ClimateMaster Provides Home After Hurricane Katrina

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In the wake of one of the worst catastrophes in US history, ClimateMaster employees reached out to provide relief to Hurricane Katrina evacuees.

And for one evacuee, ClimateMaster provided a fresh start.

Carlos Ginn evacuated from Slidell, La., with his wife and grandchild the day before Katrina hit. The plan was to stay with relatives in Oklahoma a few days and return home.

After taking on four and-a-half feet of water, Ginn’s home wasn't a candidate for mold remediation.

"The only thing I could save were some pictures on the wall," Ginn said. "Everything else is gone."

Meanwhile, ClimateMaster President Dan Ellis watched the devastation from afar and knew he needed to help.

Chris Chavez, human resources director, then set out to hire any qualified New Orleans evacuee who wanted work.

"We wanted to take a negative event and make something positive of it," Chavez said about the hiring program, which was named "Fresh Start."

One employee drove to New Orleans and brought back 10 evacuees who slept for a while on the floor of his house.

Other employees took up a collection and delivered gift cards and groceries to evacuees. Corporately, ClimateMaster employees met to see if anyone they knew needed help.

The company also tapped its relief fund to provide jobs, housing and transportation.

To accelerate relief-giving efforts, Chavez tracked down and interviewed two evacuees at a restaurant on his way home from work. They were essentially hired on the spot.

Ginn was hired as his family waited in their van in the ClimateMaster parking lot.

Along with Ginn, four additional Katrina evacuees were employed at the ClimateMaster plant. Ginn performs a variety of duties on one of ClimateMaster’s assembly lines.

Though disaster took Ginn’s home, ClimateMaster provided an opportunity for Ginn to start again.

"I've got a lot to learn about Oklahoma, but the one thing I know that makes me happy is to see my wife smile," he said. "She's happy again."