Construction

It has been a long road from looking for a new home to moving in but we are finally here!  We are still rearranging things and moving them around to find the optimal position and placement.  We had 23 years to do it in the old facility so it will take some time to find our way here but we are open and ready to show everyone around.
New product is once again arriving and we have a lot more space for it.  The phone and computer installation crew is still working so everything is not away yet but as they say, “soon come.”  The new facility has an entire room dedicated to environmental protection (i.e. wetsuits, drysuits, booties, etc.) and another for the technical and travel accessories.  Ann has a larger space and highly polished floors.  The Pure Fiji is on display and more is one the way.  We have more dive computers and you should see the systems on display in the Orientation/Small Classroom space.
We are still waiting for the containers to arrive so our customer intake area is a little full and the compressor is still off-site but that will change soon.
Everyone is welcome to come in for a tour and a cup of coffee or an adult beverage.  We would love to see you!

We have made a lot of progress in a week.  The wetsuits are up on the racks and in order but the boots are temporarily stored under the suits awaiting their new home to arrive.  Colin is putting the finishing touches on the new bench that will be in the wetsuit room next week.  When it arrives, Colin has designed bins for the boots under the seating so things will look even cleaner in that room.
We have also been working on Dive Mom’s area.  This is where you’ll find the dive computers, photo equipment and the Ocean Positive swimwear.  As of yesterday, the Pure Fiji has been unpacked and arranged and the computers are now nicely displayed in the cabinet.  WThe phones have been coming up and we should have all of that system set and in place by the end of the weekend.
Our computer consultants have been working to finish the cabling and installation and hope to have the majority of it completed by Sunday of next week.  You can expect some new things in this area when everything comes up.
The kitchen/repair/storage/Coad’s desk is packed to the brim with repair parts and tools along with the rental and pool equipment and a few cylinders.  But, Coad was amazing on Thursday and Friday and it really cam together.  He even has a place to work now — not that we have time for him to sit.
Amelia transformed the Orientation room into a showroom this week so we can once again talk about diving and scuba systems with the appropriate displays and videos.  You can even come and find a book or two since we have those set-out and displayed.
The travel and tech showroom is unpacked but not yet very organized.  This is the next big area to attack.  It should be more organized next week.
The classroom is relatively clean and we are now trying to make the final decisions for monitor placement and white board placement.  We have a new table on hand and a new sofa that is REALLLY comfortable!  It should be ready for classes by Tuesday or Wednesday (which is a good thing since we have some this week.
Eric’s office remains a disaster!  We are missing parts for the bookcase, and Ann keeps sending boxes up.  It will be a few weeks before it is ready for company.
Of course, what all of this means is — we are here and ready to help everyone with their diving adventures and education.  Please come by and visit us!

OMG, where are we going to put all of this stuff!  Every room is packed with boxes!  Our task master Dave looks at it and then just starts unpacking boxes.  The goal is to get the merchandise up and the boxes out — we can “merchandise” it later after we have some of the bulk out and we can move in the rooms.

Over the past week we have had some special friends arrive to give us a hand.  Dave and Zaide are amazing at just getting started.  Coad jumped right in as did John, Madison and Loretta.  Joe arrived to work on the ice machine to see if he could get it running.  Zac, who helped remove the gridwall from the other store arrived and helped install more here.  Rick and Josh have been on-site a lot helping run cables and wire the first floor and tie in everything into the phone systems and internet service.
Bess came by and helped Eric put his desk together (even running to Bearing for screws since the old ones disappeared into a box somewhere.
Amelia came back from Bali and has been trying to do some merchandising in the midst of mayhem.  We still have a way to go before we are fully back in operation but we are open and serving clients.  Come by and see us, but be aware, Ann may try to recruit you!
 

Dive Mom left town over the weekend and we decided it was time to add to the list of things we “stole” from the Bissonnet Facility.  This weekend saw us remove all of the grid wall displays from the retail area and the basket storage from the inventory closet!

We are sure she would not notice!  The crew is responsible for this dastardly deed?  Zaide, Coad, Bill, Zac, and Eric were the co-conspirators but please don’t tell.

After loading everything up, and moving it to the new facility, Dave, Madison, and Coad set to work hanging it up while Zaide and Eric took over cleaning from Dave so he could assist with the grid installation.  Once again, Christian was chasing electrical issues; this time it was upstairs where we found an incorrect wiring job.  After a few more, Christian can probably work as an apprentice electrician for his Father, George.

Zac also worked on the electrical as well as re-wiring the dishwasher, hanging blinds, and cleaning blinds.  And speaking of cleaning, Zaide and Christian tasked themselves with cleaning years of dirt and dust off of the grid wall fixtures.
Here are a few photos from the weekend…

Christian Fuss has spent two afternoons  this week, chasing lighting issues and installing more track lighting in the facility.  Every room now has light!  This is a real treat when the sun goes down and the rooms get a little dark.  It will also be great when the merchandise arrives in a few weeks.  Of course, we could not have done it without the help of Sonny from SCT Electric.  He worked for two to three hours trying to get all of the circuits and daisy chained switches operational.  We even have a lot of new GFIC outlets throughout the facility (where they need to be).

Speaking of merchandise, Dave Snyder and Eric got the new wetsuit racks installed and they too are ready to accept merchandise.  These racks look really cool and will make it easier to find your size when you come by.

Colin volunteered to build some benches and he and Eric sat down and designed them so they could also store boots.  And speaking of custom work, Colin also volunteered to help Al out by making him his own stand.  Look for photos of these in the next few weeks.

And lest we forget the most important thing to happen this week – Joe Thompson donated a new commercial ice maker!  We should have it hooked in an a day or two.  You know – it is really hot here in Houston!

The painting is really progressing.  Able and Caesar along with Richard have been working hard to complete the transformation.  They have even had tome to finish the custom color on Eric’s office wall!

Todd Frank came by today for the second time to work on the mailbox installation.  He just sneaks away before we can snap a photo.

As you can see, things have been moving along.  We are trying to get everything complete this week so Rick and the computer team can come in and install the cabling and monitors throughout the office.  Oh and lets not forget the cameras…