April 21, 2020

Dear FM Family,

This has been a difficult time for everyone, and I hope you and your families are healthy and safe.  Like all of you, I have been closely following local and national news related to coronavirus and have done my utmost to stay up-to-date with the latest information. Governor Cuomo’s most recent statements regarding COVID-19 indicate that the pandemic is on the descent, giving us reason to cautiously look to the future. I am very happy to announce that, on May 1, 2020, the FM Family will be again receiving  normal direct deposit pay.

At this time, Governor Cuomo has ordered all non-essential businesses to remain closed until May 15, 2020. Though this date may change, it seems to me that the state will remain “closed” until that date. The risk that this date poses to our continued business operations cannot be overstated; we have already lost significant orders as a direct result of COVID-19, and this trend will continue as long as our factory remains closed. 

Immediately after our factory closed at the directive of the governor,  I applied for a designation as an Essential business. This was based on the types of brushes that we supply to various customers who are already classified as essential businesses. I am happy to announce that we were approved and designated as an Essential business by New York State.

So, what does this mean for us going forward? As an “essential business,” we are exempt from the closure restrictions under the current state law and are legally permitted to operate and staff the factory in compliance with the state’s guidelines. Our designation as an Essential business gives us permission to resume operations and will help reduce continued losses. While we could have opened  for business several weeks ago, I wanted to make sure that we took every available precaution for the safety of all our FM family.  So, when we do reopen, we will strictly observe all of the state-mandated and CDC-approved safety precautions.

I will continue to evaluate the available information over the next several days and hopefully come to a decision sometime next week. I will keep you informed accordingly. Thank you for your understanding and loyalty during this difficult time. 

We stand together #FMSTRONG,

Jeff