For more than 20 years Calvin Thomas put his life on the line as a member of the NYPD. Today, he is giving back to his community without his shield.
Thomas, 49, is the franchise owner of PostNet, which has three stores in the Bronx, located at 557 Grand Concourse, 1451 West Avenue and 460 E Fordham Road. He opened his first store in 2008 after retiring from the 48th Precinct.
Founded in 1992, PostNet is the leading business-to-business franchise known for providing customized, business-enhancing print, marketing and shipping solutions.
To help restaurants get the word out to the community that they are open for business during the COVID-19 crisis, he is offering free flyer and menu printing for all restaurants (100 B/W, 20lb paper, up to size 11″ x 17″, single or double-sided). He is also calling restaurants giving them information on reaching customers via mailing in the community.
Thomas noted many people are stuck home without computers or printers or simply need a helping hand.
“A lot of people are home now,” he said to the Bronx Times. “They have a lot of stress and things going on in their mind.”
He also plans to hire new sales reps to push these services to assists the restaurant owners to get the word out to the community that they are open for business. All of his locations are deep cleaned every weekend along with cleaning all counters and keyboards as used. They are practicing social distance, providing all the staff with protective equipment and monitor how many customers enter the location at a time.
According to Thomas, he always had that entrepreneurship drive in him. While being a cop was a once in a lifetime opportunity, he enjoys what he’s doing now. He noted he doesn’t miss the bullets and criminals.
“I always wanted to have my own business and work for myself,” he said.
When he saw the COVID-19 crisis he knew he had to step up to the plate. While many places are shuttered, people need to know which ones are open.
From his years on the force, he learned it’s really just about being proactive.
“People still need to get access to computers and scanning,” Thomas said.
He added that not all of the work is for someone’s job. Sometimes people use him for personal stuff as well.
Thomas acknowledged that many of businesses in the borough may not reopen and even if they do, will be in bad shape.
“If you shut down for a few months and you have no income coming in will that business be able to maintain,” he said. “This is a rough time for a lot of businesses.”
