Ed Cruey’s daughters may have saved his life.On the night an EF-3 tornado touched down in Ringle, Wisc., damaging at least 75 homes, Ed, an application engineer in CF, was home and on the phone with his two girls, who pleaded with their dad to grab a stuffed animal version of their former dog Diesel and head to the basement. Soon after, the storm intensified.
“I could hear broken glass and furniture scraping across the floor, and then water started dripping down on me under the steps,” he said. When a neighbor came calling his name, Ed wondered why it sounded like he was in his house. When he finally went upstairs, he understood: everything was destroyed. His car was buried in the garage, the roof was gone, and everything that belonged to him was scattered.
Not far away, Randy Glapinski, a CF/FETI assembler, was trying to ride out the same storm. Randy saw the rotation in the clouds and grabbed his dog and wife to get under the stairs. He pulled a mattress over them as the winds picked up, listening helplessly as sounds of banging, smashing and breaking came from above them. When it was over, the house still had a roof, but there was major damage. His side garage was gone, its roof had landed on top of the house, and his fence and backyard shed were gone. Half of the house will likely need to be gutted for roof work.
Dealing with an intense storm is far from the only thing Ed and Randy have in common. They both experienced an outpouring of support from so many Greenheck Group coworkers. Clayton Phillips, Ed’s coworker, was one of the people who stepped up in a big way. When his team couldn’t reach Ed in a group chat, Clayton jumped in his truck and headed to Ringle. He fought heavy
rain and a police barricade to get into Ringle. There, he found Ed, got him some dry clothes, and took him to a hotel for the night. He even walked Ed to his room.
“At the time, I really needed that,” Ed said. Within a week, about 20 team members showed up at Ed’s house to help clean up and take away debris, and many more had donated to a personal fundraiser. “There are a lot of neighbors that aren’t anywhere near to the point that I am, and I know that’s because of all the help that has been coming my way,” he said.
Randy received big support as well. Team members and leaders were checking in on him almost immediately, and many showed up to help clean up without being asked. “I did not feel like clock number. I felt like Randy Glapinski amongst a bunch of friends,” he said. His fellow team members also organized a fundraiser and continually asked what was needed.
In one of the toughest moments of their lives, both Ed and Randy, and the others impacted by the storm, saw that the values we have at Greenheck Group are more than just words. When it mattered most, our team members lived those values, putting others before themselves, and showing up to help each other out. Both have a long road ahead but with the knowledge that Team Greenheck Group has their back.
