“Mr. Johnson, this is the Carol Stream Fire Department. The roof has blown off your building. You had better get over there right away!”
That’s the telephone message that Copresco president and CEO Steve Johnson received the afternoon of Sunday, July 1.
A severe
storm with 90 mph hurricane-force winds had violently battered Chicago’s
western suburbs, drenching the area with pounding hail and an inch of rain in
25 minutes.
Commonwealth Edison reported power outages
for 250,000 customers.
When Steve
arrived at his darkened building, he found a large part of a tree down, and
what was left of the plant roof scattered across the parking lot and loading
dock.
He splashed through the office to find the digital
press and bindery departments, as well as the warehouse and shipping
department, soaked with rainwater.
It was now
time to put Copresco’s disaster relief plan into action and restore order.
Staff members were notified to rendezvous at the plant as soon as power was
restored.
Professional help was also available at
Steve’s fingertips, including ServPro, a commercial cleaning and
restoration company. The fire department installed large tarps to protect our
equipment.
An
Electronic Restoration Services crew, flown in from out of state, worked into
the night to clean and service our computers and other digital
equipment.
Roofers also worked into the night, installing
a temporary waterproof roof system to protect the plant against further
damage.
Power was
restored during the night, and our team spent July 2 cleaning up water,
clearing debris, and picking up the grounds.
A large air
conditioning system was brought in to replace two units that were destroyed by
the high winds.
Our staff was back at their regular jobs
the next day.
Despite the catastrophe, the Copies Overnight spirit prevailed, and Copresco was back in business, printing and binding clients’ publications, books and manuals 48 hours after the storm struck the plant.
Only one
day of production was lost.Many companies would have been out of business for
months, or would have had to go out of business
altogether.
But, Copresco understands how to work under
extreme pressure.
We thrive on Mission Impossible printing
assignments that few printers will accept. We know how to deal with unexpected
problems and come up with fast, efficient solutions.
Our quick
response to the storm was not a stroke of luck. Copresco has a preplanned
disaster relief plan that went into action as soon as the fire department call
was received.
Our experienced staff responded quickly and
professionally.
We are properly insured and located in a
well-established industrial area with excellent municipal and commercial
business services.
Despite
this disruption, no client deadlines were ever in danger. With Copresco’s
digital on-demand printing services, there are no stacks of negatives and
plates that can be damaged. Paper is stored off the floor on skids and pallets
to prevent damage.
As an added precaution, we had
arrangements with other printers in place to back us up with printing jobs, but
it was never needed.
All of our digital files are stored on “off-campus” servers and backed up by powerful redundant systems that protect client and company information, including Copresco’s sophisticated inventory and workflow system.
Our
thanks to our clients and friends for your prayers, good wishes and offers to
help in what shaped up to be a most challenging week.
We
sincerely appreciate your concern and support.
See below for Before and After pictures that show how Copresco quickly recovered from the devastating July storm.
Copresco
will be closed Monday, September 3 for Labor Day.
Enjoy
the last weekend of summer.
This photo montage will give you a good before-and-after look at what happened over a 48-hour period at Copresco’s 14,000 sq. ft. plant in Carol Stream. Here are the details of the amazingly fast turnaround.
1.
Winds clocked at 90 mph tear the roof off, down to the metal studs—leaving
nothing but a pile of rubble.
2. Debris from the
roof is scattered over the shipping dock and front of the building. The
shipping dock looks like a swimming pool until power is restored and the sump
pump kicks in.
3. The Carol Stream Fire Department
provides giant tarps to protect equipment during roof
restoration.
4. A massive, portable air
conditioning system helps dehumidify the plant and get Copresco ready to return
to normal business activities.
5.
After cleanup, the digital press department looks spic and span and is ready to
swing into action.
6. A thorough floor wash returns
warehouse and shipping departments to their pristine condition. Shipping was
one of the departments hardest hit by the storm.
7.
With order restored, work on digital on-demand publications, books and manuals
resumes for Copresco’s clients.
8. Copresco
president and CEO Steve Johnson checks an order for
shipment.
9. Steve is all smiles about the way his
staff and other professionals came together to put Copresco back in action 48
hours after the storm struck. A truly amazing feat. (2-9 Photos by
Jessica
Pinkous)
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