When disaster strikes

At 3:25 p.m. on Friday, March 13, the call came in for Tim Noonan—urgent and escalating by the minute. Though he was on the road, his employees told him violent weather had ripped through Hinckley and torn off part of his building’s roof, then hurled it back down onto the rest of the roof, causing significant damage. Within the 400,000-square-foot facility, the workers told Tim it felt like the impact of an aircraft had crashed into them.

Decisive Action in Crisis Mode

For Tim, who founded Great Lakes Stairs and Millwork in 1990, the stakes were high.

“A massive roof section, thousands of square feet big and weighing tons, had been destroyed,” he says. “You could see daylight. It was a nightmare.”

Since his company designs and crafts custom staircases and ships them all over the world, humidity and moisture must be carefully controlled. 

“When you work with kiln-dried wood, moisture isn’t just a nuisance, it can be a disaster,” says Tim.

He first called a remediation company to come tarp the gaping damage, but they quickly realized the job was too much for them and recommended he reach out to Spartan StormShield’s commercial division.

Led by Josh Williams, the Spartan StormShield commercial team approached the mission not as merely a patch job, but as a high-stakes challenge that required special material resources and a crew of 30 experts—ranging from mitigation to framing to roofing—to accomplish the creative solution of installing a temporary roof system.

“With the weather forecast looking terrible—six days of rain coming—we chose to construct a new fully-adhered roofing system over the existing one,” says Josh. “We called in supplier favors, getting materials delivered the same day, which is unheard of. Then we orchestrated a multifaceted, rapid-response build that most roofing companies would not attempt even under ideal conditions, let alone 20-plus mph winds.”

Smart Strategic Solutions

Spartan StormShield co-owner Joel Arlia proudly reports that in three days, his crew constructed an approximate 12,000-square-foot framed structure topped with a fully-adhered EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) membrane system which has effectively sealed the building from further water intrusion.

“They really grabbed the bull by the horns,” says Tim. “I understand the nuances of construction and was in awe to stand back and watch them take control of the situation. Since the storm had damaged masonry walls, dislodged cinder blocks and compromised structural elements across multiple parts of the building, I appreciate how Josh and Joel were able to mitigate future damage and deterioration beyond just the impact zone. Their approach was smart and strategic.”

The results speak volumes. Despite subsequent storms this spring, the temporary roof has stood firm. Operations that were shut down for a handful of days resumed. Precious inventory was saved, and a potential facility move or shutdown was avoided. 

A key component to the job was communication.

“We had to make decisions quickly and Josh went over everything at stake in a thorough, detailed manner,” says Tim. “I’d say I’ve talked to Josh or Joel every day since the incident to stay in the loop. And now that we’ve moved to the next phase—working with the insurance company to determine the scope of a permanent roof replacement—Josh continues to be invaluable.”

To be continued ...

Armed with product innovation and trusted craftsmanship from highly trained crews, Spartan StormShield lives up to its reputation for installing “the roof system to last your lifetime.” It installs and repairs roofs for homes and businesses all over Northeast Ohio.

Spartan StormShield

309 Silver Street, Akron

330-SPARTAN (330-772-7826) 

SpartanStormShield.com