Dealership reopens after tornado damage

Jim Robertson's Toyota and General Motors Dealership recently reopened for business following seven months of reconstruction after a tornado ransacked the north side of Kirksville in May.

The seven months of downtime consisted of cleanup work, insurance company assessments of the damage and contracted construction of the destroyed parts of the dealership.

Randy Henness, new car general sales manager, worked along with many of the employees at Jim Robertson's to clean up the debris and mess left by the tornado. It was an emotional time for many who came to work every day, not knowing what their job would be. Henness said the summer was difficult to bear at times.

"When [the dealership] got tore down, I got tore down," Henness said. "It was tough."

The group of employees stuck together through the summer, continuing to clean up. But Henness said that much of the work was out of the employees' hands after the cleanup was complete.

A total of 146 new and used vehicles were deemed complete losses and moved off the lot during cleanup. Other damaged vehicles were repaired. Henness said Toyota delivered 50 brand new vehicles to the dealership within the first 30 days, and GM soon followed suit.

The community also provided support during this difficult time. The Red Cross, as well as many churches in Kirksville, brought food and water and were willing to help in any way they could.

Henness, who has worked at Jim Robertson's for 34 years, said emotions ran high among everyone, especially himself.

"Everybody pulled together and did an excellent job," Henness said. "It was tough coming to work every day and looking at the mess we had, and trying to figure out, 'What are you going to do today?' It's an experience I don't want to go through again."

After the cleanup was finished, some employees were laid off because there was not a place to work. However, Henness said that everyone was guaranteed a job once the dealership was back in shape.

Service Manager Charles Wheeler said it was a great feat to bring the business back into operation after only seven months since the storm.

"It took a lot of people and a lot of coordination to bring it back to what it was," Wheeler said.

During the reconstruction phase, Jim Robertson's continued to sell cars and perform small maintenance jobs in their shop. Like Henness, Wheeler said coming to work some days took a toll on emotions.

"There was a point in time when the building was tore up, that you walked in here on a rainy day and there was no roof above your head," Wheeler said. "It got pretty tough."

Jim Robertson's is close to being back to normal. Henness said there are still small things to be taken care of, but the building and the business are in good shape to begin moving forward again.