Louis, Francis and Greg Wysocki, the founders of Russet Potato Exchange and Paragon Farms in Custer, WI, plan to build a new packing plant next spring to replace the one which was destroyed in a fire in early October.
The 40-year-old packing plant was totally destroyed. Cause of the blaze has not been determined but is believed to be electrical in nature. Total loss was estimated at $6 million. The building was fully insured.
Russell Wysocki said the group, which now includes six other owners, moved into an old packing plant and used it as a backup to continue packing the next Monday morning, Oct. 4.
The backup shed is one-third the size but the operation has been able to meet all the needs of customers. In addition, they have had two other packing plants in the area handle orders.
Amazingly, fire-safe filing cabinets located in the office area proved their worth as they were not destroyed. This meant most of the company's records were intact.