Direct Hit: Vermeer Sustains Tornado Damage – Video Update

An EF3 tornado ripped through Iowa on Thursday and caused significant damage to Vermeer Corporation in Pella.

Its waste management facility was a complete loss, and two other buildings sustained damage that will limit operations, CEO Jason Andringa told local reporters. Two more buildings require further assessment. Other buildings sustained “zero to minor” damage.

Photo courtesy of the Oskaloosa News, photographer Monte Goodyk

More than 400 dealers and customers were at Vermeer to celebrate the company’s 70th anniversary. Seven people were treated for injuries and released within hours of the tornado. The plant reopened Monday.

In a note to the Vermeer team on its website, the company wrote: We don’t have words to describe the pride we have in you. We plan for scenarios and practice drills, but nothing truly prepares us for the unknown. The way you handled the situation, followed procedures and cared for one another is precisely what Vermeer team members pride themselves in—doing more. It is your resilient spirit that will drive us forward now and long into the future. Rebuilding begins now.”

Andringa told reporters that this is the newest challenge among many the company has faced in its 70 years. “We are certainly going to rebuild,” he said, “and we are going to come back stronger than ever.”

Video Update from Vermeer  –

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