Trying to keep the family business afloat after Sandy: 'It's devastating'

Trying to keep the family business afloat after Sandy: 'It's devastating'

New York (CNN) -- Ashley Murray never expected to follow five generations of men into the family business, selling industrial gasses and welding supplies. Then her father passed away and Murray, the youngest of his four children, stepped up. She became the first female president of Liberty Industrial Gases and Welding Supplies Inc. in Brooklyn.

"I grew up working in the business, all of my siblings did. We would file, paint cylinders and work in the store. I got involved about 10 years ago working under my father, running operations for five years when he passed away," recalls Murray, who still keeps her father's office much the way he left it. "I've continued to run it, and it's done great. I've been slowly purchasing it from my mom bit by bit."

But now the family history Murray was charged with preserving is at risk of ending. Liberty is in Red Hook, Brooklyn, an industrial park along a canal that connects to New York Harbor. When the waters of Superstorm Sandy surged, they engulfed 80% of her inventory in 4 feet of water. She is still without any government help.

Date: 2023-04-10     hits: 479    Return