Premier Growers hit by tornado

Premier Growers in Buford, Ga., lost 32 greenhouses during an EF-2 tornado that touched down between 3-4 p.m. on Nov. 30. Fortunately, most of the employees who work at the Gravel Springs Road facility were not present when the storm blew through.
Company president Lewis Sharp told the Gwinnett Daily Post that the facility was declared a complete loss and that an insurance claim for $500,000 has been filed.
The newspaper reported even though the greenhouses suffered major structural damage, most of the plants survived. Lewis said replacing the greenhouses will cost about $25,000 each. He said the facility, which is across the street from a housing subdivision that was also damaged, may not be rebuilt at the same location.
The company, which has three production locations, had about 100,000 square feet of production in individual Quonset houses at the Gravel Springs facility. Because of the nature of the property, it didn’t lend itself to gutter-connected greenhouses.
Fox 5 Atlanta reported that the damaged facility was used to produce 20% of the company's fall crop. The location has been in operation for over 20 years.  

Pictured; Lewis (left) and Randy Sharp at Premier Growers in Buford, Ga., plan to rebuild the greenhouses they lost in an EF-2 tornado on Nov. 30.