As demolition is expected to begin within a few weeks on the 1-acre section of roof that collapsed in February at Aquascape in St. Charles, the company’s managers say that camaraderie among employees and community support turned misfortune into unexpected blessings.

The international headquarters for Aquascape, the largest manufacturer and distributor of pond supplies in North America, sustained major damage to its parking garage when a portion of its 5-acre “green” roof—designed as an Illinois prairie complete with soil and native plants—caved in on Sunday, Feb. 13 in the wake of the Feb. 1 blizzard.

Exact reasons for the collapse at the facility at 901 Aqualand Way, off Kautz Road near the DuPage County Airport, are still being determined.

However, no one was injured in the collapse and Aquascape president Colleen Heitzler marks that fact among several instances of generosity, kindness and bonding that occurred after the incident at the 265,000-square-foot, wedge-shaped building which houses as many as 60 employees on an average weekday.

Heitzler said company managers gathered at the home of Greg Wittstock, Aquascape owner and CEO to devise post-collapse plans. They contacted neighboring business Flavors of North America International (FONA) at 1900 Averill Rd. to see whether they had telephone switchboard capacity to spare and FONA’s founders sent Heitzler a text message regarding that “always makes her cry.”

“It just said ‘Come, we have room,’” Heitzler said.

Aquascape was based at FONA for five weeks until they found rental space for
warehouses and offices elsewhere in the Tri-Cities. Current Aquascape employees worked nearly around the clock pitching in wherever needed and some former employees took vacation time from their jobs and came back to help the company stay in business. Aquascape customers also called and offered excess capacity in their warehouses.

“We just had so much blessing pour on us from just the community that we have
relationships with,” Heitzler said. “The relationships with our team, with our suppliers, with the community—St. Charles, the fire department, the police department, the building commissioner—all phenomenal. The mayor was here as the roof was falling, saying ‘Hey, we’re going to figure this out, come on. We’re here; we’re going to help you.’”

She said the “immediate gift of cooperation and help” kept the 20-year-old company buoyant during one of its most trying times.

“It was a horrible experience, but it was amazingly beautiful, when you really kind of can step back and look at the camaraderie and the love and the community support that pours out,” Heitzler said. “So we definitely were the beneficiaries of that.

“To see so much come together was really a very bonding experience for our team and I think for the people that came to help us, too,” she said. “You know, it’s better to give than to receive; we sure loved the receiving because we needed it. But I think the people who gave grew, too. It was a really neat experience.”

Aquascape owner and CEO Wittstock said he agreed when one employee said the roof collapse was the best thing that ever happened to Aquascape.

“Through it all, a camaraderie I personally have never experienced, was eminent throughout our organization,” Wittstock said. “We were all connected through getting the company we love operational again. I’m proud of my team in ways I never would be if it weren’t for seeing what people were really made of.”

Aquascape is investigating how the roof can be rebuilt and what types of modifications are necessary for optimum safety. Whatever happens, they will rehabilitate the building where the collapse occurred and move back in, hopefully by the end of this year.

“It all depends what the structural engineer tells us was the cause of the failure,” Heitzler said. “Would we love to rebuild exactly what we had? Yes. If it’s not the right thing to do, we’ll do the right thing.”

For information about Aquascape, visit www.aquascapeinc.com.