House-Hasson resumes operations in one of two Knoxville warehouse buildings following major snowfall
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chuck Morris, 865-300-5669, cmorris@househasson.com
George Korda, 865-567-2163, gkorda@kordacom.com
Lysette Avilés, 865-548-8783, laviles@househasson.com
House-Hasson resumes operations in one of two Knoxville warehouse buildings following major snowfall
KNOXVILLE, TN, January 18, 2024 — House-Hasson Hardware has resumed receiving product deliveries in one of its two Knoxville warehouse buildings following the major Jan. 14-15 snowfall that, for safety reasons, caused a temporary suspension of operations.
The weight of nearly a foot of snow on the roof of warehouse Building A caused a steel I-beam supporting the roof to bend, at which time work was halted in both warehouse buildings. Company officials said the membrane-style roof, less than a year old, is intact and holding, and that there are no leaks or holes. A membrane roof creates watertight protection for a building’s interior. Of Building A’s 21 similar I-beams, only one, No. 16, was affected. Building B was unharmed by the snow.
“Structural engineers have been here to inspect and evaluate the situation in Building A, and repairs are scheduled,” said Steve Henry, House-Hasson’s president and CEO. “We’re moving ahead full-steam with work to get the one I-beam repaired and re-start activity in Building A.”
Henry said he’s been advised that the roof is in no imminent danger of collapse.
“We’re thankful that the problem is restricted to a single beam. Also, we appreciate very much the concerns and well-wishes extended to us,” Henry said. “We’ll keep our dealers updated as we approach resuming normal deliveries.”
Normal operations are continuing without interruption at House-Hasson’s other warehouse in Prichard, W. Va.
Building A’s roof is 525 feet long. Beam No. 16 is 400 feet from the front of House-Hasson’s main office entrance.
Henry said that even if the I-beam situation had not occurred, the warehouse would still be running at limited capacity because of the heavy snowfall.
“We’re concerned about our employees’ safety in the driving conditions that still exist on many of the streets and roads in our area,” he said. “The temperature hasn’t warmed enough to melt ice on numerous roads. We appreciate deeply our employees’ dedication, and we weren’t going to take the chance of someone getting hurt trying to get to work.”
House-Hasson is America’s largest independent regional hardware distributor. The company website is www.househasson.com.