Zee Loeffler, clients help NC mountain communities affected by Helene
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — In the weeks after Hurricane Helene hit Florida then carved a 500-mile path of destruction across the Southeast United States, Zee Loeffler – a division of Zee Company – sent more than $38,700 worth of sanitation chemicals, personal protective equipment (PPE) for debris cleanup and several 275-gallon totes to store and dispense water in the affected mountain communities of western North Carolina.
Zee Company – member of the Vincit Group – creates, blends, and distributes more than 340 sanitation and water quality products specific to breweries. Several of Zee Loeffler’s clients were affected by the storms and flooding in the Asheville area.
“The folks in these areas are not just customers,” Zee Loeffler Area Sales Manager Paul Dragicevich said. “These are our friends, people we care about, and they had their lives changed in an instant. With the help of our team at Vincit, we were able to provide vital resources for the people of Asheville and the surrounding areas. This is not going to be a quick recovery for this community, and we are dedicated in supporting them every step of the way.”
Dragicevich has been on the ground helping in the recovery process and coordinating with other Vincit Group associates to get donations into the area. Donations have reached North Carolina clients including Wicked Weed Brewing in Candler, Highland Brewing in Asheville, and FedUp Foods in Marshall. The following transportation companies generously donated trucks and covered the freight at no cost: RXO Capacity Solutions of Gainesville, Ga., Uber Freight of Chicago, Ill., and Steam Logistics of Chattanooga, Tenn.
Zee Loeffler Corporate Accounts Manager Chance Hellman said as soon as Helene passed over Asheville, he started calling his friends and clients to check on them. That’s when he learned access to water was the most immediate concern.
“We worked with Highland Brewing Company and Wicked Weed Brewing to deliver new IBC totes and hand sanitizer that they could help distribute into the community in Asheville,” Hellmann said. “We also sent hand sanitizer and IBC totes to FedUp Foods for distribution in downtown Marshall and the surrounding communities. After these initial donations, we heard that PPE was also needed as folks began to clean up the destruction. We sent sets of PPE to Highland and Wicked Weed, along with more hand sanitizer and IBC totes.”
The mountain beer brewing community is like a close-knit family helping one another to succeed. Zee Loeffler’s clients stepped up to help not just one another but the people who live in the mountains whose lives are changed forever. They personify the Vincit mission: “To reach our full potential by helping others reach theirs; to renew—and raise the bar.”
Helene has claimed the lives of more than 220 people which is the deadliest storm to strike the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.