Atlas Pyrovision caught cheating clients

[pyrola]

Wow. This is a crazy story

http://www.recorder.com/home/12791512-95/fireworks-company-under-fire

[displayfireworks1]

The link you posted does not seem to be working.
If I remember this story correctly, the fireworks contract would say for example 300 three inch shells and they were giving them 250 in the display. The fireworks display contained less shells then the itemization stated. It was also noticed they did this in multiple displays. I honestly surprised anyone figured this out. Of all the professional display I was on I only saw one person come to the site and ask for a shell count. I know that one year when there was a display fireworks shortage, this went on more than people realized. I would love to know how all of this was exposed. Did a disgruntled employee tell on them or did a town actually demand a shell count.
.
If I had to explain this I would say the 300 is Tau in Chinese in means 250 I thought you knew that . LOL

[PGH_Pyro]

that's 'greasy' of them .

[pyrola]

Here is another

I read the client itemized the show at set up and found the shortages. Appears other communicates feel it happened to them too

http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2014/07/greenfield_reviews_proposal_to.html

[pyrola]

http://www.gazettenet.com/home/12795989-95/greenfield-presses-probe-of-fireworks-company

[cfdtk1]

Its all over every pyro site out there

[displayfireworks1]

Here it is.
GREENFIELD — Mayor William Martin says the city will not accept an agreement with the New Hampshire company that has been providing Greenfield’s Fourth of July fireworks display for the past 20 years until an investigation is completed into whether it was shorted on fireworks for at least the past four years.
There are indications that people at the fireworks shows may have seen only about half the fireworks that were paid for.

Atlas PyroVision Productions Inc. Chief Executive Officer Stephen Pelkey said Wednesday that the company acknowledges there was a difference in what was promised the city this year and what it got, and added that Atlas is prepared to make amends by offering the city an 80 percent discount on this year’s display.
Documents provided to the mayor and The Recorder by an unidentified source appear to show that between 2011 and 2014, Greenfield was shorted an average of 600 to 650 shells — the difference between the number of shells it paid for and the number fired during each show.
For instance, this year Atlas contracted with the city to shoot 1,360 shells during the fireworks display on July 5 at Beacon Field, but actually only shot 672.
Likewise, in 2013, the city paid for 1,140 shells and received 648, while in 2012, it appears the city paid for 2,185 and received 643, according to the documents.

And in 2011, if the documents are correct, the city paid for 2,185 shells and show attendees saw less that one-third of that, 636.

Greenfield is not the only municipality investigating Atlas.

For 25 years, Atlas has also provided the Fourth of July celebration in South Hadley, which is now doing an investigation of its own after noticing it may have been short-changed this year (see accompanying story).

Discount offered

If Greenfield were to accept Atlas’ proposal of an 80 percent discount this year, it would mean the display would cost the city $2,200 instead of $11,500.

All money for the fireworks display is raised through donations each year, so it does not cost Greenfield taxpayers anything but police and fire hours.

“We’ve sent Atlas a formal letter from the town’s attorney,” Martin said. “There will be no compromise or agreement until we know what happened.”

Martin said the city is not accusing Atlas of impropriety, but because of what he learned after reviewing its contract with Atlas, he needs to investigate before making any decisions about what it will do next.

He said the city’s lawyer, Gordon Quinn of Sullivan, Hayes & Quinn in Springfield, is still reviewing all of the documentation the city has provided.
“We’re going to wait to hear from our lawyer,” Martin said.

“If we find out this is true, we are going to want a rebate on our contracts,” said Martin. “We also want the proper authorities to investigate this fully. We’ve learned these business practices might have been happening in other towns that contracted with Atlas.”

It appears the “proper authorities” might include the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which is responsible for regulating fireworks companies such as Atlas.

The Recorder has learned that South Kingstown, R.I., also is investigating the possibility that it was short-changed by Atlas, at least this year.

“Historically, the town has been very pleased with the service provided by Atlas,” said Theresa Murphy, South Kingstown director of leisure services. “We do reserve the right to inventory the shells when they arrive. We did not do that this year.”

On the firing line

Precinct 3 Town Councilor Brickett Allis, who is head of the council’s Ways and Means Committee, said in a Facebook post that the news puts him in a difficult position, because he is not only a town legislator, but was an Atlas employee at the Greenfield show for the past two years.

“I bleed ‘Green Wave,’” he said. “I was born and grew up here, went to school here and have been a councilor for the past 15 years.”

Allis has served on numerous town committees and boards and has volunteered many hours to the community, he said.

“I truly hope for the sake of everyone involved that (people) understand that I was not involved in any illegal activities that may have taken place,” he said.

Come show time, fireworks shooters like Allis are in the dark in terms of what a town has ordered and paid for, according to several experienced shooters.

Longtime Atlas employee Robert Perry of Gill has worked on the Greenfield Fourth of July display for 28 years.

“It’s disappointing that it is the way (Atlas) is conducting business,” said Perry. “The shooter doesn’t know what the sponsor, Greenfield, receives for a quote.”

Perry said he is not thrilled about the accusations.

“From a professional standpoint, I’m the one the public sees,” he said. “It makes me feel upset. It’s a breach of trust.”

According to Perry and other shooters, they only receive the inventory list and are responsible for making sure they have all the shells on that list.

On the day of the show, shooters receive what is a called a bill of lading, a list of explosives on the truck, and that list has to be 100 percent accurate or the company is in violation of the state law.

“Our job is to make sure that if you have 14 cartons, you have 14 cartons,” said Perry. “We do this in case there is an accident, so we can tell the first responders what they are facing.”

Shooters, however, never know what the sponsor receives for a proposal from Atlas, he said.

Perry said he thinks that if it’s true, shorting towns may be a recent business practice of Atlas.

“I think it’s a more recent indication of the way they choose to do business,” he said. “I don’t believe it’s been going on all that time.”

Perry said that type of business practice may have more to do with gaining a competitive advantage.

He said firework display companies purchase shells and supplies from the same companies in China and Japan and the price is the same for all companies. The real difference is a company’s overhead, he said.

“All the companies are from China,” said Russ Benjamin of Northampton, who worked for Atlas for 12 years. “If you’re giving a proposal, it’s all very close. What wins clients over is the personality and personal contact with shooters and show producers.”

Benjamin maintained the electronic system and packed shells for the shows, until he quit last January to work for the company’s competitor, Pyrotechnico. He now works as show producer doing sales and soliciting towns.

In his new position, Benjamin said, it’s been clear that “Atlas is blowing everyone out of the water with their proposals by 500 to 600 shells. We do our proposals and get it slapped back in our faces. People say ‘(Atlas) is giving us a better deal,’ but it’s so under what they promise.”

“This is their business plan throughout the Northeast,” Benjamin said. “In the past four to five years, it’s getting worse and worse.”
http://i0.wp.com/lhmediasolutions.com/Atlas_Pyro_Tech/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/atlas_staff_website_3_column2_r1_c1.png?resize=240 %2C271

[pyrola]

Thanks for sharing. It is a real shame if this turns out to be true. They seems to be inflating numbers on quotes to win business then not delivering material. Rip off artists

[jknepp1954]

I truly think this kind of thing goes on in the display industry more than what you think...

But BIG diff between just a few shells diff and a few hundred diff.

[SCPyrotechnician]

This happens a lot more than people think.....

[wizard7611]

Wow... just wow. It really makes their company look terrible.

[tntrealty1]

I wont name names etc. but the "big-boys" have been doing this to towns/cities for years. Typically it goes without notice because the town personnel in charge of procuring a show don't know what they're looking at. The shell count becomes the deciding factor (not size/quality/effect).

[pyrola]

I wont name names etc. but the "big-boys" have been doing this to towns/cities for years. Typically it goes without notice because the town personnel in charge of procuring a show don't know what they're looking at. The shell count becomes the deciding factor (not size/quality/effect).

I find it interesting that you think only the "big boys" do this. Crooked people are crooked people whether big or small.

[pyros]

You really have to put in offers based on shot-counts in the US?? What does that say about the quality of a display? God, I'm really glad that they didn't come up with that here... Well, if so, maybe I shall put up several of those "a few hundred whistles cake" then...

[displayfireworks1]

When these companies place bids to win fireworks display contracts, the person reviewing the different proposals has no idea how to compare fireworks, so they do shot counting. They count the total number of shells or firings in the display. This is why some companies will take a 300 shot cake and list out 300 shots. Someone that has no idea about fireworks will add all these numbers up and compare the bids. Thus, creative proposals can get you the contract. You can just imagine how creative you can be if you wanted to designing a proposal.

[displayfireworks1]

More trouble for Atlas Pyro
.
Ansonia Stops Payment On Fireworks Check
http://valley.newhavenindependent.org/archives/entry/Ansonia_Stops_Payment_On_Fireworks_Check/

[PyroManiacs]

the downward spiral....

[pyrola]

What kind of business does this guy run? He is basically saying that they pitched a show to this community that they bought then did a site review and realized they couldn't use what the proposed. Then they changed the show and didn't tell client ??? Guy is shady

[Waymon3x6]

I've been working with Atlas for the past two years in the New England region and this is not an accurate representation of what I've been exposed to under the company. All atlas does is supply the shooters (those with ATF licenses and employed by the company) with product.

It's up to the shooters to plan out the show with the product they have. It's a shame that this is happening, however from what I've seen, if a town orders a $10,000 show, they get a $10,000 show. The shooter I work under is awesome, knows his stuff and has been doing it for 15 or so years. No complaints from me about the company or the people who work under them; hopefully these are isolated events that don't happen again.

[CTPYRO]

I work for Bay and we shoot Derby and Shelton the same nights.. Ansonia is the town over... looks like we might have another customer now!!!