Presidents’ Day was hardly a cause for celebration for catalog fulfillment services provider ClientLogic thanks to the heavy snowfall along the eastern coast this past weekend. On Feb. 17 at 6:30 a.m., the roof of the company’s Dover, DE, warehouse collapsed under the weight of more than 2 feet of snow, causing extensive damage.
The affected 400’ x 200’ area left a broken gas and water main and rendered the building structurally unsound, says marketing and communications director Brian Burkhardt. “We have a recovery team working around the clock in a difficult situation,” he says. The problem could get worse before it gets better: Dover officials have deemed the warehouse unsafe and may not let recovery teams in until Feb. 24 for damage assessment.
In the meantime, some of the company’s clients, such as North Adams, MA-based global gifts cataloger Eziba, can’t fulfill orders. Eziba is trying to explain the situation to customers and redirect some to its retail locations where some of the items may still be available, says president Bill Miller. Going forward, the fulfillment woes may affect the next catalog drop slated in two weeks.
The company may forge ahead with a temporary catalog filled with the items that it can quickly and easily source and stock, Miller says, but all plans hinge on damage assessment and determining if any products can be salvaged. Given the enormity of the damage, Miller says, ClientLogic has been “fabulous” in keeping its customers informed.