Issue link: http://cp.revolio.com/i/873071
continued from page 87 water heater, breaches which sent water rushing into the offices and parts of the warehouse. Townsend recalled the devastating feeling of walking through the offices with 4 inches of water flooding every room. "In the weeks and months following the tornado, there were many long days, lots of hard work, and many phone calls," said Townsend, who added that, for a time following the tragedy, the team had to come in through the company's back fence and hike down a hill in order to access the office and warehouse. "Some of our employees suffered damage to their own homes, but were still at the office putting in 12-hour days," she said. Among the outreach they received, "AD's Gary Jackson and Jeffrey Beall called and offered help and resources," Townsend said. "Gary made sure that all of AD's staff, suppliers, and member network knew what had happened, and then they started calling and showing up. On one of the first days after the tornado, Charlie Kenney, our Watts Regulator and Fernco rep from Billingsley and Associates, risked the impossible to get down the street to bring us a generator, bottled water, extension cords, and a room air conditioner." "A few days later," she continued, "John Davenport, our Matco-Norca sales rep from Omega Marketing, came in, set up a tent, and cooked hot lunches for two days to feed the employees and workers, while our Network Chairman, John Edwards, COO at Eastway Supplies in Columbus, OH, sent a gift certificate for lunches. There were many, many days when we were well-fed and cared for by our friends; the list is very long and we appreciate all of them," she said. "Those acts of kindness, prayers, and phone calls let us know that we were truly not alone in this journey and they greatly encouraged and helped get us through those long days." Others have experienced the strength of the AD network as well. When a fire demolished the drywall- packed warehouse of Northwest Drywall & Roofing Supply in Montana just before the New Year, for example, members were quick to rally. "We had a warehouse full of drywall to beat the January increases, when, at approximately midnight, I received a called from the Kalispell Police Department telling me there was a significant fire blazing in our warehouse," recalled Northwest Drywall owner Pam Mower. Almost instantly, she said, "that warehouse of drywall was rendered worthless." The following Monday, however, a load of drywall appeared at Northwest's doorstep, courtesy of AD's member network. HOW THE FOUNDATION WORKS Starting Q1 2018, individuals living in AD member communities who are impacted by a disaster can go online to www.adhq.com/foundation and fill out an application for a cash grant or an in-kind donation of construction and industrial supplies. AD will receive notice of that request and will send out a communication to its member and supplier partner network directing them to the foundation website, where they'll find information on the type of in-kind donations and/or the level of cash support needed. A tax-deductible gift can be made to the Foundation. Thanks to the generous support of the Weisberg Family Foundation, 100% of the donations received will be directed to the individuals in need. T h e 'A D Di s a s ter R elie f F o un da tio n ' #ADSTRONG | AD Today 2017 | 89