KSF, or "Keep the Suds Flowing," is what Samet Corp. project managers have dubbed the job, which they are managing for the beer distributing company hit hard three weeks ago by a tornado. It's a moniker meant in fun, but at the bottom line, it's a fitting name for the multimillion-dollar project that is, after all, about maintaining the lifeline of the $100 million company.

Work at the West Market Street facility is expected to take until mid-autumn to complete, Samet Corp. construction managers said this week. The price tag for the entire restoration is still under review by insurance adjusters, but it is expected to run as high as $3.5 million, said Caffey Chief Financial Officer Bill Richardson.

In the midst of daily changing work routines, everyone on-site still seems to manage a smile. But this is serious business for I.H. Caffey, at the height of its busiest season. The twister touched down near midnight May 8 at the eastern end of the parking lot and proceeded to plow through a central truck-loading area.

"When the tornado came through the doors, it created a vacuum and pulled the roof up and dropped it back down," said Keith Stacey, superintendent of special projects for Samet, based in Greensboro. The force collapsed or damaged walls and twisted steel beams like licorice whips.

I.H. Caffey remained on generator power earlier this week. Enough of the loading bay has been cleared, and temporary lighting installed, for workers to load trucks during the day again and on a limited basis at night.

But the work routines of Caffey's 150 employees will likely remain disrupted for several months as reconstruction continues.

Richardson said his workers joke about their new working conditions in a partially covered loading bay.

"They say they get to work outside, get a little tan in the afternoon," he said.

Capacity is back at 90 percent; handheld sales computers are working again and transmitting orders for filling during the day and loading at night.

"It's phenomenal we've made it back this far in the past two weeks when you consider what all we had to recover from," Richardson said.

And just in time: Last week leading up to Memorial Day weekend, the company loaded and shipped 30,000 cases of beer a night to Triad grocery stores, bars, restaurants and convenience stores.

On Tuesday, the Caffey office staff put on a cookout for the warehouse workers and drivers to say thanks.

"A lot of people are very, very tired," Richardson said. "There's a significant number of people who have worked 70 to 90 hours in the past two to two and a half weeks. It's not uncommon to come in at 6 and not leave till 11."

For example, after the graphic designer's office was flooded with 6 feet of water that inundated high-end computers, plotters and printers, the designer stepped up to work in the warehouse and pull beer for orders. Now, his new temporary office is set up -- at Samet Corp., where an office was sitting empty and the company offered it to Caffey.

"Everybody's helping everybody right now," Richardson said.

Each day brings new challenges as construction progresses because employees are not only dealing with workarounds for their routines, but also getting around ever-changing construction zones. Richardson said on his end he tries to minimize frustrations by holding management meetings every morning to discuss new issues coming up and work through them.

At some point, the loading bay will be shut down entirely for rebuilding. But that is still likely some months away.

Samet project manager Glenn McDonald said steel can sometimes take 10 to 14 weeks to arrive after an order is placed. Currently, Samet is working with structural engineers at Sutton-Kennerly & Associates of Greensboro to determine how the loading area will be rebuilt and what materials will be required.

Triad Roofing Co. of Winston-Salem is rebuilding the roof, and Triad Sheet Metal and Mechanical of Greensboro is working on the heating and cooling system. Twelve HVAC units had to be replaced as a result of the storm damage, McDonald said.

McDonald has many subcontractors on-site and likens his role to conductor of an orchestra, noting wryly that some days are tougher if his musicians forget to show up or bring their music. He said coordination with them, and Richardson, is key to keeping things running smoothly. The two stood in what is left of the loading bay, trading tales and tips this week.

McDonald, who has worked on flood and fire reconstruction projects previously, said this is the first tornado-related job he has done.

"A tornado is more sporadic," McDonald said. "There were a lot of surprises," he said, from cars stacked on top of each other in the parking lot to random sections of mangled fence, while pallets sat neatly stacked just feet from the tornado's point of contact with the building.

The beer warehouse itself was 90 percent untouched, McDonald said.

The primary repairs involve the company's central truck loading area, and adjacent storage and work rooms, including the graphic designer's office where Richardson estimated losses in that room alone at more than $100,000.

McDonald said when his workers arrived on the scene in the first days after the storm hit, the biggest challenge was trying to determine where to begin. It took days to find the building's original plans, leaving workers to trace the paths of pipes and beams by flashlight rather than by design.

After D.H. Griffin and Disaster One of Greensboro removed the loading area debris, Thomas Carpentry of High Point had to build a room to protect the electrical service equipment, which the storm left exposed to outside elements. Samet secured permits Tuesday for electrical work repair, which began midweek. McDonald said if work progressed on schedule, power should be restored by week's end.

Reach Lane Harvey Brown at (336) 370-2912 or lhbrown@bizjournals.com.