Patzer Woodworking back in business following storm damage

Sep. 28--After 38 years as a staple in the community, Patzer Woodworking isn't going anywhere.

While the large building that's the home of Patzer Woodworking's production and warehouse, office location and showroom sustained some of the worst damage from the Sept. 12-13 flooding that drenched Mitchell with 7 to 10 inches of rainfall, the Patzer family remains determined to continue serving the community.

"We're here to stay, and we aren't going to let the flooding end our business and the services we provide," said Tom Patzer, owner and founder of Patzer Woodworking. "It's been extremely difficult fixing the damages, but we will get there."

Walking into the business he built from the ground up and seeing roughly a foot of standing water throughout the entire 32,000 square-foot building the morning after the Sept. 11 torrential rainstorm, Patzer knew a tough task awaited.

But with his trust in the 25 employees he staffs, Patzer and his team wasted no time to bring the warehouse and showroom back to life.

"It was so overwhelming, and all you could do was choose an area that was damaged and start drying things out," Patzer said. "The staff was here at 7:30 a.m. the next morning working hard to dry things out and move things around. We have a team of great people here, and we're in this together."

Considering the Patzer's insurance provider wasn't able to cover any of the damage costs, with the exception of a company van, the financial burden of repairing the 414 E. Juniper Ave. building weighs heavy on the Patzer family. Patzer said it's too early to assess the costs of the damages from the flooding, but "extensive" is the most accurate way he explains the full amount.

Ryan Patzer, the company's commercial project manager, has been one of the family members and employees putting in full days of work to repair the extensive damage. Having watched his father pour time and effort into building a successful local business, Ryan Patzer said he was going to do everything he could to make sure the business ran the way it always has. The business started in the Patzer family garage in 1981.

"My dad has always valued his employees, and we've learned that through him," Ryan Patzer said. "We could be moping around about this, but that's not going to get us back on top of things."

Along those lines, Ryan Patzer said the business continued to provide full days of work when possible and give employees their regular paychecks.

"They are what keep us going, and they have been so understanding and helpful through all of this," Ryan Patzer said of the staff members. "All the reworking filled our schedules up, and unfortunately it's harder to take new work and customers. But we're going to do everything we can to take in new customers."

Challenges loom

Amanda Neppl, residential designer and part-owner of Patzer Woodworking, had spent the past several months planning and preparing for an open house to be hosted at the showroom.

But Neppl, who is Tom Patzer's daughter, couldn't have known the showroom full of brand-new flooring and custom-made cabinetry would be damaged with a foot of standing water on the day the event was slated to take place.

"It was hard seeing how rough the showroom looked that morning," she said. "We hope to have our showroom in the condition it was within a year."

About 100 cabinets were completed at the time, awaiting to be delivered to their respective customers. Tom Patzer said calling customers about the loss of the cabinets was difficult after those items were destroyed by the water.

"Anything that was within 12 inches from the ground was essentially ruined," Ryan Patzer said. "And everything that we make is wood, so our products took a devastating hit."

Along with the showroom and 100 cabinet orders, Ryan Patzer said the most significant damage was to equipment, specifically the company's 40-foot wood cutter. He said the wood-cutting machinery is perhaps the most vital piece of equipment because it can cut every type of wood used to make the custom cabinets, making it the heart of the business' operations. Neppl said she helped call service experts regarding the machinery and how to potentially save it.

"We were proactive with the equipment, and we followed their advice on how to clean and dry it out," Neppl said. "So, a lot of our prayers were centered around hoping it would work, and it worked for three days."

The machinery quit functioning three days after the flood, putting the entire business on hold and allowing worry to set in, which only worsened when the technicians diagnosing the equipment said it had a 40 percent chance of functioning.

But after about a week, the equipment was back and running again, and Ryan Patzer said the production team immediately started catching up on orders.

"It's been a roller coaster of emotions with the equipment, because we can't work without it," he said. "You sit and pray these machines work, because if they don't, we can't get our work fulfilled."

While production is revving up again, Tom Patzer said he doesn't want to run the risk of relying on water-damaged equipment in the future. The goal is to replace the equipment by Jan. 1, 2020, he said.

Community support

Although the Patzer family and the entire staff have spent the past two weeks picking up the pieces from the flooding, they haven't been going at it alone. They said they've been grateful for the assistance and support they've received from community members, family and friends.

"We had people buying us lunch and bringing in food over the past couple weeks, and it was so incredible seeing how many people showed their support," Neppl said.

In addition, several of Patzer Woodworking's competitors stepped up and aided the local business to help where they could. While the day-to-day challenges will remain for Patzer Woodworking moving forward, the Patzer family is proving those challenges can't defeat their business.

"We have found out there are a lot of great people in the world and community," Tom Patzer said. "But we're solid. We're going to keep moving forward. Patzer's is open, and we remain open."

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