LEWISTON — Roughly a dozen Geiger workers have been released on furloughs, a company official confirmed Wednesday.

The furloughs, which mainly impacted workers in the distribution center, are expected to be temporary.

“When the country opens back up again,” said Jo-An Lantz, president and CEO of the company, “we expect to call them back.”

For three months, Geiger had been able resist furloughs and layoffs, even as other companies around the area were forced to let employees go.

They were able to do that, Lantz explained, by pivoting to the creation and sale of personal protective equipment at a time when such items were coming in demand.

“If you need masks and gowns and all those things we were able to provide those,” Lantz said, “So we’ve been doing well.”

In the end, though, it wasn’t enough — not with COVID-19 drastically limiting the kinds of social activities for which Geiger provides promotional materials.

“Our business is one that’s based on events, travel, schools, education,” Lantz said. “It has certainly had an impact.”

Geiger, located on Mount Hope Avenue in Lewiston, employs roughly 360 people, not including sale staff.

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