Although Mystic Granite and Marble Inc.'s facility in Orlando, FL, suffered minimal damage, its employees and customers were greatly affected. “Our employees come from all over the state,†said Donna Mauro of Mystic, which distributes stone slabs and tiles locally and nationally. “Some live up to an hour away, and had trouble getting to work because of flooding and trees blocking the roads. Some of them didn't have electric for over a week, but they still came to work. Our clients in the Southeast still don't have power [as of mid-October], and it is still difficult to get in touch with many of them.†Sarasota Stone and Granite, a client of Mystic Granite and Marble located in Sarasota, FL, was able to keep its shop open, despite power loss for one day. “We didn't see much damage, but some of our competitors in the Punta Gorda area were wiped out completely,†said Randy McGowen of Sarasota Stone and Granite. “We were fortunate, all three hurricanes skirted around us.â€
Another Mystic client, Elgin Marble Inc., located in Vero Beach, FL, suffered power loss lasting for a week and a half during the first hurricane, and one week during the second hurricane. Fortunately, none of its slabs were damaged because the employees tied them down prior to the onslaught of Hurricane Charley.