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| The fleet of Lentz Transfer & Storage moving vans has been idled at the Hampton Road facility in Clemmons. |
The Clemmons Courier - Lentz Transfer & Storage, a five-generation, 96-year-old business, is closing its doors, a victim of the economy.
President Eddie Lentz broke the news to the remaining 29 employees January 11 that their jobs are gone. One of those dismissed was his own son — the fifth generation of a family business that has literally moved Winston-Salem and Forsyth County.
“There wasn’t anything else to do,” Lentz said, struggling with his emotions. He said the employees had all recognized the company’s battle to stay afloat as moving orders slowed to a trickle.
Lentz said the moving business has always been a barometer of the economy. “We could always tell if it was going up or down,” he said. For three years, that barometer has been falling.
“I have been through tough times before,” he said citing economic slowdowns in other decades. “I have been struggling with this for three years, and there’s no end in sight. It was really bad last year. There’s nothing out there.”
Employees have endured pay cuts and multiple layoffs as the company tried to curb its losses and wait out the storm.
“It wasn’t a big surprise to them,” Lentz said. “They’ve known the circumstances. This is the result of the economy.” Many of those let go Monday were 25- and 30-year veterans of the company, the loyal core he had tried to shield through the storm ... For the full story, subscribe to The Clemmons Courier.