Living and working in the “It City”… Competing for labor in the second fastest growing job market in the US… Handling our own 100% growth last year… Tolerating another election cycle, with no right answer… An impending virus outbreak that could make working in an office together impossible.

It has already been a year of exciting “challenges.”

But GoEpps never expected an EF3 tornado to hit our home base on Main Street. Fortunately, all staff members are safe and getting power back at their homes day by day. Thank God everyone is safe. The office will be able to reopen after a time – our building was heavily damaged, but the damage to our office suite is minimal.

Psychologically, I would say we are traumatized. We can no longer go to places where we’ve come together with friends, and with our families, for so many years.

Numerous clients, colleagues, and friends have major to total damage. Everything in the swath of the storms is a debris field, right through Germantown, North Nashville, and East Nashville.

These are places we love.

We started seeing pics of damage immediately after the storm. First in the dark, then in the light. Rubble. Insulation. Sheet metal in trees and wrapped around power lines. Watching the news and social media has been watching a stream of destruction.

But I’ve noticed something today.

The pics of damage are being replaced. Now it is a stream of faces, hands, smiles, and people working. It’s all gloves, hardhats, and water bottles. It’s NES trucks, police, sheriff’s department officers, and church leaders.

Thousands of people are working to put lives back together in Tennessee. Tens of thousands are working in the city and are headed this way right now.

I saw a post just now on Facebook that said “Need chainsaws on Brittany.” In reply, “14 men headed your way with chainsaws.”

That’s my Nashville. That’s my Tennessee. That’s why I love my home.

So what do you do when a tornado hits your digital marketing agency?

1. Close for the day.
2. Take care of your team.
3. Take care of your clients.
4. Take care of yourself.
5. Volunteer.

Trust the process. Be there for others. Expect them to be there for you.

Thanks,

Michael, President of GoEpps, on Main Street in Nashville, Tennessee

HOW TO VOLUNTEER THIS WEEK

If you are interested in volunteering, we can recommend the following organizations as safe volunteer opportunities that are doing up-to-the-minute Nashville tornado relief work, on the ground, in the areas hit the hardest.

• Hands On Nashville
• Project Connect Nashville

If you have specific questions about how to help tornado victims, we encourage you to reach out to one of these organizations directly. Thank you again for standing strong with Nashville.