Harry Cooper Supply takes brunt of storms

Drew Albert, senior forecaster with the National Weather Service in Springfield, said straight-line winds exceeded 65-miles-per-hour and about 10 tornadoes, in addition to heavy rains, thunder and lightning, ripped through the area from about 6 p.m. Jan. 7 to about 3 a.m. Jan. 8.

Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management’s early reports had 14 county businesses damaged and more than 250 houses damaged or destroyed in Springfield, Republic and Strafford. The State Emergency Management Agency reported that two people died. Cost estimates were not expected until after press time.

The roof of one of Republic’s elementary schools blew off. Outside Greene County, numerous businesses in Branson, such as Gilley’s Texas Café and Andy’s Frozen Custard, reported damage.

The brunt of damage to businesses may have been smack-dab in the middle of Springfield, though, with Harry Cooper Supply taking the hardest hit.

A tornado that blew through between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. collapsed the roof on a 20,000-sqaure-foot section of Harry Cooper’s 125,000-sqaure-foot warehouse at 605 N. Sherman Parkway, CEO Stephen Reagan said.

“We have damage in half a dozen different places, but that one section of the warehouse was the main thing,” Reagan said of the space that stored about $700,000 worth of overstock merchandise and electrical supplies.

Further east on Chestnut Expressway, the same storm cell blew out windows in about 60 Springfield Public Schools vehicles. Braum’s Ice Cream, Captain D’s and Cielito Lindo restaurants near Chestnut Expressway and Glenstone Avenue also were damaged.

The tall street sign for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, 720 N. Glenstone Ave., was knocked over and fell into a light pole, which in turn fell into an employee’s parked car.

“It was kind of a domino effect,” said Krispy Kreme manager Jeanelle Caplinger, adding that one of her store’s front windows was blown out, too.

Transport Graphics, 836 N. Glenstone, also had window damage. The graphic-advertising company lost three large plate-glass windows, but co-owner Linda Walker said she is grateful that nothing else was damaged.

“We’ve got wood boards up,” she said. “Other than just the clean up of the mess for half of a day and being cold for half of a day, we went right on with business.”

Insurance should cover the losses for the businesses, officials with Harry Cooper, Krispy Kreme and Transport Graphics said. It will only take a few days to get windows replaced, but final financial assessments and replacing larger structural damage could take weeks and even months.

“It won’t have a terrible impact on our business,” said Harry Cooper’s Reagan. “Once we get a list of all the items (in the warehouse) that are damaged, the manufacturers are usually pretty good about restocking us to keep us from being out of merchandise.”

The storms even brought out the kinder side of business.

TLC Properties, which has 16 apartment complexes throughout Springfield, is offering a 20 percent discount on furnished apartments for displaced people. That discount will be offered through the end of January, according a TLC Properties news release.

Tony Rost, local U-Haul franchisee, is offering free 30-day storage to people and businesses that suffered damage.

Rost, who lives near Strafford, saw the storm’s destructive power first-hand, and it inspired him to help. He said two homes within 300 yards of his house were destroyed, although his house was not harmed.

“It sometimes goes beyond just a business relationship with the general public, and we try to help out whenever we can,” he said. “I know that if my roof blew away, I’d want to put my stuff someplace where it would be dry and secure.”[[In-content Ad]]