When Hurricane Katrina slammed the Gulf Coast in late August 2005, it decimated everything in its path.  In Kiln, Mississippi, Jeff Zimmerman lost his Coastal Hardware store when it hit.

“I own a store here, and when Katrina hit we lost the roof and everything else,” recalls Zimmerman.  “It was a God awful mess. We lost the building and were working in a makeshift tent.”

Zimmerman found out about Allied Steel through Orgill and bought a new building from them right away.

“We called Allied Steel three weeks after what happened, and it was delivered in November,” says Zimmerman.  “It wasn’t easy because we needed a building right there and then, but everything got completely done around the holidays.”

Zimmerman said Scott Oefelein from Building Services was able to get him a 40 X 80 X 16 that would able to withstand a wind load of 125 mph. Scott was great in helping out and making sure everything went smoothly, and Jeff got what he needed from Allied.
 
“Scott helped me out throughout the whole process, from purchasing to making sure we knew when certain items would be.” 

“Talking to Scott was excellent.  I know we were rushing but he was a great help.  They’ve all been great helping us out with everything that has happened here.”

With the building now up in running, Zimmerman said Allied Steel did a really good job in getting a building for the hardware store after Hurricane Katrina.

“We have the air conditioning and the electric done now.  I’ve had a bunch of people asking about our building since it’s been up.”