Kennedy’s first decades saw them adding locations, acquiring
larger markets, expanding facilities and production. However, would Kennedy have the durability to keep going when the going got tough? Te answer to that question came via a phone call. “Back in 2012, on October 7, I got a call from Garland Jr.
saying there was a fire at the office,” says Cloutet. In an interview with local paper, Alice Echo News Journal, Cloutet explained the sentiments of the moment, “I’m praying that a tree’s on fire, or something that doesn’t matter is on fire, but it was the main office building. Tat fire burned for days…Te fire department put out most of the fire that day, and it was actually still smoldering for a good couple of weeks.” Te fire, which started upstairs because of a surge protector,
destroyed the office building, and “there was not a way to save anything in the building,” Cloutet recalled. “Te products were all destroyed…We lost millions of dollars worth of inventory and equipment.” Despite the grim outlook of having to start over without a
building, the Kennedy team focused on the day-to-day operations despite the distractions. Tey were concerned about making sure they could continue to give their customers what they needed despite their own setbacks. With unflagging resolve, some reorganizing and a bit of imagination, Kennedy was able to keep up with customer demands. After the fire was completely out, Kennedy set up shop in three mobile trailers. Te two-story office building packed into the units made for little space, but the team kept up with business. “We had the entire office operation in there,” Cloutet said.
“We had everyone crammed in like a bunch of sardines.” Each desk in the temporary office was right up against another. Tere were no bathrooms in the trailers and no room to stretch out. Te conditions were not ideal, but Kennedy still managed to operate out of those mobile units for more than a year. Kennedy has been back in its new home on Flato Road since mid-November, and Cloutet expects the company to keep forging ahead through whatever the future may bring. “We definitely learned a lot about not only ourselves, but we also learned about what this company can handle when under pressure. Tat was really a testament to our resilience to have our corporate headquarters burn to the ground and still be able to perform. After going through something like that, I don’t think there’s anything we can’t handle at this point.” Despite the difficulties, the fire at their main facility failed to
slow down Kennedy’s pattern of growth. Trough the first few months of 2014, Kennedy Wire Rope and Sling had expanded to 80,000 square feet of operating space while still maintaining the commitment to quality and customer satisfaction that marked the company’s successful start over three decades ago. Kennedy is steadfast and determined to continue being a leader in supplying wire rope, rigging hardware, slings, oilfield and lifting products for the foreseeable future, and their recent acquisition of Manchester Sling makes that a promise they’re likely to keep.
22 MAY-JUNE 2014 WIRE ROPE EXCHANGE
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 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85