The ‘Show’ Goes On, In Spite Of Katrina

Show time is upon us once again — ISSA/INTERCLEAN® will take place October 18-21 in Las Vegas.

Some exciting changes have been made to the ISSA show format this year. Don’t forget to stop by to talk with SM’s editors while you’re at the show. You can find us at Booth 439.

Countless lives have been shattered in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. People have lost their homes, belongings, family members and friends, and it will be a long trek back to some semblance of “normal.”

Now the cleanup and recovery begins.

Though SM was not able to reach many Gulf Coast distributors (communication was still a huge problem in many areas at press time), we did get in touch with Mitchell Mark, whose company, Snee Chemical, is based 10 miles outside New Orleans. He expected to have his company up and running just two weeks after the hurricane hit.

Vermilion Janitorial & Industrial Supply’s facilities, located in Abbeville, La., were relatively unscathed, but company owner Jules Hebert said he is now struggling to get products into the warehouse — not an easy task, given the crippled transportation systems and the devastation of the New Orleans businesses he depends on.

Lagasse — also a New Orleans-based company — is operating out of temporary offices throughout the country, and is developing a contingency plan to keep business running smoothly while New Orleans gets back on its feet.

Read more in Newsworthy.

Then there are also stories of generosity: donations of money, products and time from industry members. Stay tuned.