2020 Entrepreneur of the Year: John Bailey
The Entrepreneur of the Year is awarded to a member of the Hanover Chamber whose business has been locally established for at least two years. The nominee’s business must be reputable, visible and show the effects of entrepreneurial skill in exemplary management and growth, and the nominee must be the individual responsible for the reputation that distinguishes the business among its competitors.
The Chamber is pleased to present the 2020 Entrepreneur of the Year Award to John Bailey, President of Bailey Coach.
Following his family’s footsteps into the travel industry, John Bailey started Bailey Coach in 1998. Nearly 25 years later, Bailey Coach has grown to be just one of several Bailey companies dedicated to serving the community.
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When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, it decimated the travel and tourism industries. Bailey Coach was no exception, losing nearly 90% of its transportation business. Wanting to protect his employees and their livelihoods, John Bailey created a brand-new business offering the same disinfecting services to South Central PA that he had been using since 2017. That business became Bailey’s Zero Hazard, a thriving disinfecting business that has allowed John to bring back nearly half of his staff members. In just six months, Bailey’s Zero Hazard has already surpassed one million dollars in sales through disinfecting offices, vehicles, and more in a matter of minutes—including over 800 first responder vehicles that Bailey’s Zero Hazard has disinfected free of charge.
As Bailey’s Zero Hazard launched, John decided on another bold move. He offered 51% of the new company to his daughter, Courtney Bailey, and family friend and longtime business associate, Kristy Fasano. His aim was to mentor and educate a new generation of women and to guide both Courtney and Kristy through all the hoops that come with starting and maintaining a new business.
At the heart of John Bailey’s proven record of entrepreneurship is his desire to affect positive change in the heart of his community. He is a champion of women in the workplace, and the rare business owner who actively chooses to mentor, encourage, and care for his employees. When the Covid-19 Pandemic hit, instead of letting both his business and his employees become a victim of circumstance; John actively pursued his vision and took the risk of reinventing his longstanding family business to keep his employees working.
We define an entrepreneur as “A person who organizes and manages a business undertaking, assuming the risk for the sake of profit.” This definition embodies John Bailey nearly perfectly. At every business undertaking he has germinated the idea and assumed the entirety of the risk—but never for the sole purpose of turning a profit. John does it to create jobs, to change lives, and to improve our community at-large.
Please join us in congratulating the Entrepreneur of the Year, John Bailey.
The Hanover Area Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Business Awards Ceremony virtually throughout the month of March. The event was presented by APPI Energy and KLK Welding.