Shaun Young was on vacation in Las Vegas when he heard the news that an F5 tornado had touched down in his hometown around Joplin, Mo. in 2011. His business partner was in Washington, D.C. for the annual FINRAconference when he, too, heard the news. Both men immediately began texting their employees to ensure they were safe.
"We heard back from every employee except one," said Young. "Eventually, someone saw the missing staff member walking down the middle of the street with a pile of clothes and her dog. Her house was completely destroyed."
Not being there when it happened and unable to help was "hell and frustration," Young said. When he did eventually arrive it was complete devastation on a level he struggled to describe.
Young and his employees found the roof of his office torn off and the interior destroyed. Metal filing cabinets with client information, thankfully, survived, but items such as checkbooks, articles of incorporation, personal photographs and favorite coffee mugs were scattered everywhere.
Luckily, the firm hosted electronic documents remotely using a local third-party provider and had recently begun electronic scanning and imaging through Artisan Imaging.
