FCL Builders has the staff, resources, and expertise to quickly organize and deploy when needed to get businesses back online after storms, earthquakes, and other natural disasters.
On March 3, 2020, a cluster of deadly tornadoes blew through Nashville, Tennessee, leveling homes and local businesses and severely damaging three buildings in CEVA Logistics’ industrial complex. The first building lost dock doors and had major roof damage. One third of the second building was demolished with wall panels leaning inward, causing an immediate threat to first responders and facility workers. The third building took a direct hit, requiring a complete rebuild, down to the foundations.
The immediate aftermath of natural disasters can be disorienting, as power and communication grids are usually knocked offline, with many arterials closed until debris can be cleared. This storm came during pandemic lockdowns, presenting extra challenges to all professional responders and private citizens. As soon as our customer was able to reach us, FCL project managers set off from Atlanta for the road trip into the disaster zone. We were on site the day after it happened.
FCL used its strong network of vetted subcontractors to secure one of the world’s top demolition companies to arrive on-site by March 7. They had completed major disaster response work in Haiti and Japan, so competition for their services was fierce. FCL quickly secured a handshake deal built upon earned mutual trust, and as we ironed out the contractual details, a truck trailer and crew were already rolling into Nashville. Next, we recruited a network of our experts, including a highly specialized forensic structural engineer to inspect the welds on the damaged facility to ensure it could be secured as a safe workspace. Once the site was cleared, we worked as one team to pick through the site and salvage as much of the customer’s product inventory and facility infrastructure as possible. Then we divided and conquered to expedite an ambitious recovery plan.
While the demolition crews cleared the site, FCL did as much of the heavy lifting as we could so our customer could focus on their employees and getting operations up and running during construction. We worked with insurance claims adjusters and local municipalities to navigate a mountain of paperwork and permits (demolition, utilities, etc.). By April 16, we had secured our rebuilding permit for Building 2.
Once the site was cleared, the biggest challenge became resourcing, securing, and transporting replacement building materials and operational equipment (switch gears, transformers, drywall, concrete, HVAC, etc.) to the site. Even in traditional construction scenarios, some of these materials can be six to 18 months on backorder. FCL offices around the nation leveraged their subcontractor and supply chain relationships to help mitigate lead times. Out of the box strategic and creative thinking time and again saved the day, as we tracked down and sequenced all the equipment we needed, because even one missing item could delay the entire project.
FCL was able to brace the panels get the site partially operational within 5 weeks of the storm. Building 2 was fully operational with a Certificate of Occupancy by September 4, six months after the storm. One silver lining in many disaster response projects is the opportunity to rebuild even better than before, leveraging advancements in technology and materials to create stronger, more resilient structures.
For Building 3, we planned and scheduled the rebuild to meet the current goals and needs of our customer and their insurance provider. Once completed, their new facility earned LEED certification for energy efficiency. While we can’t control when and where natural disasters strike, we can swiftly and efficiently bring critical supply chain operations back online as quickly as humanly possible.