Fireworks company finds ways to prosper, despite COVID-19 slowing its season

Fireworks display at the Pandemic Prom 2020, designed by ACE Pyrotechnics of Manchester.

It’s been an unusual season for Aaron Enzer at ACE Pyrotechnics of Bridgewater Township. Instead of July being the busiest month of the year for his fireworks display business, it’s been rather quiet, primarily due to cancellations caused by COVID-19..

“We have probably done about a third the number of shows as we normally do at this time of year,” he explains. “And the shows we have done, have not been our larger events. Most of those were postponed to an undetermined date, so in reality we’re probably only at 20-25% of our revenue for display business.”

Some of the largest events that the company does annually around the Fourth of July have been postponed and are looking at possible alternate dates

But he’s found other ways to keep busy.

“Fortunately, we also do a lot of wholesale, and that side of the business has been good,” he adds. “Consumer fireworks wholesale has been really good this year. I have a friend who had to close his retail business on July 4 because he had nothing to sell.

“We’ve been supplying a lot of tents and retail establishments that have run out of fireworks to sell this year. Some places, we were sending several hundred cases every day, just trying to keep stock on their display tables.”

Enzer started the company in 1998. “It was very tiny, almost a hobby business,” he says. “It was a sideline for me, and slowly grew from there.

“I’ve always had a passion for fireworks, and when you have a passion for what you’re doing, you tend to do it well. More and more people wanted to do business with us, and that’s allowed us to grow a successful business over the years.”

ACE operates primarily in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Pennsylvania, but also has occasionally worked outside those areas. With a full-time staff of about 15, it’s no longer a “hobby” or a sideline for the Enzer family. “Around the Fourth of July, we typically have over 300 people who work for us over the holiday,” Aaron adds.

One of ACE’s most recent displays before the holiday weekend was done locally at the “Pandemic Prom” held last weekend for the Manchester High School classes of 2020 and 2021.

“We were contacted on a Tuesday evening for a Friday display,” he says. “My 16-year-old daughter goes to Manchester High School, so she designed the show that everyone got to see. We set it up and the song we chose was very fitting –– one of the sing-along songs the band had been doing throughout the year … so that made a nice tie-in.”

Watch the fireworks display here.

He explains that there is a “choreography” to each show, which are all computer-programmed for fireworks to discharge on different beats of music. The type of display that the MHS kids were treated to is “usually reserved for large, publicized displays –– like at the Super Bowl or at the U of M stadium –– but because we do those kinds of displays, we can do it even on a small scale, at a small formal dance held in an event barn, in a way you’d normally see at huge events.”

Not that his daughter is necessarily planning to follow in her dad’s footsteps. “She enjoys fireworks and I have enjoyed having her involved, but she will have an opportunity to follow her own passions in life,” Enzer says, “and I certainly don’t want to limit her to a family business.”

Still, the concern over this year’s postponed or cancelled events is very real.

“We’re hoping some of our large events will consider rescheduling later in the summer; Labor Day Weekend for example,” Enzer says. “For any business, it’s extremely difficult to prosper–or, in some cases, even survive–when you have two years’ of expenses but only one year of revenue. And that’s what would happen if our clients just skipped a year; we’ve been fortunate that a lot of them have not done that. It would be tough for any business to continue under those circumstances.”

While he knows that this year’s revenue will be down this year overall, he’s confident his wholesale segment, which is larger than the display part, will help them maintain a similar amount of revenue to keep the business going.

And … if you’re still looking for a reason to celebrate the season with some bang-up fireworks at home, check out the website at Acepyro.com. The company does sell consumer fireworks to the public.

Aaron Enzer. Photo courtesy ACE Pyro Facebook page.

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by Marsha Chartrand

Marsha Johnson Chartrand, a founder, writer, and copy editor with the Manchester Mirror, is a 50-year resident of Manchester. She has a long history of volunteer and community involvement.