Six months after Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville, Joey Bien shares his experience dealing with unethical insurance companies and his plans to rebuild.
When Hurricane Helene leveled Joey Bien’s Asheville Treasure Club, the chain owner had to go back to square one to rebuild the club from scratch. ED Legal Correspondent Larry Kaplan spoke with Joey Bien about the challenges this rebuild is presenting.
ED: Tell me about the impact of Hurricane Helene’s damage on you and your staff.
BIEN: It’s been tough on staff and the local economy, but we’re committed to bringing the club back. We’ve demolished the building, cleared 107 truckloads of contaminated dirt and removed the parking lot — leaving a clean slate for construction. Asheville has been supportive, and once our plans are approved, we’ll start building something even better. The rebuild will benefit the city, which desperately needs businesses after the devastation.
We’re designing the rebuild to align with Asheville’s community, incorporating solar power, EV charging and upgraded lighting, sound and video by Dave Chesal of Inner Circle Distribution.
— Joey Bien
ED: What challenges has this rebuild in Asheville presented for you?
BIEN: Dealing with the insurance companies on our rebuild in Asheville has been a considerable challenge. It’s taken me from September 26 until yesterday to see the first bit of money from one of our insurance companies. After the hurricane, our building was well off its foundation, so when the first insurance inspector came out, they said we had to knock the building down. But that wasn’t good enough. They then sent out a second inspector, who agreed. In the interim, the city slapped a red tag on the building that read, “WARNING: Enter at your own risk. The building could collapse, and you could die.” Then, a third inspector came out and suggested using a crane to lift the building in the air and bulldoze everything that spilled out from the interior. It was all stuck inside because the tractor-trailers next door, which ended up either on top of our roof or lodged against the back of our building, helped push the water away. We questioned whether our insurance policy would pay for all that, but after the fourth and fifth inspectors came out, they finally said, “Okay, your building’s done.” So that was difficult and frustrating.
Additionally, we had wind-and-looting insurance, and the company said we weren’t covered because it was “all water damage.” We responded, explaining there was a 16-foot 7-inch watermark in the building, so from that down, yes, it’s all water damage. But what about the ceiling that got blown away and all the beams that got torn out? That was wind damage. The company replied, “Sue us if you don’t like it,” so that’s what we’re doing. The same company also denied our looting claims because they only consider it looting if there’s a riot. We explained there were police calls with gangs of 50 people, but again, they said, “If you don’t like it, sue us.” So we are suing the one insurance company that provides both policies because they won’t pay their part of the claim. So, it’s tough, and they just steamroll us all, and that’s killing our industry. It’s just awful.
ED: What will you have in the new club that you couldn’t put in the old building?
BIEN: We’re designing the rebuild to align with Asheville’s community, incorporating solar power, EV charging and upgraded lighting, sound and video by Dave Chesal of Inner Circle Distribution. I met him at the last EXPO in Dallas, and we instantly connected. Now, he’s handling the project management of the Asheville rebuild — proof that there’s always something new to learn and valuable connections to make at the ED EXPO.
Larry Kaplan has been the legal correspondent for ED Magazine for 24 years. Mr. Kaplan is a broker in the sales and purchase of adult nightclubs and adult retail stores and the Executive Director of the ACE of Michigan adult nightclub state trade association. Contact Larry Kaplan at 313-815-3311 or larry@kaplanclubsales.com.
