Engineering & Operations Spotlight on Puerto Rico This summer, Puerto Rico was devastated twice by record-strength hurricanes that left the island without power and water. Nearly two months later, a large portion of the population was still without these basic needs. Eemax has a small sales/warehouse/distribution operation located in Guaynabo, PR. All of Eemax and Rheem watched the storms’ progress and worried about the team. Fortunately all employees and their families survived and were okay despite the havoc wrecked on the island. The Eemax facility structurally withstood the storms, but lost power and water. The local Eemax team showed great resourcefulness in getting the facility back to a position that enabled it to fulfill orders. Initially, the team was able to process pending orders manually (without power) and with the help from their colleagues in Miami. Soon afterwards they were able to secure an inverter to power up a desktop through a car outlet. They then used a cell phone to create a Wi-Fi Hot Spot for access to the operating system. Once this connectivity was in place, they were able to see and process orders. It is important to note that the team accomplished this while Puerto Rico was still in major disaster relief mode with everyday needs being difficult to manage. Eemax is proud of the effort and dedication shown by this team. They are an example to everyone in that when a job seems too difficult, anything can be accomplished with teamwork and a little ‘thinking outside of the box.’ Editor’s note: At the time of publication, the EcoSmart™ facility is operating using a generator secured by Eemax. There is currently no timeframe commitment in which full power will be restored to the location.