LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WKBW) — Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the newly formed Candlelight Curated Inc. has officially acquired the operating assets of the former Candlelight Cabinetry facility in Lockport.
Candlelight Curated Inc. is a joint partnership between three local investors — Aaron Santarosa, Peter Demakos and Jon Ebel — and they, along with Quebec-based manufacturer Cuisine Idéale, will invest $11 million to modernize the site and restore 100 skilled manufacturing jobs that were lost during a shutdown earlier this year.
100 positions is a decline from the previous employment number of around 170, but State Senator Rob Ortt says that number is still a big win.
“It’s not about where it was before. We were going to be at zero jobs. The way I look at it, this was almost a growth of 100, because the company ceased to exist,” Ortt said. “And that’s 100 people and 100 families that still have employment, and that’s a big deal.”
WATCH: Local investors to reopen Candlelight Cabinetry in Lockport, will restore jobs and invest $11M
Ortt also stated that he is under the impression that many previous workers have found employment elsewhere following January's furloughs.'
The governor's office said the facility went into foreclosure following "sudden financial distress under its previous management," which caused the shutdown and layoffs.
Candlelight Curated Inc. acquired the operating assets via a Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) foreclosure sale, and its $11 million investment will target structural renovations and the integration of precision manufacturing machinery, according to the governor's office.
Officials said to facilitate the acquisition and protection of regional employment, Empire State Development (ESD) has awarded Candlelight Curated up to $2 million in performance-based Excelsior Jobs Program tax credits tied directly to the firm’s specific job creation commitments.
“We are incredibly grateful for New York State, the Niagara County IDA and Senator Ortt’s swift partnership, which allowed us to step in, secure this historic facility and protect Lockport's long-standing legacy of high-end cabinet manufacturing. Our primary goal is to get our skilled craftspeople back to the production floor as safely and quickly as possible. With a $11 million commitment toward structural renovations and machinery upgrades, we are positioning this plant to operate with greater efficiency, higher quality and broader custom design capabilities than ever before.”
The sudden shutdown of Candlelight Cabinetry is a story we have been following for months.
Several Candlelight employees told 7 News' Derek Heid that they had been without work since January 22 and that they still hadn't received their final paychecks or the year’s 401(k) benefits.
Ortt told 7 News that he expects employees to receive their benefits and missing paychecks very soon.
"Every employee will be made whole, and for employees who have been waiting or want to continue to work there, my understanding is they will be able to do so," Ortt said. "The workers can hopefully feel a sense of relief that not only are they going back, but that they are going back to a better or stronger version of Candlelight Cabinetry."
Numerous customers also told 7 News they’re out thousands of dollars on orders they paid the company for. They said their orders were not completed, nor were they refunded for their purchases.
The New York State Department of Labor had opened an investigation into Candlelight Cabinetry, stemming from complaints reported by dozens of unpaid employees. 7 News asked if that investigation was going to continue following the transfer of ownership.
“I would hope that investigation, which had been started, would continue,” Ortt said.
"The New York State Department of Labor does not comment on open investigations."
Within an internal email sent to employees that 7 News received two months ago, Candlelight Cabinetry owner Andrew Olsen said, “We are currently working with two groups who both see what we do. One is another cabinet company that desires our geographic location and footprint, the other is a group of local business owners who want to see this great company restored.”
You can read the full message sent on March 11 here:
