in sales, marketing, order processing and shipping, all essential to serving our customers.”
In the meantime, major issues needed to be resolved—and quickly. Klundt says, “I was amazed by the things that Jerry thought about that I would not have. He had assessed the immediate needs we’d have and assigned specific tasks to members of the management team.”
Risa Demasi snapped this photo of Jerry Hall (right) and Don Baune (left) ready to roll on Monday morning, and tweeted it out, using the power of social media to show that, despite the fire, GO was operational and would “love to have your business.”
Tat was followed on Wednesday by Jerry Hall’s Blog as reported above. Leading off with the details of the fire was a psychological plus, a response to the innate curiosity of all humans and our “need to know,” while helping customers, potential customers, extended family, friends, and competitors understand that the damage had been extensive.
Even more importantly, Hall’s Blog stressed the rapid recovery, reporting the restoration of the computer system; the company was fully operational; shipping was “back up to speed,” and “your business is our number one priority.”
Rallying the Forces Klundt says, “I got a call from Jerry Sunday night, ‘Te office went up in flames. Tere’s nothing to come in to on Monday. We’ll hit it hard on Tuesday.’” He adds, “We all have different skills and different roles within the company. By getting our IT side operational so quickly, many people were able to do their jobs, especially those
Hall says, “We have a small, but incredible, staff. We function almost like family. And we all knew there was no time for a pity party. Everyone pitched in, doing whatever they were asked to do—and so much more— without complaint. Don and I focused on finding office space that would be workable and functional. We had the space found and rented by the following Sunday. Kyla concentrated on finding someone with the furniture we would need to have and getting it ordered and scheduled for delivery that Monday.”
Because of the potential for third-party involvement, GO’s insurance company restricted entry to the affected areas while the cause of the fire and liability for it were being investigated.
Behind the Scenes Hall reports, “Te fire was started by an air moving fan left behind by our cleaning company that they were using to dry the carpet they had just cleaned.”
While the obvious focus was on the things vital to business operations, valuable personal items and treasured keepsakes also were destroyed.
14
Very little was salvageable. Hall says, “If we had gone in that night or the next day, we could have salvaged some things we’d already invested in, such as seed packets. But our insurance company immediately picked up on the potential cause of the fire, and if a third party was responsible, they were going to go after them to cover the damage it caused. So everything sat in the office saturated with water and covered with soot for
TPI Turf News May/June 2019
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76
