Firewall Forward’s Resurrection?

Despite recent reports that employees of Firewall Forward returned from lunch one day last week to find the doors locked, spokesmen for the company told AVweb yesterday that the engine-overhaul outfit is not shutting down. “We’re definitely in business and intend to stay in business for a long time,” Don Taranto, owner of Firewall Forward, told AVweb yesterday. “We went in and shut everything down for about a week to evaluate where we were.” He said the financial status and operations of the company are being reviewed. Mark Seader, who owned the company before selling it to Taranto several years ago, is stepping in as general manager. Seader told AVweb he will refocus the company’s efforts on customer service and engine overhauls, and scale back on other side projects that had accumulated. Staff has been cut from 43 employees to about 20, and the production schedule will be managed to ensure that customers get their engines back on time, Seader said.