TITAN MACHINERY | Avoca, IA
On Wednesday, March 13, Gary Col- lins received word that the Nishnabot- na River was projected to overflow its banks in less than 24 hours, thanks to rapid snow melt and rain up north. The Avoca Titan Machinery had expe- rienced flooding in 1993, so his team knew it was prudent to take potential flooding seriously.
“That morning we essentially moved all of our equipment across the river and up the hill about a half-mile from the river,” said Collins, area sales manager. A crew of 40 helped with the process. “We were able to move everything in about five hours, thanks to extra manpower from other Titan dealerships and farmers. It was pretty impressive.”
Everything in the main store and all parts inventory were also moved up inside the facility. A gooseneck trailer was brought in to elevate nearly $500,000 worth of employee tools. Used oil was moved to avoid potential contamination.
By Thursday morning, two of Titan’s buildings had taken on water; the shop with 15 inches and one storage building with over five feet. Fortunate- ly, the main store stayed dry.
The process of moving equipment back to the dealership started early Friday morning. By Monday, the 10 person crew had everything moved and in place at the dealership. Tues- day everything was back to normal at the dealership with the exception of power washing the shop.
While highways around Avoca were closed due to flooding, they experi- enced minimal damage and were able to open up after just one day. The gravel roads throughout the county, however, were (and continue to be) in bad shape. “It’s gotten to the point where we cannot make deliveries with semis due to weight limits,” explained Collins, who added that this has also limited bus routes in the county. “I’d say that’s what has hurt us most.”
May/June | The Retailer Magazine | 13
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