Johnstone Supply In Indiana Re-Surfaces After Flood
After a torrential five-day rainstorm that dropped 19 inches of rain in Kokomo, Ind., a Johnstone Supply store took on almost six feet of water, leaving the contents a sodden mess. Employees were able to re-enter the store after five days and tried to remove anything of value above the flood line in the building. Nothing below the line was salvageable.
Jerry Hughes, store owner, worked to immediately re-route the phone and fax lines to the Indianapolis store. The Johnstone Action Team ¿ Jerry Hughes; Tony Koon, Kokomo branch manager; Fred Means, controller; Ted Shay, Indianapolis branch manager; and Dick Imhof, purchasing and inventory control manager (Lieutenant Colonel Logistics, U.S. Army retired) ¿ created an action plan to ensure that Johnstone would be able to satisfy customer demand by the following day. Hughes found a new building less than a mile and only four minutes from the old location. With everyone pitching in, employees working 60-hour weeks and support from Indianapolis and other branches, the new building opened August 18th, only five weeks from the initial disaster.