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September 26, 2008
‘Extreme Maker’ Uses Jewish-Owned Companies Here
Maayan Jaffe
Staff Reporter
Ann Kurlander, CFO of Kurlander Electric Inc., said giving charity is the Jewish way. She and her company, along with Steve Black’s Chesapeake Closets, took tzedakah to a new level last June. Americans can see their good deeds this Sunday night, Sept. 28, at 7 p.m. when the 2008 season premiere of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” debuts with these companies on the set, helping to give a select family their dream home in just seven days.
This is the show’s sixth season. It is the second time ABC has filmed “Extreme Makeover” in Maryland; the last was in 2006 in Capital Heights.
Chesapeake Closets and Kurlander Electric were among a team of 350 vendors that pulled together to give Felicia Jackson of Poolesville, Md., a new home. In 2004, Ms. Jackson’s sister died of cancer, leaving behind 10 children. Ms. Jackson promised her sister she would not let the kids go into the foster care system, but she has been struggling to keep them — and her own four children — together ever since. Until “Extreme Makeover” called, they were living in a hotel.
“Extreme Makeover” contacted Classic Homes of Maryland to get the ball rolling. Classic Homes recruited Kurlander Electric and recommended Chesapeake Closets to ABC, according to the show’s senior producer, Diane Korman.
“When we got the call, I didn’t question for one second whether we wanted to do it,” said Mr. Black, whose 21-year-old company specializes in customized storage designs for closets/pantries, home offices and garages. “Not every company could handle this!”
Mr. Black, his nephew and company vice president, Danny Black, and a team of more than a dozen contractors had just under five hours to put together nine functional closet spaces. With 14 kids and four bedrooms, Danny Black said, storage was not just a luxury to the Jackson family but a priority. Company officials said they donated materials and service that would retail for around $15,000.
Working on the set, said the elder Mr. Black, was, well, chaotic.
“While we were inside the closets, the painters were painting the walls. While we were carrying stuff up the steps, there were guys on stilts finishing up the Sheetrock,” he said. “But usually in a situation like this, people are like very dog-eat-dog, stay out of my way, I have to get my job done. The set was the exact opposite. It was a pleasure. People were very cooperative.”
Did the Blacks notice the cameras? Not so much, they said — they had to concentrate on getting the job done.
Kurlander Electric teamed up with G and J Electric of Fredericksburg, Va., to wire and install all of the lighting in the house. They spent five days — the first one 18 hours long — and $3,500 in labor on the home, and they don’t even know if they were captured on film. “The camera was running all the time, but I guess we’ll see on the 28th,” said Paul Kurlander, president of Kurlander Electric.
Ms. Korman said she watched the men at work on the set and was “so impressed with the dedication and level of quality workmanship. They were like running a race — fast as can be, but with every attention to detail.”
She said this year’s “Extreme Makeover” theme is “heroes in your community.”
“When you look at the way local vendors have stepped up to make a difference, they are the true heroes, making it happen, making a difference,” she said. Ms. Korman noted the appropriateness of the show debuting days before Rosh Hashanah, when Jews are thinking about how to be better people. “If we all do a little bit more,” she said, “it will have an impact on this world.”
Said Danny Black: “We do lots of closets, but rarely are we in the middle of someone’s life-changing event. But it wasn’t just that it changed their lives. It changed ours. It was very special.”
On the final day, when the Jacksons were scheduled to see their new home, Lori Kurlander, Paul’s wife, recalled that it was pouring rain, nasty and muddy. But as the Jacksons pulled up, the rain stopped. “All of a sudden, the sun was shining,” she said. “It was like a sign from heaven!”
Both companies said they were proud of their work and would do it again in a heartbeat. They said Ms. Jackson was awestruck and teary-eyed when she saw her home.
“We are not religious in the sense that we attend synagogue that much, but it’s in our hearts and homes,” said Ann Kurlander. “Giving is the Jewish way.”