Warehouse Update from House-Hasson Hardware

01.31.24

Good news!

• A structural engineer inspection is scheduled for Friday, Feb. 2, for our Knoxville warehouse Building A, in which a steel support roof I-beam bent and broke in the major winter snowfall of Jan. 15 and 16. Snowfall amounts made it difficult at first for work crews to even get to the warehouse, but since their arrival, structural reinforcements have been proceeding rapidly. Assuming the inspection goes well, Building A will be back in full operation by Monday Feb. 5. In the interim, we’re working hard to fill orders from our warehouse in Prichard, West Virginia. 

• When we receive the all-clear for use of Building A, we’ll be working to eliminate any order backlog. 

• We will begin shipping goods purchased at our Nashville Leap Into Savings Dealer Market starting February 12. After the damage caused by the snowfall, we rented a 100,000 square-foot warehouse across the street from our Knoxville warehouses and offices. This contingency tactic will enable us to ship market-ordered items without delay.   

A personal note: 

Our business is to supply you with items to sell in your stores: the Mother Nature-caused, once-in-our-history disruption has been challenging, and frustrating, for you and for us. Please be assured that everything we can do, we’re doing, because your profitability is our priority. 

If anything should occur that affects the timetable I’ve outlined above, you’ll know right away. But with the pace of work to get Building A up and running, we’re optimistic about what will take place over the next few days. 

Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for your understanding. I understand if your patience is being tested, but from our dealers’ comments at the market, we’re gratified by the concern dealers are showing for us. That’s very much appreciated, but our concern is for you, and to get you everything you need as soon as we can get it to you. 

Sincerely,  

Steve Henry
– President & CEO
House-Hasson Hardware

House-Hasson is America’s largest independent regional hardware distributor. The company’s website is www.househasson.com.

MARKETING CONTACTS:

George Korda, 865-567-2163, [email protected]
Lysette Avilés, 865-548-8783, [email protected]

House-Hasson resumes operations in one of two Knoxville warehouse buildings following major snowfall

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chuck Morris, 865-300-5669, [email protected]
George Korda, 865-567-2163, [email protected]
Lysette Avilés, 865-548-8783, [email protected]

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.

Winter Storm Damages Warehouse Roof, Suspends Knoxville Operations

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Chuck Morris, 865-300-5669, [email protected]
George Korda, 865-567-2163, [email protected]
Lysette Avilés, 865-548-8783, [email protected]

Winter Storm Damages Warehouse Roof, Suspends Knoxville Operations

Knoxville, TN, January 16, 2024 — House-Hasson Hardware is suspending operations at its Knoxville warehouse after heavy snow on its warehouse roof caused a steel I-beam to bend, bursting a water pipe feeding the facility’s sprinkler system.

Deliveries to House-Hasson’s independent hardware store and lumberyard dealers will continue without interruption from the company’s 275,000 square-foot warehouse in Prichard, W. Va.

House-Hasson’s Knoxville warehouse had planned to be closed for at least several days because of heavy snow that fell on Monday, Jan. 15. House-Hasson officials said snow-choked roads leading to and within the Forks of the River Industrial Park make it unsafe for employees to try to reach the warehouse.

Structural engineers have been inspecting the building to determine what repairs are needed. How long it will take is uncertain, but company officials said they hoped it would be relatively soon, so that operations could resume at about the time the snow melts and makes it safe for employees to return.

“It’s not something you can brace with a two-by-four, but it’s certainly nothing like a roof failure either,” said Steve Henry, House-Hasson president and CEO. “As one might imagine, we’re working on this very diligently and urgently.”

Apart from the broken pipe, there was no damage to the interior of the warehouse; nothing fell from the ceiling, and no one was injured.

The Prichard warehouse, from which dealer deliveries will be made without interruption, contains practically all products available from the Knoxville warehouse.

“The incident in our Knoxville warehouse won’t stop us from serving our dealers, though in the short term it may slow us down slightly.”

The I-beam supporting a portion of the flat-roofed, 450,000 square-foot warehouse, bent sometime Monday evening. Snow measured up to 10 inches at the industrial park. On an average day, 225 office and warehouse employees work in the facility.

The Knox County fire marshal inspected the building and said repairs were necessary before operations could resume.

“We were already closed because of the weather, and we weren’t going to restart in any case until the roads are safe and the problem with the roof is corrected,” Henry said. “We’re optimistic that the roof repairs will not require a lengthy process, and we are underway on determining exactly what’s necessary and how long it will take.”

House-Hasson is America’s largest independent regional hardware distributor. The company’s website is www.househasson.com.

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