Seaside Park, N.J., Reenergized by KOHLER

KOHLER, Wis. (December 17, 2013) – A hard-hit area on the New Jersey coast received a big gift today from Kohler Generators. In a goodwill gesture, Kohler Generators donated a commercial-grade, standby generator to the Borough of Seaside Park, N.J.

The backup generator will provide emergency power to the administration and executive building, which serves as a command center and shelter during crisis situations.

Seaside Park was ravaged by two disasters in the span of one year. In October 2012, Superstorm Sandy swept away its famed boardwalk and a nearby amusement park, while destroying homes and businesses in its path. The community rebuilt only to have their efforts set back by a devastating boardwalk fire in September of this year. Now, to help ensure another disaster doesn’t cripple Seaside Park’s ability to respond to a crisis, Kohler Generators has donated an emergency backup generator to power the Borough’s administration building, located at 1701 North Ocean Avenue. This building serves as a command center and shelter during a crisis situation.

“Kohler has employees, dealers and customers throughout the entire East Coast, including this community,” said Brandon Hepner, regional sales manager for Kohler Generators. “Many of us witnessed the devastation in Seaside Park firsthand and have been inspired by how this community has pulled together and persevered. As a company, we have a strong commitment to the communities where we do business. When we learned that Seaside Park was looking for a backup power solution for the administration building, Kohler and our nearby distributor Cooper Electric jumped at the opportunity to help.”

The 60-kilowatt generator donated by Kohler is large enough to power the entire building and turns on automatically when power is lost. In the face of another disaster, this will ensure the community can stay up and running to meet the needs of its residents. The generator, which is being installed by Kopp Electric, Toms River, N.J., will be operational by the end of the year. This will prepare Seaside Park for any weather emergencies that may hit this winter.

“When we’re faced with a crisis like Superstorm Sandy or the boardwalk fire, our administration building becomes a backup command center where we coordinate the response effort and conduct government business,” said Bob Matthies, mayor of Seaside Park. “It also serves as a shelter for residents who are most in need. It’s absolutely critical to have reliable backup power in this building so we can keep the city up-and-running, especially during an emergency situation. This generator from Kohler ensures we can respond to the needs of our residents during a time of crisis. It’s an amazing gift during this holiday season.”