Rubble to real estate: Garner Industries finally selling property hit by tornado

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — A property that once housed dozens of employees and production lines is up for grabs.

After the building was destroyed by an EF-3 tornado last year, Garner Industries is finally selling its old property on Cornhusker Highway just outside of Lincoln.

“There’s been a lot of interest on it, but the biggest challenge has been the big building that’s got a huge hole in it,” real estate agent Pat Heiser said. “Unfortunately, there was no way to salvage any remains of the building, so ultimately Garner made the decision that they would take on all the expense to demo the site to get it ready for whoever would be the next person to call it their home.”

SEE ALSO: 7 arrested after crimes at tornado-ravaged Garner Industries property, sheriff’s office says

Heiser is representing Garner Industries on the sale. He said it was a no-brainer to help.

“When we got the call to help them out with moving them to their new location, it was kind of like, ‘Everybody drop what you’re doing; let’s try to help these people get back up on their feet,”‘ he said. “It’s not something that we run into very often.”

SEE ALSO: Lincoln City Council approves zoning change for new Garner Industries location

He said Garner Industries is just ready to move past the horrific memory.

The property is 30 acres, with many possibilities of what it could become.

“Garner’s not in the real estate game to hold assets and things like that, so we’re just looking for the next buyer that would be taking this on to make it their new home for their entire company headquarters or any sort of mixed use,” Heiser said.

CL Construction has made significant progress in demolishing the building and cleaning up the property, though it will take four to five months to complete.

SEE ALSO: ‘Praying for God to save my life’: Lincoln man survived tornado hitting Garner Industries