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November 19, 2018

Camp Fire Destroys Promo Pro’s Paradise, CA Business & Home

Sherry Swim is among the promotional products industry professionals to have experienced the worst of California’s latest round of deadly wildfires.

By  Christopher Ruvo

For 38 years, Sherry Swim owned and operated her business in Paradise, CA.

The Camp Fire brought that successful run to a disastrous end.

Sherry Swim, Owner, PIP Printing in Paradise, CA

The deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history, the Camp blaze razed the town of Paradise in the Sierra Nevada foothills, incinerating Swim’s print-and-promo business PIP Printing (asi/398580) and her home. “I’m totally out of business, as it burned down along with my home and most of the town,” Swim told Counselor.

The long-time industry pro was speaking from a Federal Emergency Management Agency location in Northern California where she was waiting to register for disaster relief. In between interruptions from the loudspeaker and the general cacophony of fire victims plunged into the same life-changing circumstances, Swim shared some of her harrowing story with Counselor. It included a narrow escape from fast-approaching flames.

“After we got the evacuation order, I didn’t have time to go home, I just left,” Swim said, noting she was at work at the time. “It took me 3 ½ hours to get down the hill in all the traffic. As I was going, there was fire on both sides of the road.”

Swim is among the promotional products industry professionals to have experienced the worst of California’s latest round of wildfires. As Counselor previously reported, industry professionals have lost homes, dealt with mandatory evacuations, and faced professional fallout like lost sales and workday closures as a result of the Camp Fire in Northern California and the Woolsey Fire in Southern California.

As of Monday morning, hard-working firefighters had the Woolsey Fire more than 90% contained. Authorities expected to have the blaze fully extinguished by Thanksgiving – Thursday, Nov. 22. Since igniting Nov. 8, the Woolsey Fire has killed three people, scorched nearly 100,000 acres in Los Angeles County and Ventura County, and destroyed more than 1,450 structures.

The Camp Fire that erupted Nov. 8 in Northern California’s Butte County has proved even more devastating. As of this writing, the Camp Fire had destroyed about 12,000 structures, charred 151,000 acres – about the size of Chicago – and was only about 65% contained. At least 77 people had perished in the blaze and nearly 1,000 remained missing. Authorities expected the death toll to rise. “So far, everyone I know is safe,” Swim told Counselor.

In the short term, Swim feels fortunate. She is alive, uninjured, and doesn’t have to stay in a shelter, as she is able to live with her son, who resides in Chico, a city about 20 miles from Paradise. Longer-term, the future looks as hazy as the smoke-choked Sierra Nevada foothills. Housing stock is in limited supply in the area, said Swim, so finding a new residence will prove difficult. She’s also not sure if she’ll ever re-open her business. If she does, she aims to do so in Paradise. But right now, Paradise has effectively ceased to exist. “There’s no infrastructure,” she said. “They’re saying it could be five years or more before we can recover. I don’t know if I’ll be able to re-open. I’m kind of still numb about it all.”

As she waited to speak with FEMA representatives, Swim had a word of thanks – and a bit of perspective all promo pros should perhaps reflect upon. “The firefighters have been phenomenal. If it wasn’t for them, this would all be so much worse,” she said, before adding to promo industry colleagues: “I would just say that if you woke up today with a business and customers, just be thankful for that and do a good job of taking them care of. And, be thankful and happy that the people you know are safe.”