Inside the April 2008 issue:
Hillary Clinton, headquarters fire, Terre Haute, Tromp&Tread

Ashes: An empty shell is all that remains of Hillary Clinton's former headquarters.WVJB photos by James Hehman

By Robert L. Flott
WVJB Editor

     For many folks in Terre Haute, the past few weeks have been rather exciting.
     Visits by prominent politicians such as Hillary and Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have brought national attention to Terre Haute in ways the people of the city have not seen in years.
     For Joe Tanoos, the events were more stressful than exciting. Tanoos owns the building at 1424 S. Third St., which housed both the Hillary Clinton Headquarters and Westaff, an employment service.
     Stressful as it might have been, Tanoos was quick to note he does not harbor any ill feelings toward anyone involved. "I really don't want to say or do anything that will attack anybody," Tanoos said. "That's just not my nature."
     Tanoos owns several buildings along that strip, including one at 1442 S. Third St., where Tanoos and his wife own and operate the Tromp & Tread.
    "The building was probably 20 years old," he said. "They are very well maintained. We've kept paint on them and we've kept them up.    These are all commercial properties, so we have to put our best foot forward as to how they are perceived."
    Tanoos was a home with his wife when he received the call about the fire.
    "I got a call just before twelve thirty Thursday night from a neighbor saying 'one of your buildings on the end was on fire'," Tanoos said.   "At first, we thought they were talking about the store.
     "We hurried and got down here about 12:30 p.m.," he said. "There were five stations here and about a dozen or so fire people, and they quickly jumped on the fire."
     Tanoos compliments the Terre Haute Fire Department for their response to the scene and their efforts. "They prevented the building from being a total loss, and I want to commend them for that."
     With nothing more to be done, Tanoos went home. "We got back home about one thirty or two o'clock in the morning,"
     Despite being the building owner, Tanoos was one of the few people in the area who did not get to meet Bill Clinton. "I was doing my banking when the former president arrived," Tanoos said. Clinton had gotten into his motorcade and had left for South Vermillion High School, when Tanoos returned to the scene.
     His excitement--and his stress--were just beginning to elevate.
     "I went up to the blocked area [around the building], and I was feeling pretty stressed out at this time," Tanoos explained. "The poor Westaff people were asking for a report that they could send to the corporate. I had no idea how to get this report for them."
     Tanoos went over to his burned building to ask the fire marshal for some information.
     "I went up and inadvertently I crossed the [police] line to talk with the fire marshal," Tanoos said. "At that point this gentleman, Norm Loudermilk, came up and loudly pushes me back. I was trying to explain to him that needed some information. This was supposedly a crime scene.
     There was some pushing and some verbal exchanges, evidentially, this was a crime scene now and I wasn't allowed anyone in that area."
Tanoos believes the significance of the tenant--Hillary Clinton--added to the overall stress levels for everyone involved.
     "Right now, they haven't completed their investigation yet," Tanoos said. "They have ninety-nine point nine percent ruled out any type of arson." He added that THFD officials have not determined a cause, and he does not want to speculate.
     For the folks at Westaff, a staffing agency located in the same building as the Clinton Headquarters, the fire has meant working in rather tight quarters.
     "We're currently at 16 Plaza North," said Tammy Layton, staffing consultant with Westaff. "We have an on-site at Hoosier Hand-Pac and we're working out of there."
     Layton said Westaff was scheduled to move into its new location, 1434 S. Third St., on Tuesday April 22. Meanwhile, the folks at Westaff are struggling to keep things business as usually, or as best as they can.
     "We are down to one phone line," Layton said. "It's hard to work with one phone line. We're using our cell phones to make up the difference.
     The Westaff computers were completely destroyed by water damage, but records were not lost.
     Since the fire took place on a Friday, Layton was concerned about the 30 employees who received their paychecks at the Westaff office. "Amber and I sat in our cars in the parking lot all day in case some people hadn't heard about the fire," Layton said. Westaff employs about 300 people around the Wabash Valley, with about 30 going to the main office each week to collect their checks.
     After the experience, Tanoos is not sure he's interested in repeating it. "I'm not sure I ever want to rent to such a prominent individual," he added laughing. "I'm not sure I'd do it again."

Robert L. Flott can be reached here.

Read more about business in the Wabash Valley.