Dave Harvey, owner of Xcav8 LLC in Rochester, VT, has been in the snow & ice management business for a short three years. Struggling to build his business, Harvey was dealt a heavy blow when Hurricane Irene hit last August, devastating much of the White River Valley/Route 100 corridor.
Harvey's wife, Pat, said her husband was out with his excavator working to save residents' homes and bolster roads in a nearby community when his own four-bay equipment garage—and everything in it—was washed away by the raging water of the Tweed River.
"The yard was completely cleared of the garage, pickups and implements that were necessary for our business," Pat says.
Harvey had flood insurance on the office building and "contents," which only included the interior of the building. No FEMA money was available, and given the newness of the company, its credit score wasn't high enough to qualify for a Small Business Administration (SBA) loan, she says.
In a "desperate moment," Pat contacted Fisher Engineering to share their story, since among the items that had floated away was a new, unused Polycaster spreader.
John Murphy, Fisher's vice president of sales, took notice and arranged for a replacement, at no charge to the Harveys.
"I was impressed that in this day and age she actually took time to hand write a two-page letter. She sent pictures and the devastation was unbelievable," he says. "We were very happy to help out a fellow New Englander."
While there hasn't been much opportunity to use the spreader this year, given the light winter, Harvey said shortly after the new spreader arrived the state contracted Xcav8 to maintain a 10-mile work zone on Route 107. With that project now complete, Harvey said they are back in "private practice."
"We cannot thank Fisher enough for their caring and generosity," Pat says. "The donation provided us faith and support that uplifted our spirits. We couldn't be more grateful."
Cheryl Higley is editorial director of Snow Business magazine.
