MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Many areas of southwest Florida are still recovering from Hurricane Ian. Some employees overcame their own personal obstacles to help open a new home improvement store in Manatee County where people can continue preparing and repairing from storms.
Brittany Wagner puts in a lot of steps on the job. She’s the store manager at Lowe’s in Parrish. But behind the scenes, it took many steps just to get to this day.
“In 12 hours, everything changed,” said Wagner.
Three months ago, Hurricane Ian hit Florida. Wagner lives in Cape Coral and was at home with her family at the time.
“I have a concrete shingle roof, and I mean, it’s gone. It’s there, but it’s damaged and has to be replaced,” said Wagner. “Had water damage inside, so all the drywall has to be removed and replaced.”
Tom Barringer, a District Manager for Lowe’s, explained how they were able to lend a helping hand.
“We started doing things at the stores to make that environment at the store location very comfortable. We knew the home environment may not be, so we brought in food and snacks,” said Barringer. “We put fuel containers. That way, associates when the power was out at the gas station, they could get gas at the store. We brought in showers and laundry facilities. All those things made the store a refuge from the things they were dealing with at home.”
Through it all, employees like Wagner pressed on to help open the new Lowe’s in Parrish. The store broke ground in April. It all culminated on Friday morning with a grand opening for the new store off of US 301 North.
The company said it was a testament to the dedication and resolve of Lowe's associates, many of whom were impacted by Hurricane Ian.
“We look out for one another. That’s what it’s all about,” said Barringer. “Lowe’s is a family. We like to serve ourselves and the community.”
While the recovery process isn’t over for many Floridians, these workers are standing by every step of the way.
“It was a challenging time,” said Wagner. “I think that opening up a store during a major hurricane was probably a once in a lifetime experience that I don’t probably want to go through again, but it made the team that works with me very strong.”
