WILLMAR, MN — More than 27 inches of snow fell on the Willmar, MN area Tuesday. The town, 90 miles west of Minneapolis, is always prepared for a paralyzing snowfall, so it doesn’t bring local commerce to a halt — especially one local heating and cooling contractor.

“Our service dept. was actually functioning,” said Lon Chappell, general manager of Chappell Central, Inc., Willmar. “Several of our techs made it in to the plant, and we sent them out on emergency calls only in four-wheel vehicles. One person was taking calls and the phone was ringing off the hook.

“We did do one emergency furnace change-out in town.”

Chappell said it may take a few days for things to get back to normal, provided no more snow falls. And he is thankful for his dedicated crew.

“We are very grateful for the dedication of our employees, especially our hvac technicians,” he said. “A lot of people would not have attempted to even leave their homes in the morning, much less go to work.”

Chappell did have time to joke about snow depths. “My service manager informed me that he only hires six-foot-plus techs because of days like this.”

Publication date: 11/26/2001