Former printing plant converted

07.04.2004


The former Cadmus Communications building crawls along North Courtland Street in East Stroudsburg. Its long walls of cinder blocks and brick cast a shadow of lost prosperity after the printing plant closed in 2001.
Fred Budetti always noticed the aging hulk when he drove to his vacation home in Hemlock Farms, Pike County.

"I've passed it for 30 years," he said. "I remember when they were building the extension and thinking 'Wow, this is a great location.' "

It still is, and now Budetti is co-owner of the 135,000-square-foot mammoth.

Budetti needed space to expand his manufacturing business, United Steel Products, based in Flushing , N.Y. , near Shea Stadium. His original plan was to build an additional plant on Long Island , but delays plagued the project. He looked westward and found the empty shell that has become the home of Advanced Door Technologies. (Budetti's United Steel Products is not related to the Stroud Township business in the process of being sold.)

"The location is perfect. It's faster to move from here to New York than the end of Long Island, where there's so much traffic and congestion," Budetti said.

But big, old buildings can be booby-trapped with nasty surprises. Budetti was happy to be expanding in a Keystone Opportunity Zone, where the business will enjoy tax breaks for filling a abandoned industrial site. Still, it was tough to know what would be found once heaps of old magazines, catalogs and brochures were hauled from the cavernous plant.

"It's scary when you first walk in because you don't know," said Budetti, who is 56 and has been in the steel door business for 34 years.

Two months after closing the deal, the birth of Advanced Door Technologies is ahead of schedule as automated, computer-controlled machines are installed to make custom doors like those that roll down over shopping mall stores and urban shops.

The surprises were good ones.

"Power distribution and air conditioning are great. Whatever we needed was directly above and the right voltage," Budetti said.

There's plenty of office space, and although the oldest part of the building is too low for manufacturing, it's well-suited for storage. Repairs are under way on the roof, but wiring and piping are in good shape.

"This is perfect for us," Budetti said.

Production will start later this summer once new equipment arrives from overseas.

About 30 workers have already stopped by seeking jobs. The plant will employ 30 workers at first and 100 over the next three years when it reaches full operation. The company will start hiring at the end of August.
A new driveway and sidewalks have been installed at a warehouse across the street. Engineers are looking for ways to build a ramp in the parking lot and avoid the chronic problem of tractor-trailers blocking heavily traveled North Courtland Street to squeeze into a delivery bay.

Budetti and about 10 managers will relocate from New York to run the plant. They've already discovered some good lunch spots down the street, including Tony's Pizza, Dansbury Depot and the 18301 Café.
Budetti recently hosted local business leaders for a tour.

"This is another example of an industry that tourism helped us attract," said Chuck Leonard of Pocono Mountains Industries, referring to Budetti's tradition of vacationing in the Poconos before expanding his business here. "This would have been a tough building to sell."

Budetti is working with zoning officer John Blick to comply with borough regulations, and he understands the plant's delicate location close to residential neighborhoods and the downtown business district.
"We want to keep it clean and look forward to pleasing the community," he said.