Baker Distributing celebrated the re-opening of their Ft. Myers location, which was devastated during Hurricane Ian on September 28, 2022. Located at 6151 Metro Plex Dr Ste 101, Fort Myers, FL 33966, the branch was operational within days of the storm and stayed open, but the conditions were very challenging.
“Ian took down 500 feet of the warehouse exterior wall and severely damaged the interior and our offices,” Branch Manager Rick Cornwell stated. “We initially set up workstations in our receiving area and I’m extremely grateful to our team for sticking with it over the last 3 years.”
Hurricane Ian was a high-end category 4 storm with 150 mile-per-hour winds and the deadliest storm in the state since 1935. Hurricane Ian killed 150 people in Florida, with 66 directly attributed to the storm due to surges, freshwater flooding and wind (NBC).
“A big change that took place is adding a second story with offices and a training room to the building,” Rick continued. “We added 2,500 square feet to the showroom, enlarging it to 6,500 square feet.”
The celebration was very well attended, and Baker representatives provided tours of remodeled facility. Over two dozen vendors conducted a trade show, engaging with the crowd of contractors and technicians. John Johnson of Rocket Cooling and Mechanical volunteered to cook the delicious BBQ chicken that nourished the visitors.
A raffle drawing concluded the evening’s event, with Brian Manchin and Andrew Ferandez of Comfort Kings Heating and Cooling winning the mini-split and conventional split system grand prizes.
Contact Rick and the Ft. Myers Baker Distributing team by calling 239.939.1649.
View and download photos from the event at https://ACprosite.com/photos/ and searching 2026 01 Baker Ft Myers Re-opening.
