Lynden business owners learn from disaster

DAVE GALLAGHER

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LYNDEN -- As fire blew out the windows at Delft Square and firefighters arrived on June 9, more than a few Lynden business owners were suddenly wondering about their insurance coverage.

"I've certainly had more business owners asking me about their coverage," said Joel Kok, an insurance agent at Snapper Shuler Kenner, which happens to be across the street from Delft Square. "I do talk to them about it, but right now my focus is on the clients who are dealing with the damage."

For many of the 11 business owners impacted by the Delft Square fire, putting together an insurance claim is a top priority right now.

| DANNY GAWLOWSKI THE BELLINGHAM HERALD

HOW TO BE PREPARED

Here are some lessons learned from the Lynden business owners impacted by the June 9 fire:
If you have important paper documents, get a fire-proof safe or store it elsewhere.
Wilma Parriera's worst fear after she knew her employees were safe was that she would lose some original paperwork that had sentimental value. "I had a lot of personal memories of that store I would have lost," said the owner of clothing store, The Dresser Drawer.
Computer files need to be backed up elsewhere.
"I lost my Rolodex in the fire, so if I didn't have records off site, I would have had trouble even calling my clients," said Brian Smith, a financial adviser for Edward Jones.
Make sure the insurance is current and there is enough coverage.
Business owners worry about a lot of things that could go wrong with their business, but none of the people interviewed for this article had fire high on their list.
Keep a list of phone numbers you need with you, including people you work with.
"So many people were outside the building, standing there in shock while the fire was happening. Then they realized they needed to start contacting people," said Gary Vis, executive director of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce.
Have a plan in place so you can go through the steps while still in shock.
"Having the plan in place made it easier to focus on what needed to be done," said Smith.
SEE PHOTOS, VIDEO OF FIRE

Staff photographers, Herald readers and regional TV stations converged on the Delft Square shopping mall June 9 when a catastrosphic fire broke out. Click on the links below to see the result.
Lynden begins to recover from fire
Readers share memories of Lynden Department Store

"Most of the businesses had some level of insurance, with some having better coverage than others," said Gary Vis, executive director of the Lynden Chamber of Commerce. "They are business people who now get to learn the intricacies of insurance. That's quite a challenge."

Despite the devastation, several businesses were able to get up and running the next day. Those that did had some things in common: They had a disaster plan, crucial information was stored off-site and they didn't have much physical product on hand. Brian Smith, a financial adviser for Edward Jones, was able to open the next day at nearby Bender Plaza. The key for him was having all of his customer files stored at multiple off-site locations, which he was able to access at Tony Pechthalt's Edward Jones office in Bellingham.

"If I had to rely on paper files, my business would have been in a world of hurt," Smith said. "I was shocked because you don't expect a fire to break out, but I certainly see the value of data storage companies."

HANDLING THE ADJUSTERS

While putting in an insurance claim is the biggest ordeal right now, many of the business owners are appreciative of the help they are getting. Wilma Parriera, owner of The Dresser Drawer, a clothing store near Delft Square, said her third call after she heard about the fire was to Kok, her insurance agent. Parriera was in Seattle buying more inventory for the store when she heard about the fire.

"He's done a good job keeping me informed, so when I heard about the fire I knew I was protected," Parriera said. "I called him just to get things started."

Parriera's business was not damaged by the fire, but it was determined by the insurance company that she needed to liquidate the inventory and get it replaced.

Kok believes the best way to make sure business owners have the right amount of coverage is an annual review. For some it's a 20-minute meeting, while business owners with more complex companies can spend a half-day with him. What makes the insurance coverage complex is the changes that continually take place, whether it is more expensive inventory, new employees using company vehicles or making a change to the company ownership.

"Business insurance is very complicated, but I enjoy the give-and-take that's involved," said Kok, who has been an agent since 1982. "Agents owe their customers greater care than ever, because the harsh reality is that when something happens at a business, someone sues."

In the nine days after the fire, Stan Pilon, owner of Quality First Escrow Inc., estimates that he's spent 35 hours assembling documents and putting together an insurance claim. That's on top of the work of running his business remotely. He had his computer files stored off-site in Bothell, but has been working hard letting customers and others in the real estate business know he's still open for business.

"Even though the insurance claim has been a lot of work, I appreciate the help I've been getting," Pilon said. "I know the coverage is there, the challenge has been in determining where everything fits in the claim, and that's where I've been getting a lot of help."