Slanted playing field: Ephrata cabinetry firm, idled by Wolf’s shutdown, rues loss of customers to rivals – LancasterOnline

The Lutz family finally got some long-awaited good news last week.

Construction of their new house had come to a halt on March 19 when Gov. Tom Wolf ordered the stop of all business activities that he deemed not life-sustaining, to limit the spread of COVID-19.

Then on Thursday, Wolf announced that construction statewide can resume May 1 under certain conditions, which the Lutz's contractor, Alden Builders, will fulfill.

That will enable the Lutz family to move into their new house in Mount Joy on June 12, six weeks later than originally scheduled.

"I was definitely relieved, said Dory Lutz, whos temporarily living in an extended-stay hotel with her husband, their two children, two cats and one dog. At least we know when (we can move).

But whether the houses kitchen cabinetry gets finished by then remains to be determined. Cabinetry manufacturers such as Signature Custom Cabinetry, which is ready to build the Lutzs kitchen, remain sidelined by Wolfs order.

It doesnt make sense for construction to open, but not their supply chain. They need a kitchen to get an occupancy permit to move it. So one would assume wed be included, but as of now it is still up in the air, said Signature CEO Kent Martin on Friday morning.

The uneven application of the shutdown policy has been a major source of frustration for business owners such as Martin, as well as some state legislators, ever since Wolf ordered the closures March 19.

The referee in these matters, the state Department of Community & Economic Development, is granting puzzling exemptions without explanation, the business owners and legislators say.

The result is that some businesses in a given industry have been closed while others in that industry in Pennsylvania (and other states) are open and snagging customers from the idled businesses.

Lancaster Chamber President and CEO Tom Baldrige said the vast majority of businesspeople hes spoken with understand and support making public health and safety the priority during the pandemic.

At the same time, though, many of those same businesses have expressed frustration with both the waiver process and the rulings that have resulted, he said Thursday.

Primary among the concerns has been some of the inconsistency and the lack of transparency in the process that has led to competitors being treated differently and state lines creating artificial boundaries for business operations, Baldrige said.

Martin, meanwhile, is doing his best to be patient with the process.

I figure Gods in control, so we try to not allow ourselves to get worked up into too big of a panic. But it is frustrating. Every day that were closed, every week, is just digging a deeper hole for us, said Martin, whose Ephrata-area company does not deal directly with consumers.

Were anxious to get back to work. We believe fully that we can do it in a very safe and appropriate way. Wed just like to be on the list of companies that can do so, he added.

Martin noted that a Snyder County cabinetry firm has gotten a state waiver allowing limited production -- finishing jobs for people who had no kitchen in their home. That left Martin puzzled by the inconsistencies in the states decision making, since his firm has orders for kitchens for households in the same predicament.

In contrast, consider the situation at Conestoga Wood Specialties, a maker of cabinetry parts including cabinet doors, drawer boxes and drawer fronts. Conestoga Wood, with 700 employees at its East Earl headquarters, told LNP | LancasterOnline it was briefly closed by the state then permitted to reopen.

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Meanwhile, rivals in other states, where the cabinetry industry is deemed essential and is allowed to operate, echoing federal guidelines, are snatching business that Signatures customers interior designers, kitchen dealers and builders initially had promised to Signature.

Its been a real challenge, said Martin. Each day and week that go by, the damage increases. We had been their sole supplier. There are some long-term, very entrenched relationships that are being put in play by this mandate.

Martin had no estimate of the amount of revenue Signature has lost to competitors. Last year, Signature posted revenues exceeding $22 million.

With Wolfs order, Signature furloughed 114 of its 125 employees. We just hired one or two people at the beginning of that week. We were in a growth mode, he recalled.

Spaced out

Signatures 75,000-square-foot plant at 434 Springville Road is laid out to provide well in excess of six feet of social distancing for nearly all of the employees inside, according to Martin. There are a few that we would need to modify slightly.

A ventilation system would provide another safeguard, he said. Each of the plants 14 finishing booths, where varnish is applied, have exhaust systems that filter and suck out air.Makeup-air units pump fresh air back into the plant.

Martin is trying to get the chance to put the plants coronavirus-prevention features into practice. Hes communicated with his state representative, Mark Gillen, the staff of his state senator, Ryan Aument, and his trade association. Hes asked the state for a waiver, to no avail.

But Martin is going to keep trying to get the green light to resume production, for a simple reason. We have customers calling us and begging us for deliveries.

Meanwhile, the Lutzes are rooting for Martin to succeed.

Jason Lutz, 49, whos been laid off by CNH Industrial in New Holland, where hes a CNC operator in the plant, and Dory Lutz, 41, a returns clerk at Costco, had planned on spending three weeks at the MainStay Suites in Mountville.

That would have taken them from the sale of their old house in Landisville on April 10 until their originally scheduled moving day, May 1. Now theyll spend an extra six weeks in the hotel, costing the family an extra $3,600, said Dory Lutz.

Dory Lutz said the sudden shutdown of construction of their Gables at Elm Tree home, stopping the process after the drywall had been hung, shocked the family. Besides having the kitchen installed, painting, flooring and other work needs to be done.

There was no warning. It was a complete surprise. We were under the impression that they would continue as far as the painting, then everything would be delivered. We didnt realize everything was going to completely stop, she said.

That was followed by a nerve-wracking time of uncertainty. As Dory Lutz put it, Its the not knowing thats very stressful.

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Slanted playing field: Ephrata cabinetry firm, idled by Wolf's shutdown, rues loss of customers to rivals - LancasterOnline