Comstar Supply Provides Coronavirus Update II

Over the course of my 25-year career here at Comstar Supply, I’ve learned that during a crisis or in a time of need, you must communicate clearly, with transparency, and often. So, you will continue to see regular updates from us as we navigate our way through this hopefully short-term event.

Some of you might have seen that yesterday evening Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf announced that all but “life-sustaining” businesses in the state should shut down immediately. Telecommunications and cable distribution are listed as “life-sustaining” within the order, and so as of noon on Friday, March 20, Comstar remains open for business until further notice.

Over the past two weeks we have made necessary changes to protect the health and well-being of our staff. We remain vigilant in using best health practices as defined by the CDC and rigorously continue to regularly sanitize our workstations and warehouse space throughout our offices in Philadelphia and Raleigh. We also moved the majority of our admin teams offsite to work from their home, while we maintain a smaller set of employees who are on-site operating at full capacity at each of our locations.

With so many of our customers supporting federal agencies, state and local governments, large businesses, and leading healthcare institutions, it remains critical for us to provide service during these uncertain moments. That being said, here’s where we stand today:

• As I stated, we continue to remain open for business, and all operations are functioning normally. For more than 25 years, we’ve met the challenges created by unexpected events and we've always made the necessary adjustments to continue to support our customers.
• We were able to increase our stock position over the last month, especially in fiber cable and hardware, to ensure adequate levels for our customers in case of any global impacts on the supply chain.
• We are beginning to experience longer lead times from select vendors, which is to be expected. However, because of our proactive planning, there is no short-term impact on our ability to serve customers.

Obviously, this is an ever-changing environment we’re all piloting together. As long as the health and well-being of our staff is not being compromised, or until we are ordered to shut down, I expect us to continue operations. I will provide additional updates as necessary. Please stay healthy and safe with your loved ones.

Best Regards.

Chad Punchard
President, Comstar Supply