Bobcat Martinsburg Begins to Bounce Back After Fire

As Chief of the Martinsburg Volunteer Fire Company, Randy Acker is accustomed to having his days interrupted by the whistle. Throughout his decades-long career in the fire service, Acker has been called away from his home and work countless times to protect the lives and property of his community. When you do anything for as long as Acker has, the days and years tend to blend together and while each call is important, you have to develop an emotional detachment, a kind of self-preservation to avoid burnout.

Around noon on Monday, Oct. 16, Acker received a call that was a first in his career. The building he owns that houses Bobcat in Martinsburg, was on fire. Acker said he had to put his emotions in check and respond as fire chief, not owner. As his property quickly burned, Acker's priority was the safety of the firefighters battling to contain the blaze and getting it under control. Any emotional turmoil would have to wait.

"It's tough when you have to fight a fire in your own building," Acker said. "But I had to kick into fire chief mode and separate myself from that. My priority had to be getting out the fire and the crew's safety."

In the immediate aftermath of the fire, Boyd Wingard, president of Pristows Equipment Group, who purchased the Martinsburg Bobcat from Acker last year, gathered his team and began working on a plan to keep the business running.

"We have customers who depend on us," Wingard said. "We needed to find a way to keep going while we figure out a long-term plan."

Wingard and his team set up a temporary trailer next to the burned building, moved the parts department to an adjacent building, and temporarily moved equipment service to Bobcat's Huntingdon location.

According to Wingard, securing the trailer was just the beginning of a whirlwind 10 days that, through the efforts of Bobcat's staff and community support, enabled the business to get back to work. Wingard said just about everything needed to run an office, from computers to sticky notes, were lost in the fire.

"Things you don't really think about like staples, notepads, paperclips" he said. "We had to get everything."

To help furnish the trailer, Bargain Barn in North Woodbury Township offered desks and chairs at a discount.

Dan Everhart, Bobcat general manager, said getting the business running again was never an "if," but more of a "how soon" can they get it done.

"We have an obligation to our customers, and we wanted to get back to serving them as quickly as possible," he said. "Everyone here pulled together and went above and beyond to get us back up and running in just 10 days."

Wingard said the outpouring of support from the community, his customers, and even his competitors provided motivation to get back to business.

"Everyone has been so supportive of us since the fire and we greatly appreciate it," he said.

Wingard said the temporary trailer will remain while the company works on a permanent solution. Acker said the building is a total loss and will need to be torn down.