Brave New World

Manufacturer: Studco Building Systems
Location: Webster, New York
Products: Drywall and structural steel-stud framing systems.
Founded: 2006
Employees: 65
Price range: $

Manufacturer: Ellison
Location: Falconer, New York
Products: Custom balanced doors made of aluminum, bronze, stainless steel, and tempered glass.
Founded: 1914
Employees: 65
Price range: $$$

Manufacturer: Hope’s Windows
Location: Jamestown, New York
Products: Custom-designed, solid hot-rolled steel and solid bronze window and door systems for commercial and residential projects, along with hurricane, blast and bullet-resistant windows, doors, and walls.
Founded: 1912
Employees: 225
Price range: $$$

Manufacturer: Scranton Products
Location: Scranton, Pennsylvania
Products: High-density polyethylene partitions, cubicles, and lockers.
Founded: 1983
Employees: 800+
Price range: $$

Manufacturer: CornellCookson
Location: Mountain Top, Pennsylvania
Products: Ceiling doors; high-performance closures; grilles and gates; and fire, accordion, counter, and insulated doors.
Founded: 1828
Employees: 600
Price range: $$

Manufacturer: ATAS International
Location: Allentown, Pennsylvania
Products: Metal roofs, metal wall panels, and building-envelope systems.
Founded: 1963
Employees: 100+
Price range: $–$$$

Manufacturer: Ecore
Location: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Products: Rubber, wood, cork, carpet, and vinyl sur- faces as well as cushioning and acoustic underlayments.
Founded: 1871
Employees: 400+
Price range: $–$$

Manufacturer: Inter-lux
Location: Baltimore
Products: Architectural and residential luminaires and lighting systems for indoor and outdoor use.
Founded: 2004
Employees: 35
Price range: $$

Manufacturer: Bendheim
Location: Passaic, New Jersey
Products: Color-coated glass and glass wall systems, including curtain walls, rainscreens, and ventilated facades.
Founded: 1927
Employees: 80+
Price range: $









Changes in Washington, D.C., and China are having an impact on manufacturers in Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and New York.
“I expect 2017 to be guided by policy change and a fear of the unknown,” says Jeff Fuchs, executive director of Maryland World Class Consortia, a Baltimore–based economic nonprofit. “Both considerations drive business decisions that manufacturers will be making.”
To get businesses running , “we need healthcare revised,” says Gene Barr, president and CEO of the Harrisburg-based Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. “We also need policies that ensure the country can move toward greater domestic energy security.”
One positive sign is that fewer jobs are moving overseas. “Companies are returning from China,” claims Raymond Vaccari, director of Newark-based Manufacture New Jersey Talent Network. He maintains that manufacturing costs in the Asian country “have increased 200 percent in 10 years.”
Manufacturers like Studco Building Systems in Webster, New York, have been benefiting from an uptick in construction. “Things are looking strong in Philadelphia and New York City ,” says Ben Stevens, the company’s vice president. Adds Mark Zaroogian, chief operating officer of Baltimore-based lighting supplier Inter-lux: “Our size and scale puts us in a very robust and stable position.” This, he says, “really gives us the confidence to grow our business.”
Not counting a brief slowdown during the recession, Lancaster, Pennsylvania–based Ecore has experienced double-digit growth for the past 20 years. “When you’re growing that fast, you continue to hire, invest in new equipment, and utilize space as best you can,” says Mitch Schreiber, vice president of operations at the recycled flooring manufacturer.
The outlook for 2017? “Very, very rosy,” he says.