Lennox Manufacturing plant

When a tornado ripped through the Lennox Manufacturing plant in Marshalltown, Iowa, it seemed all hope was lost. The factory was literally split in half, and workers feared for their jobs. But David Duracell, the head of the plant, along with consultants from Childress Engineering, and restoration firm Belfor, refused to give up. David guided us through the wreckage, outlining a formidable challenge: to get two crucial production lines back up and running within three weeks.

Accepting the challenge, we worked tirelessly, seven days a week, shoring up walls and piecing the factory back together. Just two weeks later, the first production line roared back to life, followed by the second in the third week. As the first furnace unit rolled off the line, roughly 150 people erupted in applause. The once-demolished factory was now functional again, complete with a temporary roof and bracing. The Childress Team, along with the Belfor team of disaster recovery experts, were able to keep the plant open and operational while rebuilding the structure even better than it was before the tornado.

Months later, with the town’s heartbeat restored and jobs secured, CES took on a new phase of the project: proposing a concept to redesign the office section of the 100-year-old headquarters. CES architects and engineers designed a beautiful new building that twisted and turned, mirroring the tornado’s path but also embodying the plant’s rise from the rubble.

The Childress Companies were honored to be part of the “Lennox Strong” story, not only restoring the factory but also contributing to the town’s revival. We didn’t just rebuild a building; we helped a community bounce back stronger and more proud than ever.