Chicagoland business aids in Harvey relief efforts
Employees help load the trailer full of donated supplies.
September 18, 2017
A few weeks ago, NBC 5 interviewed locals about donating food, clothing, and other necessities to those affected by hurricane Harvey. One of those locals was a woman by the name of Jorja Coulter, an employee at Broadview based National Van Lines. She discussed that they would help drive the supplies down to the most heavily affected areas of Texas.
I recently had the opportunity to email Coulter, and here is what she had to say:
Greg Kozlick: What is your job title?
Jorja Coulter: I am the Vice President of Customer Experience and Quality for National Van Lines.
GK: Can you describe the project for us?
JC: We worked with the Broadview Fire Department to collect and transport supplies to first responders in the Houston area.
GK: How did you become involved with this project?
JC: Our Make A Difference Committee wanted to do something for Hurricane Harvey victims, and one of my team members, Lisa Varzino, had a connection to a first responder in Houston. {That first responder} had posted on Facebook that they had been trapped on the second floor on an abandoned medical facility and were running out of drinking water and food. Lisa contacted the Broadview fire chief, Tracy Kinney, and offered our services. She and Deidra Poltersdorf, our marketing manager, got our corporate team involved in donating and collecting, posting additional messages on social media, and worked with our new products division to provide transport.
GK: How much did you collect and where will it be delivered?
JC: We collected half of a trailer load of water and snack/power bars, but more importantly provided the transportation for three fifty-three foot semi trucks full to different collection centers in the hurricane impacted areas of Southern Texas. Trips went to collection centers in Rockport, Texas (not all trucks went to the same place).
GK: Will we get updates on the shipment?
JC: One load has already been delivered, and the other two should deliver on Wednesday. One truck unloaded in twenty minutes and its supplies were depleted in ten!
GK: Is there anything else about the project, the work put into it, or about your personal involvement you’d like to add?
JC: We at National {Van Lines} are so proud of the generosity of our corporate family, agents, and drivers. Our thanks to Shur-Way in Libertyville, American Way in Dayton, and Four Generations in Batavia for volunteering to haul these supplies to Texas.”
My personal thanks go out to Jorja Coulter, as well as Lisa Varzino for answering my questions about this project.
