At least 110 of our apartments have flooded in Texas, thanks to frozen and broken pipes. Multiple properties are without power and water as the state deals with a blast of extreme winter weather. And in true Connor Group fashion, our associates wasted no time responding to the call.
Within 24-hours of the weather emergency, partner and director of service training Paul Leber jumped on a plane with partner and regional service trainer Rob Murray. Their leadership on the front lines will be instrumental in helping our residents and our associates during these challenging times.
We’ve rounded up some of the Connor Group’s finest, sending maintenance associates from across multiple markets to lend a hand. By the end of today, the following associates will be on the ground in either Dallas or Austin:
- Brian Pedersen, Chicago
- David Reid, Chicago
- Paul Fischer, Tampa
- Mike Sumner, Denver
- Steve Sumner, Denver
- Tad Hunter, Columbus
- Jon Coontz, Columbus
Partner Dustin Werden is taking every available resource we have and re-routing them to assist in Texas.
“Our vendor had crews scheduled to paint at L2 Uptown. Clearly, that’s not possible during this weather, so they’re headed to our other properties to help extract water from flooded apartments,” Dustin said. “We also have re-deployed five additional workers from Denver to Austin. We’re pulling out all the stops to get our associates and our residents the help they need.”
Partner and regional head Brad Dykes has been taking the lead on coordinating the operations response. Getting the right people on the ground was step one, and he says more of our maintenance associates could be dispatched to help.
“We won’t know the full scope of the damage until the weather breaks and the frozen water begins to thaw,” Brad said. “In the meantime, we’re stockpiling plumbing supplies, shop vacs, drywall and other materials to be able to make the repairs quickly for our residents.”
With the extreme food shortage in the Austin and Dallas areas, Tad Hunter and David Reid are loading up U-Hauls with supplies in Louisiana before heading to their final destinations, making sure our associates have adequate food and water while working around the clock.
Partner Ashley Smith has scoured Dallas supermarkets to find available food and water. She’s working with regional head Craig Sherbekow to deliver supplies to our Dallas teams as needed.
Our teams are ALL IN. Their relentless efforts to help Texas overcome this challenge have just begun. We’ll be sure to keep you updated on their progress here on Loop. More associates are also on deck, ready to travel and help as needed.
In the meantime, share your shout-outs for these associates in the comments below!