After the fire: Green View rebuilding

Aug. 28--NORMAL -- Green View Landscaping knows first-hand the importance of preparing for disaster.

The Normal business, 1813 Industrial Park Road, was hit by lightning on April 2. The lightning strike caused the building to catch fire and it was completely destroyed.

The company started construction of its new office and warehouse two weeks ago. The 7,000 square foot space is expected be finished by Oct. 15, said President Tom Hoerr.

"I got a phone call at 7 a.m. The fire started at about 6:30 and totally destroyed the entire office and shop," Hoerr said.

The fire also destroyed much of the equipment inside. None of Green View's 35 employees were injured by the blaze.

The fire caused about $1.2 million in damage to the building and equipment. Insurance covered 100 percent of the building and the contents inside that were lost, Hoerr said. Insurance also included covering building code upgrades, he said.

The week after the fire, Hoerr said they had to purchase about $50,000 of new equipment.

"Every time you turn around, you assume something was lost in the fire because you can't find it," Hoerr said.

Pruning equipment, chainsaws, mowers, shovels and irrigation fitters were among the equipment and tools lost in the fire. Trucks and large equipment were not damaged because they were stored outside.

The business was down for about one week after the fire. They were able to quickly move into a temporary office in a building nearby at 1812 Industrial Park Road.

"There is no such thing as a routine. Your daily routine is out the window," said Tim Southey, vice president of landscape operations. "A lot of intellectual knowledge was lost."

"I've been here since 1982; it has been my home," Southey said, standing at the site as construction was taking place Tuesday.

The company's electronic files were saved, and about 80 percent of the paper files were recovered, Hoerr said. All of Green View's projects that were scheduled were completed despite the fire. Some business was lost, though, because employees were focused on recovering from the fire, he said.

"Because everybody was busy doing things related to the fire we lost some time we could have spent selling," Hoerr said.

It can be difficult to prepare for lightning to strike a business, but there are things owners can do to lessen the loss, he said.

Keeping an updated inventory of equipment is important for businesses in the event of a disaster. Spreading out where important equipment is stored can also help save more during a disaster, he said.

Hoerr said the process to start the new building took longer than expected because they discovered asbestos that had to be mitigated before it could be demolished.

The new building includes two separate parts, the office and the warehouse, that will be linked together. The new structures will be about the same size as the previous office and warehouse.

"There was never any question whether we would rebuild," Hoerr said. "The biggest lesson I've learned is to make sure you have a disaster plan of some sort."

Green View's building was originally constructed in 1977. The company is based in Dunlap and has locations in Springfield, Champaign, Decatur and the Chicago suburbs.

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