A little bit of luck, highly competent management, and strong employee, vendor, and customer relations enabled Murdock Companies, Inc. to be back in business the day after a six-alarm fire destroyed the company's building and entire inventory on Aug. 5. Murdock Cos. had remodeled the building just three years ago.

Murdock Companies, a group of industrial distributors in Wichita, Kan., was faced with the task of rebuilding from the ground up. Luckily, the company had an old building to move into temporarily. The company had been trying to sell the building, but took it off the market when the fire struck. With the space available, Murdock Cos. moved all of its employees and began handling the situation. Company leaders hope to be out of the temporary quarters and into a new building some time this month.

Led by owner and president Herb Coin and general manager Brenda Blazer, Murdock Cos.' employees were conducting business before the blaze was even out. Many employees were at the scene during and immediately following the fire, and everyone wanted to help, according to Blazer. Employee dedication allowed for a speedy move to the new location and a quick start to the rebuilding process, she added.

Timely communication with customers and vendors was critical to Murdock Cos.' success. Cell phones were operating by 9 o'clock the morning after the fire, and employees began calling customers to tell them about the situation and that they could still handle their business. According to Blazer, customers were shocked, but promised to keep giving Murdock Cos. business—and they did. She said Murdock Cos. didn't lose any customers in the aftermath of the fire. Vendors also were sympathetic and helpful, shipping products directly to customers to help the distributor get back on its feet.

The company's computer system was up and running within a week. Fortunately, all of the firm's files are backed up daily at midnight, so only data from the day of the fire was lost.

Murdock Cos.' quick reaction time and good relationship with its trading partners allowed the firm to manage the crisis effectively, said Blazer, noting that the rebuilding process is a work in progress.

"We were up and crawling the next day and today we're at a jog," Blazer said in an October interview. "We hope to be fully up and running by November."