16 JUNE 2019 • FOGHORN FOGHORNFOCUS: OPERATIONS G us Gaspardo was frustrated. As winter snow melt combined with heavy spring rains caused massive flooding in March and April on the Upper Mississippi River where he operates Padelford Packet Boat Co. in Saint Paul, MN, Gaspardo, a PVA Past President, was forced to cease operations until the waters receded because Harriet Island, where they operate from, was submerged. “Every day we couldn’t get to work, we were losing money,” Gaspardo, President of Padelford Packet, said. “I had to send all my employees home and wait for the weather to clear and the river to go down to safe levels.” Of course, natural disasters aren’t the only issues to impact revenues. Consider widespread health-related concerns that could adversely hurt Are You Ready for Disturbances in Your Business? By Karen Rainbolt, FOGHORN Managing Editor