ROANOKE, Va. – Nearly two months after a devastating fire reduced their dreams to ashes, Noke Van Co. is back in business.
In April, a fire destroyed Noke Van Co.’s Southeast Roanoke workshop, taking more than 18 vans, tools, and their entire livelihood.
But now, there’s a new sound inside their current building: the sound of progress.
Josh Yerton, chief design officer and co-owner at Noke Van Co., said, “It feels really amazing to finally have vans in here… we have just been chomping at the bit to get back to doing what we do best and now it finally starts to feel like we are moving in that direction.”
They’re doing it in a familiar neighborhood — their new location is just down the road from where the fire happened, still in the Riverdale community.
Justin VanBlaricom, CEO and owner of Noke Van Co., noted, “There’s still no insurance payout for our tools, our equipment, our employees, and all that stuff, so the only way we’ve been able to bounce back is because of the community and Riverdale, and the city.”
That energy is driving Noke Van Co. forward — and so is the visibility that came from tragedy.
Yerton added, “One of our goals was that everyone would know we are here, everyone in the Roanoke Valley would know we are here. And it happened not in the way we wanted it to, but it happened and so we are grateful for that.”
The outpouring of community support helped them get back on their feet — and back under the hood — something the team was itching for.
VanBlaricom shared, “A long-time customer brought in a van that just had a water leak and we had four people in there and they were like we are working on a van! I mean they were so excited to put down a paintbrush.”
After losing everything, Noke Van Co. is officially open once again — and Version 2.0 is already hitting the ground running. Support the Yertons and VanBlaricom family in rebuilding Noke Van Co If you want more information on how to secure their services, here is Noke Van Co.’s website and Facebook: Noke Van Co. – Life should be an adventure