Hagan: Neighboring Buildings Closed

John Wolz

Richard Hagan was inbound on a commuter train when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center, just two blocks from his office. His assistant, Josie Inoa-Lazarini, was inbound on a bus from Brooklyn.
Pinnacle Capital Corporation is located on the 12th floor of 74 Trinity Place. It is directly south of the Twin Towers that once dwarfed the 28-story building. The building is just west of historic Trinity Church, which was spared in the destruction.\
�Neither of us made it into Manhattan, because the train under the Hudson River into the WTC basement and the tunnel under the East River from Brooklyn were immediately shut down,� Hagan said. �I watched the carnage from across the river.�
Pinnacle specializes in putting together fastener company mergers and acquisitions. Since 1997 Hagan has compiled an annual list of the Top Fastener Company Transactions.
It wasn�t until eight business days after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack that Hagan could reach his office to retrieve his computer and critical files. On Thursday, September 20, he was escorted by police inside the restricted zone to check his office. Electricity has since been restored with mobile generators, and Hagan said he would return to the office when phone service is restored.
�The physical damage to our offices was minimal � just some minor smoke damage,� Hagan observed. Though his building escaped with only smoke and ash problems, even the contiguous building sustained serious damage.
�We consider ourselves very lucky and lament the terrible damage inflicted on so many of our neighbors,� Hagan said.
When Hagan was able to check messages, he was heartened by the calls and e-mails from the fastener industry �just checking to make sure that we were OK.�
�The patience and understanding of our clients has been greatly appreciated.�
Hagan hopes to operate from the Pinnacle office this week. He will be working from home until his building reopens as the recovery process progresses. He can be contacted at 908 598-0490 or 201 424-0497. E-mail: richardphagan@cs.com
�2001 FastenerNews.com