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The Custom Companies’ Flexible Approach to Chicago Flooding

Perry Mandera

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A longtime Chicago executive, Perry Mandera guides The Custom Companies, Inc., where he manages nationwide transportation services designed to maximize efficiency. Perry Mandera strives to create a sense of community among his 600-strong workforce, and features employee stories in the company newsletter.

A 2013 piece brought focus to an unusual April storm that initially hit Chicago as an afternoon rain shower. As the torrential rain continued to fall, The Custom Companies entrance started to flood, with the water level reaching two feet near the end of the day. The company maintains a “Make it Happen” attitude, and closing up Northlake operations was not an option.
The following morning the flooding continued, and an alternative entrance route was devised with the assistance of those working at the Union Pacific Railroad yard next door. Creative shipment rerouting through the Los Angeles office enabled vital, time-sensitive shipments to go out and operations to run as usual. That evening the full extent of the flooding became apparent, with affected areas extending as far south and north as the Indiana and Wisconsin borders.