UPDATED Saturday, Sept 28 7:30 a.m. (eastern)

ASI Media will provide updates on how industry firms are doing as reports become available. Email cruvo@asicentral.com with information on how your company is contending with the storm.

Hurricane Helene tore into Florida and southeastern U.S. states late this week, and promotional products firms there took action in the face of the major storm.

Counselor Top 40 supplier Koozie Group (asi/40480), for instance, announced that it was closing its Clearwater, FL, facilities on the evening of Wednesday, Sept. 25. The initial aim was to reopen the evening of Thursday, Sept. 26, but the firm pushed that out to the morning of Friday, Sept. 27. Operations were resuming.

"The safety of our employees was our primary concern throughout the storm, and as of Friday morning, from the people we’ve contacted, everyone is safe," said Chief Operating Officer Matt Cook. "We are operational in one of our buildings as of this morning and producing as normal. We are working on bringing our other building back up today after the storm surge. We will run extra shifts over the weekend to minimize, as best we can, any further disruption."  

Koozie Group noted that shipping carriers suspended service temporarily and that mandatory evacuation notices were issued by county officials.

“Our support teams, including customer service, continue to operate remotely during this time and are available to help with your questions,” the company said in a Wednesday statement. “Our Minnesota and Missouri facilities remain open and are operating as usual; items produced there, including calendars, Sticky Note products, chairs, blankets and bags, are not impacted.”

Elaborating, Koozie Group said that it has suspended 24-hour service for certain products, including pens and most drinkware, that are produced and/or decorated in Clearwater.

The goal is to resume 24-hour service for such goods on Monday, Sept. 30. The firm said it will inform distributors about any orders that may be impacted. Customers can find the most up-to-date order information by logging in to their kooziegroup.com account or via the Koozie Group Tracker.

It cannot be understated the threat #helene poses across the southeastern United States just based on current intensity projections. There doesn’t appear to be any wiggle room on the downside either. This will be a historic storm for many including southern Appalachia with… pic.twitter.com/PtUzvVjvH5

— Jim Cantore (@JimCantore) September 25, 2024

“We’ll continue to keep customers updated as the situation unfolds, and we appreciate their understanding as we work to keep our employees safe,” Koozie Group said in a statement.

Meanwhile, Largo, FL-based Counselor Top 40 supplier Hit Promotional Products (asi/61125) said it prepared for the storm for several days, including physically prepping facilities as much as possible and working ahead “as much as we can to minimize/avoid delays that may be felt by our customers due to any closures,” Chief Operating Officer Doug Donnell told ASI Media.  

The company had initially intended to operate as normal on Thursday but subsequently shut down after its first shift. Hit reported that it was operational again as of Friday, Sept. 27. Inbound/outbound shipments were suspended as of Friday morning though.

"Our thoughts are with those who have experienced the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene," the company said.

As the sun comes up, we are getting a first look at the damage in Cedar Key following Hurricane Helene’s landfall. @MikeBettes is live with more: https://t.co/EAfvm950sr pic.twitter.com/bIKbitTIKi

— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) September 27, 2024

Other suppliers along the Gulf Coast were also dealing with interruptions, but they remained optimistic that the disruption would be short lived.

Ryan Tickle, vice president of sales for Cannabis Promotions (asi/42996), said that the company closed its St. Petersburg facility on Thursday out of an abundance of caution. 

“Employee safety is our number one priority,” Tickle told ASI Media. “We don’t want staff driving in high winds or through flooded streets. We had to take some extra measures around our facility, but luckily it’s a fortress and in one of the highest parts of the city.”

Tickle added that the company’s normal operating procedure anticipates sporadic interruptions. He’s hopeful that customers won’t notice any prolonged delays. 

“We will be able to catch up in the coming days,” he said. “Luckily we under-promise and over-deliver, so we typically ship a few days before our lead times.”

Hurricane Helene roared ashore in Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday as a Category 4 storm. The punishing winds reached 140 mph and the ocean fumed, with catastrophic storm surge reported.

By Friday morning, Helene had weakened into a still-significant tropical storm. More than 3 million customers were without power across Florida, Georgia, Ohio and the Carolinas the morning of Sept. 28. As of this writing, there had been nearly 50 fatalities reported due to the storm.