In August 2016, a "1,000-year" rain event dumped up to 36 inches of rain in 48 hours, causing catastrophic flooding in south Louisiana, including the town of Denham Springs. Nearly the entire town suffered severe damage, forcing thousands to evacuate as homes and businesses were submerged.

One of those businesses was Gator Millworks.

Many of the homes were their employees' and their families.

A recently released video by Gator Millworks looks at that horrific flood and how they rebuilt not just their business but also helped to rebuild the community.

"It was the [most] awful thing I'd ever seen," said Randy 'Big Dawg' Foster, founder of Gator Millworks. "Even though it wasn't mine anymore, it was my baby. And the first thing I thought of was my son."

"My father called me that morning around 7:00," said Chad Foster, CEO and president. "He said, 'Son, you're not going to believe this, but there's 3 feet of water in the building.'  I said, "That's not possible." 

Chad Foster attempted to get to the facility that day, knowing there was nothing to be done until the waters receded, but he was driven by instinct to attempt it. Later, when he was able to get there, he was struck. "I remember getting out of the truck, pulling in the driveway on that Monday and not hearing a sound, silence. And it was strange how everything had vanished."

When the flood was at its peak, both the main 25,000-square-foot plant and a second 8,000-square foot plant located four miles away were under feet of floodwater. In the three days before water levels began to recede, the flood killed 13 people and damaged more than 100,000 houses and thousands of businesses. The flood is second only to Katrina as the worst disaster the state has experienced.

Faced with the devastation, decisions had to be made. The company reached out to customers and suppliers.

Tom Choppin, chief growth officer, said "I can't say I had any idea where to start, but I did tell Chad standing over the rubble that I still take us. I still believe in the people here."

"It's hard to put it in perspective," said Brandon Altazan, sales consultant, Avantek Machinery, "but you have not only them as a business, but all the other people that made up Gator Millworks that were affected by the flood, you know, homes. It was much bigger than just replacing equipment."

And that began the transition from one thing to something even more. It went from just rebuilding the shop to also helping rebuild the community, said Foster, a 2018 40 Under 40 honoree. "So, every day from that day forward, we took half our staff every day and helped them rebuild their house, their family's home while also doing ours."

The work continued nonstop, said Choppin. "As much as you could do each day until that day ended, and then you do it again ... seven days a week." 

At the factory, workers were supplemented by volunteers from machinery supplier Stiles Machinery. Within 13 days, with very limited tooling, Gator was back to building some residential cabinets. Just five weeks following the flood, the plant was, for the most part, up and running again. 

In 2018, Gator Millworks announced it broke ground on a new building that contained offices, collaborative spaces, educational classroom and production areas capable of housing new production equipment, which eventually would include Homag 5-axis CNC equipment, thermoforming, press and stitch veneering and more under one roof. 

While the community might never be the same as it once was, it did test the mettle of the company, the workers, and the leadership. "I do think that disastrous moments, challenging moments, can define who we are as people and as a company," said Foster. "If we can come together, and help each other like we did to get back to what we had, or even make it better, that can really define who we are, and I think that that's what I'm most proud of."