FREEBURG, Pa. - William Penn Cabinetry, the high-end cabinet operation that began in Pennsylvania last February, has received a three-year $500,000 loan from SEDA, a regional development agency.
The cabinetmaker will use the funds to purchase new equipment and inventory, help pay the salaries of its existing 32 employees, and hire 120 more employees.
William Penn had originally planned to hire more workers by the beginning of 2021. Now the company expects to finish hiring by the fall.
William Penn launched days before the pandemic struck. It operates out of a former Colonial Furniture plant not far from the Wood-Mode plant. Company founder Maurice Brubaker hired many of the laid off former Wood-Mode workers to fill out the company's initial staff.
Since then - and despite a pandemic-forced shutdown - Brubaker has invested $1 million in machinery and acquired nearby architectural mouldings firm Stanley Woodworking.
Cabinet production began in January, reports the Daily Item. The first shipment will be made this week.
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