“Our associates in Dayton are resilient, and I couldn’t be more proud of them,” said Phil Garuccio, divisional vice president for 84 Lumber’s Central Region in a statement. “Even after the storms, the team worked hard to keep everything on track for our customers and the Dayton community. It’s great to now see Dayton recovering and coming back stronger than ever.”
Credit: Emily Kronenberger/Staff
Credit: Emily Kronenberger/Staff
The Poe Avenue employees came to work the next day to start cleanup and continue working. They were able to save the lumber but lost other items in the storm.
“We never quit service and we never quit shipping, but we did have some setbacks though. With our building being torn down we no longer had access to our hardware that was on the inside including our nails, doors, windows, and trim,” said General Manager Todd Casey.
The new facility mirrors the original building with the exception of a larger showroom with modern features and is expected to increase their staff from 15 to 20 employees.
The 84 Lumber Dayton location isn’t just a job to the employees and the store has become a second home for many of them which makes the new facility even more special, Casey said.
“I see these guys a lot. Not just are they employees but after 10 or 15 years, some of my guys have been with me for 25 years, they become really part of the family,” he said. “These guys all new that we weren’t going anywhere, that we were going to have a place to work at as a group one more time.”
The determination of the staff and continued support from the community is what kept them going, Casey said. The Poe Avenue location has serviced the Dayton and Cincinnati areas for over 30 years without interruptions including after the storm and the pandemic.
As the rebuilding process began, the pandemic hindered the reconstruction for about six months due to materials being on back order and many people working from home. However, overall business wasn’t impacted.
“There was a time when everyone was at home and started making their own do it yourself projects. At that time we saw a wave of customers coming into our store and we appreciate that support from the community during a time that we were also trying to rebuild,” he said.
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