There is one Windsor company that sees, first hand, the acts of mother nature or other types of disasters on a daily basis.

This company also helps with the cleanup and aftermath of destruction and devastation.

On May 22, employees with the STOP (Service Team of Professionals) Restoration found themselves cleaning their own property and dealing with what they normally help their customers with.

“I sat down (May 24) and cried because it all hit,” STOP owner Craig McCarty said. “I’m used to seeing a house broken, but to see house after house after house, it took me a day to get my head on straight.”

The company’s building at 9277 Eastman Park Drive was leveled by the mile-wide tornado.

The tornado caused over $120,000 damage just to the company cars while estimates are still being calculated for the building and its contents. Three air movers, used to dry houses, were wrapped in bubble wrap on one of his shelves. The tornado left the bubble wrap in tact but McCarty can’t find the machines.
The first steps, after making sure nobody was injured was to secure the building, collect what was needed (generators and rental trucks) to run the business and continue to serve Windsor and other areas of northern Colorado like they have been for the past four years.

“My first thought was that they were over reacting (about the tornado),” said McCarty, who was at the dentist office when the tornado hit.

McCarty heard the windows break over the phone as the tornado passed over his employees, who took cover in the old Carousel Restaurant, just north of Eastman Park Drive off Colo. 257.

“My next thought was ‘Oh we are going to be busy,’” McCarty said.
McCarty moved his operations into his garage, and by noon May 23, business was back up and running. The STOP crews, who worked 21 days straight, made sure to focus on Windsor and the jobs they were working on before the twister hit.

“We were already swamped prior to the tornado and the customers have all been understanding because we had to set them all back two or three weeks,” McCarty said. “From there it just has been insane.”

STOP Restoration focuses on fire, water and smoke damage. They service broken pipes, mold and help with damaged content around homes and businesses.

“It takes months for people to get back on their feet,” McCarty said. “I wish I had magic fairy dust, wave it and fix everybody’s home and put their lives back together.”

The shop was then relocated several days later to 1111 Diamond Valley Drive.

“It was overwhelming,” McCarty added. “We couldn’t have done this without our crews.”

The toughest part for the STOP company through the tornado was seeing the contractors come from Denver and illegally solicit their business, McCarty said, adding he believes it’s important for the community to use local contractors from Weld and/or Larimer counties.

“We do, all my subs (contractors) are local,” he said.

Even though there is just a concrete slab now, McCarty said plans have already been drawn up to build a new and improved building at the same location.

“We want to move in as soon as possible,” McCarty said. “ I want to go home.”

Breakout: Tips to Finding Contractors
— Check references
— Be weary of people knocking at your door
— Trust your insurance carriers
— Don’t try do things yourself

Source: STOP Restoration, (970) 686-9707