Andy Rosenband, the CEO of Morgan Li, recalled getting a call very early that Monday morning in February with the news he’s feared since becoming a business owner: one of the Chicago Heights’ locations was on fire.

“In the moment, it felt like your worst nightmare was coming true. Our first instinct was to make sure that everybody was safe. Once we knew that, that weight was lifted off our shoulders really, really quickly,” Rosenband said. “At that point, we were starting to already think about what we were going to do to make sure that the business could continue to operate.”

Five months after the fire, Rosenband said the company was able to ensure all employees in the warehouse had a job and shared plans to rebuild the facility.

Multiple fire departments responded Feb. 6 to the extra alarm fire at the Morgan Li warehouse, 1101 Washington Ave., Chicago Heights. The Cook County Department of Environment and Sustainability, Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, the Illinois State Fire Marshal, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Nicor and ComEd were also on the scene, officials said.

Rosenband said he has not been told the cause of the fire. Multiple agencies, including the insurance company, have investigated the fire site, but haven’t made a determination, he said.

“Nobody knows at this point,” Rosenband said.

The Chicago Heights Fire Department, Illinois State Fire Marshall and ATF did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Morgan Li, a family-owned and operated company, manufactures retail store fixtures, furniture and graphics, Rosenband said. At the time of the fire, he said seven of the 67 warehouse employees were there to begin the morning shift.

Thankfully, Rosenband said, they were able to safely exit the building.

Rosenband said all 67 employees were able to continue working at other locations. The company has two other locations in Chicago Heights, one in South Holland and one in Matteson, he said.

“Nobody lost their jobs. Everyone has been immersed into the different working environments and been able to continue to produce,” Rosenband said.

After the fire was put out, he said the focus was cleaning the site as quickly as possible.

“That’s been completed. It’s literally just a slab of concrete now,” Rosenband said.

Company officials are in preliminary discussions with architects and builders on plans to rebuild, Rosenband said. The goal is to reopen at that location, he said.

“We’re invested in the Chicago Heights area and community. We know we want to be here. We want to do what we can to help the community by being here,” Rosenband said. “We could have a building up in a couple of years and be running like we were before.”

In a statement Friday, Mayor David Gonzalez said Chicago Heights looks forward to working with Morgan Li leaders on redeveloping the site.

“We remain open and receptive to a discussion regarding what Morgan Li’s future business plans in Chicago Heights may be and how the City may be helpful,” Gonzalez said.

The company manufactures its own products within its facilities, Rosenband said, which means after the fire employees were able to rebuild some of the inventory that was destroyed.

“We were able to still keep up with orders pretty seamlessly through our strategy,” Rosenband said. “There are reasons why we buy things overseas and reasons why we make them here.”

He is such a mitigation strategy allowed the company make items to replace lost inventory quickly, without having to rely on an overseas company.

Since the fire, Rosenband said company leaders have readjusted safety procedures, which includes more frequent fire drills.

“I’ve been able to have a much different perspective on things as it relates to the business and on my personal life,” Rosenband said.