Cardell Cabinets fighting to keep plant open
STILL OPEN: This week Cardell Cabinets had 140 workers at its El Campo facility. Although they are averaging less then 40 hours a week, each still receives health benefits.
Cardell By BRENDA SOMMER bsommer@leader-news.com

L-N Photo by Brenda Sommer Teamwork Jorge Flores, left and Dwayne Holt work in fluid harmony to assemble cabinets at Cardell Cabinets Tuesday morning. The pair can completely assemble a cabinet every two minutes, which is the minimum pace expected to put the item together.

Cardell Cabinetry received its first job incentive check this week, holding fast to its desire to stay in place as a major El Campo employer.

Cardell was set to shut down operations here last April, after a January 2007 announcement saying it planned to mothball the El Campo facility in response to a general downturn in the housing market.

Instead, Cardell agreed to stay open with a smaller workforce after city economic leaders worked up a package of enticements that swayed leaders of the San Antonio based company.

"It's worked out great," said Kim James, Cardell chief financial officer, who was in town late last week to formally accept the first job incentive payment. The company received $38,750 for 155 average full-time positions maintained in the second and third quarters of last year.

L-N Photo by Brenda Sommer It Worked Out Cardell Cabinetry officials were on hand to accept a job incentive check totaling more than $38,000 for jobs saved when city officials and the company worked out an agreement to keep the plant from closing down last year. On hand for the check presentation were, from left: Kim James, Cardell chief financial officer; Chandra Spenrath, City Development Corp. of El Campo executive director; local plant Manager Frank Chacon; CDC director J.J. Croix; mayor pro tem and ex officio CDC board member Ken Martin and CDC director Bobby Perez.

"We're very pleased," James said. "I think it's a great example of a community and private industry working together."

Before its shutdown scare, Cardell was the third largest employer in the El Campo city limits with 250 workers, and the seventh largest taxpayer. Cardell Cabinetry is owned by B.J. Tidwell Industries, a private company, with plants in San Antonio and El Campo.

After the enticement agreement, the local operation remained open, but down-sized its workforce to a number that as of Tuesday was around 140, according to local plant Manager Frank Chacon.

The incentives offered by the El Campo City Development Corpora- tion and El Campo Economic Development Corporation cut the rent for Cardell's buildings and offered job retention incentives of $500 per full-time job up to a total of $75,000 per year for the next two years, starting April 5 and paid out every six months. The company had to keep a minimum of 75 jobs to receive the job incentives.

James said the El Campo factory is on a reduced work schedule, building cabinetry for homes and apartments four days a week, "due to the dramatic drop in new construction."

Most workers average 30 to 32 hours per week, he said, but all workers, regardless of hours worked, are eligible for health care and other benefits.

"The company's owner, Bill Tidwell, cares very much about those things," James said.

He said he expects the building industry to rebound, and noted the winter season is always slow for the company. That's because Cardell sells throughout the country and when winter strikes in the north, construction naturally slows, no matter what the overall building market is doing.

"We're looking forward to a turnaround in this industry," he said. "I can't promise anything about the economy, but it is our intent to be part of El Campo for a long time."