 |
Performance Advantage Company (P.A.C.) was incorporated in 1993. Dick (Dr. Dick Young), owner and president, had been President of Young Fire Equipment Corporation, fire truck manufacturer, for many years before that until he was forced to close.
 |
While manufacturing fire trucks, Dick Young noticed that when the time came to mount tools and equipment on a new truck, it was usually a surprise – and a truckload. Because there were few ready-made brackets available, a manufacturer would have to make a bracket for a specific tool, usually out of aluminum and sometimes wood or stainless steel. It became not only very time consuming, but was not cost effective. Nearly all products made by P.A.C. are produced of a non-corrosive urethane and/or a proprietary high-tech material.
Adjustable mounting brackets, he thought, would be the ideal thing for the industry. Thus, the birth of P.A.C. The first bracket designed was the Flexmount, which is not a positive locking bracket, but has a grip range from 1 3⁄4” to 2 1⁄2” which makes it possible to hold poles, nozzles, and other equipment.
Next came the Handlelok, which is a positive locking bracket, with a grip range from 1/8” to 1 3⁄4”. The Handlelok quickly became very popular and, to this day, is the most popular product designed by P.A.C. It is used all over the world!
As the years passed, an entire line of mounting brackets – and systems – were designed.
PAC Trac has become widely used, not only in new fire trucks but to retrofit old ones. Pac Trac can be used as walls, pull-out drawers, tool boards, cupboards, and many other things limited only by the user’s imagination.
From Pac Trac came the newest product which the company has named Pac Rac. It is actually Pac Trac which is ordered to the customer’s specifications and furnished in a kit form which includes slides and appropriate fasteners and will fit in the compartment it was designed for. These kits can be assembled quickly and easily.
P.A.C. always furnishes the correct fasteners with each and every product that is sold. They learned early on that the brackets are only as good as the way they are mounted. The mounting puts an onus on the end user to make sure the product is mounted in the correct way.
P.A.C. tests each strap that leaves their facility. They use the best materials in the manufacture of all of their products. They test many products for their strength as it relates to 9-G forces especially. This then enables them to offer their lifetime warranty – “If any part fails under normal service, it will be replaced, no charge, period.” The products that have been tested by Akron Rubber, an outside independent testing lab, have all passed the NFPA-1901 test for 9-G forces, which enables P.A.C. to issue a “certificate of compliance.”
P.A.C. uses local manufacturers to do the manufacturing of their products, which are all designed by Dick at P.A.C. The relationship with these manufacturers is an important part of the growth and reputation of P.A.C.
Performance Advantage Company initially was managed by Dick Young and his Vice President, Ann Rearic. They decided that their product had to be seen – and touched – so their major thrust in advertising was to display at trade shows. As the company grew (there are now 15 employees), P.A.C. built a display trailer to be used at trade shows. After about seven years they loaned this trailer to one of their distributors, who, in turn, rotated the use of it to their sales staff. At the same time, P.A.C. built a bigger trailer that is now taken around the country by their Field Sales Manager. It is shown to P.A.C.’s dealers and even some end-users to allow them to see firsthand how P.A.C.’s products can be best utilized. It is also used at trade shows as their exhibit.
P.A.C. products are marketed through distributors and dealers; however, they can also be purchased directly by end-users.
