RGI

Rogers Group's Cookeville employees pitch in for tornado relief

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On March 3, a tornado with wind speeds of 166 to 200 mph hit Putnam County, Tennessee, destroying a significant portion of western Putnam County, a highly populated residential area where several subdivisions are located.

According to Rogers Group Inc. (RGI), the storm system included 10 tornadoes in middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky, which claimed 25 lives, 18 of which were in Putnam County. Several more were critically injured and are still hospitalized.

Starting the next morning, RGI employees in the Cookeville area responded to the call from officials from Putnam County and city of Cookeville for assistance with search and rescue and debris removal to aid in the rescue of the residents of this area.

RGI says its employees all worked extremely hard over many hours to assist as many as possible. They continued their efforts throughout the week with debris removal, road clearing, cooking meals, and providing needed supplies to get the area restored.

The team partnered with a local church, Central City Church, and were able to provide more than 1,200 hot meals during the week to all affected.

RGI says it will continue with assistance in recovery relief as it will be a long road back to recovery for Putnam County. Well done Rogers Group!

Partnering with a local church, RGI employees were able to feed 1,200 people a hot meal.

RGI team helps raise funds for Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana

Posted on by in Community Relations and tagged , , , , , , , , .

Community relations is all about relationships, and those relationships – with both customers and community organizations – drive some of the initiatives that Rogers Group Inc. (RGI) supports in the Louisville area. For example, the group’s Central Kentucky team recently worked with one of its customers, Irving Materials, Inc. (IMI), to help fund the Kids and Clays event, which benefitted the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kentuckiana.

“Steven Brandenburg, sales manager at IMI, reached out to me and asked if we would participate,” says Scott Harrison, Rogers Group’s sales manager for central Ohio and Kentucky. “And, of course, we did.” Rogers Group donated to the event and sent a team to tour the local Ronald McDonald House.

“I’m doing everything I can – and we’re doing everything we can as a team – to give back to the communities that we operate in,” he says. “We sell rock, and for a lot of people, it’s hard to understand what it is we sell and why that product is needed. That’s why we do our best to educate the community about us, what we stand for, and how important our product is. In the construction of anything they see, roads, bridges, and buildings, our product is in all of that.”

The event was a tremendous success. It raised more than $83,000 – nearly double the prior year’s event. “You helped make this an incredible event… We are truly amazed at the kindness and generosity you have given us,” wrote Hal Hedley, CEO of Ronald McDonald House Charities Kentuckiana, in thank you note sent after the event. “Your sponsorship means families will have a soft landing place when life interrupts their plans. When their children require critical medical treatment that isn’t in their hometown, we can embrace families and give them the support they need during a challenging times in their lives. Your meaningful donation helps underwrite our vision that no family should have to sleep in their car nor in a waiting room while their child receives the healthcare they need.”

Harrison says that his group participates in numerous community-minded events throughout the year, including local ministries, school programs, field trips, and more. “But there are a few that just stand out,” he explains. “This was one of them because any time you’re giving back and it impacts kids and families directly, it really reaches out and grabs you.”

For more information about the organizations Rogers Group Inc. supports, check out my February Good Neighbors column in Rock Products.