Damage done

Employees from Venice-based window and door manufacturer PGT Innovations are helping a statewide effort to study post-Hurricane Irma damage to buildings in some of the harder hit areas.

PGT Director of Product Management Dean Ruark recently traveled to the Florida Keys, for example, to do an initial assessment. From a preliminary view, Ruark says it looked like homes built with newer codes fared better than older homes. “A lot of the new codes are absolutely working and performing,” he says.

PGT was involved in developing stronger building codes after Hurricane Andrew hit Florida in 1992. “It's great to be part of a company that has a devotion to getting on the ground,” he says.