BURNSVILLE, N.C. — Hurricane Helene whipped through the North Carolina mountains in late September 2024, causing catastrophic outcomes for many, including one of Sunbrella’s five U.S. manufacturing plants located in Burnsville, N.C.
After the storm, the plant was submerged in up to 30 inches of water, but the company’s first priority and plan of action was to ensure that all 219 Burnsville team members were safe and had access to critical supplies.
Randy Blackston, vice president of operations at Glen Raven, who helped lead the on-the-ground recovery efforts for the company, said, “Our first concern was our team. The first day we heard from 50 of our 219 associates. It took us 10 days to reach all our team members. For many, we checked on them at home using four-wheelers. Ten of our associates lost their homes.”
After Blackston and Joey Davis, president of Glen Ravens Material Solutions Group, knew all the team members were safe, they turned their attention to the plant.
“Our plant became a community resource hub because, with how fast the hurricane hit and due to the extent of damage in the region, many folks didn’t have essentials: food, water, socks, medical supplies. I worked with Joey and our leadership team to truck in pallets of essentials within 24 hours,” said Blackston.
Eventually, more than 3 million gallons of water was pumped out and recycled out of the facility, and thousands of pounds of muck were shoveled out of the Burnsville plant. Through day-by-day improvement that included removing drywall, restoring power and getting water flowing, the plant was back up and running in limited capacity in just 33 days.
“The hard work and dedication this team had was incredible,” said Blackston. “Every electric motor was ruined, as well as all of our inventory. The team essentially had to start from scratch.”
Now that the Glen Raven team has returned to normal operations, Blackston said that if he had one piece of advice to give to other companies facing a disaster, it would be to listen to team members.
“I have an incredible team that gave advice about where I could turn next. Very few folks have ever experienced disasters of this level, and each team member has resources that I worked with to help us get back to where we are today: 100% loom capacity.
“We worked feverishly to get back up and running,” he continued. “Stake holders, business partners and family members made it happen, and we are excited for what is next.”
Part of what’s next for Sunbrella includes a $250 million investment to expand and upgrade its production capabilities. The investment represents the company’s ongoing commitment to innovation and service, according to Davis.
“We are well-positioned to increase production the United States at our five manufacturing facilities as needed to continue serving our customers,” Davis said. “Investment is important even during challenging times because it benefits both our communities and our customers.
“When the hurricane hit, our first priority was the safety of our associates, and we didn’t think twice about contributing to the humanitarian effort,” he continued. “Investing in our business by getting the plant up and running again quickly was also important so we could continue to best serve our trusted partners while also supporting our associates and communities economically.”
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Credit: homeaccentstoday.com
