Many VARs have been trying to get their businesses back up and running in Southern California after a wave of fires hit the San Diego area this month.  19 fires still continue to burn from northern Los Angeles County and Malibu Beach to Orange and San Diego County.  Most were caused by a long-term dry spell and have downed power lines and disabled transformers, making business for VARs a particular challenge.

These fires are not unlike those that four years ago evacuated one million people and destroyed 2,000 homes.  Bruce Geier, the CEO of Technology Integration Group, a group of VARs based in San Diego stated that his office was untouched, but because his home was nearly lost he has had a hard time keeping his business open.

Many VARs and other business owners have stated that because of high security policies enforced by the National Guard, in large part in order to protect homes and businesses from looting and vandalism they have had a hard time running their companies as usual and keeping their clients well served.

The remarkable savior of much of the property is reported to be the ice plants in the area, which saved Geier’s home and the homes and businesses of many others in the area. 

John Matze, another VAR and vice president of business development at Hifn, a Los Gatos-based company also had his home saved by ice plants.  Because he had a city-mandated grouping of ice plants in his backyard, his home was protected from the fires that destroyed the homes of many neighbors.  He was forced to evacuate early in the morning from his home and came back later to find fires engulfing his neighborhood.  Despite a few fires which he was able to put out with his garden hose in his front yard (where there had been no ice plants), his home was untouched.    

The VARs Hifn office nearby was not touched by the fires, nor were the homes of any of its employees.  Many of them had ice plants.

Many other VARs in the area, including Nth Generation, Iomega and others were evacuated, but many repeated that their sales and shipping were not affected by the fires because there are very few employees that actually work at the headquarters.  Many VARs’ companies have sales and shipping centers at other points in the U.S.

For more information on how the recent California fires have affected VARs in the area, visit the attached link.

Added By:  Computer Consulting 101 Professional Kit