MADISON, WI -- Schools are an important part of a community’s spirit, and when destroyed by forces of nature it takes an army to restore a sense of normalcy. From refurnishing a water-damaged school in Wisconsin, to providing furniture and learning supplies to a flooded school in Tennessee, DEMCO helps rebuild learning institutions after natural disasters and restore pride in the community.

Following a devastating summer flood that demolished Kingston Springs Elementary School in Tennessee, DEMCO provided services and solutions to replace what was lost as part of an overhaul orchestrated by NBC’s TV show School Pride, a proactive alternative series from Denise Cramsey Productions and Horizon Alternative Television.

When flood waters receded, DEMCO worked around the clock with school staff to determine their needs, ultimately laying out a new library, replacing furniture in classrooms and specialty rooms, and many materials critical to lesson plans. The rebuilding of the school was featured on the Oct. 29 episode of School Pride.
“Helping a school get back to normal following a natural disaster is a very unique endeavor – the need is great, the timeline is tight, and the community is reeling from a tremendous loss,” says David Kinley, regional project manager at DEMCO. “We use a combination of dedicated teamwork, constant communication and steadfast vendor relationships to get the job done on time, and provide a helping hand to schools when they need it most.”

DEMCO’s rich 100-year history and commitment to providing complete, long-term solutions enables the company to anticipate school’s needs immediately and into the future – whether a planned new build or retrofit project, or in an unexpected disaster situation, such as a flood.

Shortly after the Kingston Springs Elementary School restoration, DEMCO was called to help a school in its own backyard – Riverside University High School in Milwaukee had lost 11 classrooms to flood waters. In less than four weeks, DEMCO helped assess what was lost, recommended solutions to restore the learning environments, and put the school back together – from supplying furniture and materials in specialty classrooms, to replacing seating and cabinetry in the band room.

“Restoring normalcy for teachers, students and staff is not only about going through the process of rebuilding the school, it’s also about being a resource that they can lean on during a difficult time,” says Michelle Grindle, territory manager at DEMCO. “We get to know the people and their situation on a very personal level in order to get the school up and running again as quickly as possible.”

In both Wisconsin and Tennessee, DEMCO not only replaced the fixtures, furnishings and materials that had been destroyed, they helped restore a sense of school pride that had faded.

About DEMCO

With a history of serving schools, libraries and educators for over 100 years, DEMCO is the leader in creating spaces and providing solutions that help our customers better serve their communities. An extensive offering of products and full complement of value added services allow for turnkey solutions that meet needs ranging from daily supplies to equipment implementation to more comprehensive space development.

SOURCE: DEMCO Inc.