Firms weather storm-related blows

DIGGING OUT: A man uses a  snowblower to help clear the sidewalk  on Dorrance St. in Providence during  last week’s blizzard. / PBN PHOTO/FRANK MULLIN
DIGGING OUT: A man uses a snowblower to help clear the sidewalk on Dorrance St. in Providence during last week’s blizzard. / PBN PHOTO/FRANK MULLIN

Whether companies try or not to budget for major storms that shut down commerce, those reached on Jan. 28, the day after blizzard Juno’s biggest punch landed across the region, say predicting major weather events remains an art that, when it is accurate, enables companies to adjust more readily.
That was the case this time around for the Hi-Tech family of companies in Ashaway, near Westerly, which at 21 inches had one of the higher snow totals in the state, according to the National Weather Service.
“There’s no way of knowing other than the forecasters being on target and getting it right,” said Human Resources Manager Donna Green.
The companies include Hi-Tech Profiles Inc., which specializes in the extrusion of tubing and shapes; Hi-Tech Machine and Fabrications, which makes molds and tubing, and HTP Meds, which produces medical tubing for devices and applications, said Green.
Juno actually forced the companies to close for second and third shifts on Monday and all day on Tuesday, Green said.
“We ended up having our second-shift workers come in on first shift Monday to meet some deadlines,” she said. “Production was held up for all three of our companies. We don’t budget for these weather delays. They’re so far and few in between, I don’t remember the last time we closed down.”
In Rhode Island, businesses have often struggled in the past decade to recover from bad weather, most markedly since the March floods of 2010, followed by Hurricane Irene in August 2011 and Superstorm Sandy in late October 2012. But major snowfall has not been as much of a disruptive force, with the February 2013 snowstorm that dropped 18 inches being the exception.
In April 2014, however, the Providence Warwick Convention & Visitors Bureau reacted to a snowy winter and Valentine’s Day weekend storm with a “Do-Over Day” aimed at boosting restaurant and hotel business. Rough winters for travel and thus less frequenting of businesses by consumers called for action to compensate, PWCVB President and CEO Martha Sheridan explained at the time.
Burrillville last week had more than 28 inches, the most in the state, while Providence snowfall measured 17 inches. The town of Richmond had the least, with 11 inches. In the Wickford section of North Kingstown, Updike’s Newtowne Coffee Roasting Company and Café shut down three hours early Jan. 26 for the storm, then remained closed through Jan. 28 for digging out. The business retained its electrical power, so sustained no food losses.
Nonetheless, co-owner Stephanie Additon estimated the loss in sales at more than $1,000.
Because storm-related closures are often part of the winter landscape, she said they try to budget for shutdowns.
“We plan it into the budget, but there are years when it becomes very difficult,” she said.
The Northern R.I. Chamber of Commerce in Lincoln and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce represent almost 700 and 1,200 members respectively. Their respective presidents, John Gregory and Laurie White, said after the storm that the cooperation with state emergency-management officials helped businesses cope with a storm that could have been worse if travel had not been banned Jan. 27.
Most, though not all, businesses were back to normal by Jan. 28, they said.
“We live in New England, and the winter weather is bound to disrupt the normal course of business,” White said. “It’s an inconvenience but people know how to keep business continuity in place. The amount of lost time has been minimized because people can work anywhere, anytime, anyplace.”
In Barrington, Warren and Bristol, Full Channel, a cable, phone and Internet provider, restored services to about 1,000 homes by early on Jan. 28, said Levi C. Maaia, president of Full Channel Labs, which manages IT for the company.
Full Channel also had about six pieces of equipment damaged by snow and wind but fixed everything quickly despite the storm, Maaia said.
“You can’t really predict a storm like this, so we do the best we can to be prepared for it and make sure staff is aware of procedures,” he said. “There’s going to be a cost: We had some overtime and damaged equipment. I don’t have a number, [but] it wasn’t hurricane proportions. We were thankful it wasn’t as bad as we were prepared for it to be.” •


PBN reporter Mary MacDonald contributed to this report.

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