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Batteries and Things to reopen in temporary location after fire destroys business · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Batteries and things to reopen in temporary location after fire
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  Speaker 1: destroys business. Written by Emily Bebe, This article is being
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  Speaker 1: read by an automated voice brought to you by Everlet.
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  Speaker 1: Nearly two weeks after a fire destroyed the batteries and
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  Speaker 1: things in LaSalle, owner Ron we Tech never considered not rebuilding, no,
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  Speaker 1: we Tech said when asked if he ever thought about
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  Speaker 1: walking away from the business. Within days of seeing the fire,
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  Speaker 1: he and his team had a plan to reopen within
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  Speaker 1: forty to one hundred days. We Tech said nothing was
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  Speaker 1: saved from the original location, including two point three million
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  Speaker 1: dollars worth of batteries, lawnmowers, forkliffs, cash and inventory are
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  Speaker 1: all gone. One thing I thought about is the two
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  Speaker 1: point three million dollars worth of batteries that were missing.
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  Speaker 1: We Tech said. Offices were destroyed too, but hours before
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  Speaker 1: the fire hit, the company's IT team had backed up
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  Speaker 1: the tire system. Customer records, account information and business data
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  Speaker 1: were all preserved. Luckily, our IT people had just backed
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  Speaker 1: up the system hours before the fire. Witech said, so
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  Speaker 1: everything as far as our records and customers and everything
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  Speaker 1: are replaced now. Batteries and things is now preparing to
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  Speaker 1: open a smaller temporary retail store between the former location
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  Speaker 1: and the Paramount Club located at twenty four to eleven
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  Speaker 1: Saint Vincent Avenue. We Tech said the temporary store will
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  Speaker 1: carry less inventory, but will offer almost all the same services,
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  Speaker 1: including watch repair, kids toys ups, backup systems, and wheelchair
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  Speaker 1: battery repairs. We will have just about all the services
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  Speaker 1: we provided, Wittech said all that stuff will be operable
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  Speaker 1: in a short period of time. He hopes to welcome
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  Speaker 1: customers back within the next month. Products are arriving from
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  Speaker 1: multiple suppliers, and the company website at Batteriesanthings dot com
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  Speaker 1: will update inventory as items become available. Customers can also
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  Speaker 1: call to ask about Space Pacific products and delivery schedules.
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  Speaker 1: The store is only part of the business. Batteries and
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  Speaker 1: Things also ships batteries and products to companies across the
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  Speaker 1: United States and exports internationally. We Tech said large customers
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  Speaker 1: are continuing to do business with them, and the company's
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  Speaker 1: two warehouse locations are receiving shipments as inventory rebuilds. Debris
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  Speaker 1: from the fire has not yet been removed from the
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  Speaker 1: original location. We Tech said they are waiting on clearance
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  Speaker 1: from the Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies before cleanup
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  Speaker 1: can begin. He said he hopes to avoid what happened
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  Speaker 1: with another business where rubble sat for months. I remember
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  Speaker 1: that Kentucky Fried Chicken being a pile of rubble for
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  Speaker 1: two or three months, way Tech said, and we hope
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  Speaker 1: to have everything out of there quickly. He said. The
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  Speaker 1: community response has been overwhelmingly positive. He praised the fire
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  Speaker 1: department and police for their work during the fire and
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  Speaker 1: expressed concern for neighbors in the area where he has
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  Speaker 1: lived his entire life. We appreciate the support from the
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  Speaker 1: community and the good response we have from customers, Witex said.
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  Speaker 1: We think we'll be able to be a running place
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  Speaker 1: that will serve the community as it did before.