HOPE RAISING ( 14


A FAMILY – and a FAMILY business – endure Hurricane Katrina.


WRITTEN BY JOE NOLAN


ARABI SLING & RIGGING COMPANY, INC. traces its beginnings to the garage behind the home of Louis H. Flores Jr. and Maxine Flores in Arabi, Louisiana. Arabi is situated on the East Bank of the Mississippi River in St. Bernard Parish, next to the Lower 9th Ward in New Orleans.


Weeks after Hurricane Katrina, Arabi Sling and Rigging was finally able to begin sorting through the mess left behind from the storm.


MAY-JUNE 2011 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE


Louis had worked in the wire and rigging business since the age of fifteen, and when he started his company in 1972, he was already employed as a supervisor with a local firm. For the next six years he grew his business one client at a time, coming home from a long day’s work, sitting down for a meal and then excusing himself to the garage where he would fill the latest orders and working well into the night. With the help of his wife and kids, the work was finished on time each day and the company grew. By 1978, Arabi Sling & Rigging was beginning to push beyond the confines of the Flores family’s overcrowded garage. A move needed to be made and the company found a new home when it opened for business at 6609 N. Robertson. Tis cavernous space was a far cry from the tiny garage and it was clear that Arabi Sling & Rigging had arrived. However, by 1985, the once-tiny company had outgrown that warehouse space and a second, connected building was added. Te added structure brought the company’s workspace to nearly 9000 square feet. During this time the business continued to grow and the addition of a round sling machine kept Arabi Sling


)


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