto Glass, named for Pat Fore; In 2018 it earned a Small Business Award from the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, now known as the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce.
PF Auto Glass services window repairs for car dealerships, body shops and insurance companies. Moreover, “People come into the shop for service, and we’re mobile as well,” Donna Fore said.
The company’s 30-year anniversary ribbon-cutting, set for May 28, at Dave & Buster’s in Brandon, was set to mark as well the Riverview Woman’s Club, which Donna Fore co-founded in 2012, with Jeanne Burkeson. The club presents the charity race for honorary mayor of Riverview, which Fore said this year raised more than $27,000 in one month’s time. A portion of the proceeds benefits the woman’s club scholarship program.
The winning candidate, Amy Sams, principal of SouthShore Charter Academy, ran her April race on behalf of her K-8 school in Riverview, off Big Bend Road, and the Emergency Care Help Organization (ECHO) in Riverview.
Sharon Keil, president and CEO of The Regent in Riverview, ran her race on behalf of Mary & Martha House in Ruskin and the Black Dagger Hunt Club.
The woman’s club stepped up to run the race after the Greater Riverview Chamber of Commerce, now the Central Hillsborough County Chamber of Commerce, bowed out.
The club, now for men and women, meets the third Wednesday of the month in the clubhouse at The Bridges in Riverview.
“I’m very proud of the student scholarships we give and that we bring in other nonprofits to talk to us about how we can benefit from and help them in their work as well,” Donna Fore said.
Giving back to the community “only serves to help your business,” she added,“and it makes you feel good to give back to the community.”
Connections are key in good and bad times, Fore said, as she reflected on small business challenges wrought by the Great Recession and coronavirus pandemic.
“The toughest part of the recession was the businesses that went out of business, owing us a lot of money,” she explained. “But we struggled through it, and I learned to be more attentive to the books and unpaid invoices.”
As for the pandemic, “we were an essential business,” Donna Fore said. “People couldn’t drive anywhere, but they were getting their windshields fixed, and that kept us busy.”
As for working with a spouse, it might be a roadblock for others but is not the Fores. “We liked each other then, and we still like each other because business stays at work,” Pat Fore said. “It works when your wife is your best friend.”
That small businesses are the heart of the local community is not lost on the Fores.
“We’re not just a name on a piece of paper,” Donna Fore said. “When our customers have an issue or a problem with something that we’ve done, we take care of it right away. We don’t wait.”
The independence that comes with owning your own business is a big plus, but it’s a lot of work as well, Pat Fore said.
“When the customer calls, you have to answer,” he said, “and you have to deliver.”
Keeping abreast of changing times and technologies is easier when you hire well, and in that respect, Jeff Lako, hired 10 years ago, fits the bill. He manages the recalibration company within PF Auto Glass. Doris Dibble, hired a year ago to handle office duties, “is a good example of what happens when you hire somebody who cares about your business,” Donna Fore said.
On the to-do list now is to hire a technician and to continue building strong customer relations.
“The door-to-door salesman doesn’t work anymore, and doing it online is not personal enough,” Donna Fore said. “I get a lot of business online, but it’s because of people who know who we are. One thing remains constant. You have to get to know people and get them to know you. That’s the best marketing plan ever.”
To learn more about PF Auto Glass, visit www.pfautoglass.com/. To schedule an appointment, call: 813-741-3633.