By JULIE CARLE
BG Independent News
Ed Nagle may not wear a superhero cape, but maybe as CEO of Nagle Companies Inc., he and his employees should have their own capes. The Walbridge-based logistics company was named a Public Health Hero by the Wood County Health Department on Monday, Public Health Thank You Day.
The company has been a longtime partner with the health department, Wood County Health Commissioner Ben Robison said as he presented the award. They have a history of helping Wood County recover from emergencies, including relief efforts after a major tornado in 2010 and during the 2020 pandemic.
According to Nagle, the company first got involved with relief efforts after Hurricane Katrina. “We noticed the Emergency Management Agency was good at helping at the scene, but was not as good at logistics,” Nagel said.
They started a northwest Ohio group of transportation partners to help with logistics during community emergencies. “We were one of the first in the nation to actively reach out to EMAs,” Nagel said.
Work with the health department was a natural progression, especially when the 2010 tornado ripped through the Lake Township Police Department and schools, not far from their company headquarters. In addition to helping with transportation services, Nagle Companies’ 67,000 square feet of warehouses became an important hub for storage, especially during the pandemic.
During the COVID-19 pandemic and the global crisis it created, the health department turned to its community partners and volunteers for assistance. “Nagle Companies Inc. answered the call to serve our community during the crisis,” Robison said.
Wood County’s allotment of personal protective equipment (PPE) was repeatedly delivered to Nagle Companies’ facilities and held until the department needed it for distribution.
“Their staff took time out of their day to move pallets of supplies and assisted with loading our vehicles with the PPE. All of this was done at no charge and contributed greatly to keeping medical providers safe when PPE was in limited supply,” Robison said.
In October, the company delivered simulated medical supplies to 18 northwest Ohio counties during the statewide full-scale exercise. Additionally, Nagle Companie, Inc. also signed a Memorandum of Agreement to serve as a regional and county drop site for emergency supplies during a public health emergency.
“When the health department was looking for a partner to help out with a distribution center, that was an easy thing for us to say, ‘yes’ to,” Nagle said.
The company has always felt welcomed and appreciated by the Lake Township community since locating the headquarters in Walbridge in 1984, he said. Helping the greater community is a way to give back.
He believes that taking care of people is a moral and ethical obligation that transcends to the company. “It’s our civic duty,” he said. “It’s not needed every day but when the call to action occurs that means it is critically needed.”
