Dawn Kaelin Gunning, president of Gunning Inc., listens to her financial adviser ata higher volume than TV news

“He says, ‘You are young, you can ride these things out. Don’t panic. Don’t do what everybody else does, which is sell low and buy high,’” she said.

In fact, now is the time to look for opportunities that may have been unaffordable or unavailable in stronger economic climates. Gunning, a sheet metal contractor, has been on the lookout for such deals over the past few years, and, last fall, the company spotted a metal shop up for sale. Gunning, which had been contracting with another company to fabricate its product, jumped at the chance and bought all the equipment inside. At the same time, the company learned about Verizon looking to unload a number of properties across the state.

“We found out about a property on Rochester Road and put a bid in before it hit the market,” she said. “Knock on wood, everything kind of fell into place.”

In May, Gunning opened its 8,000-square-foot steel fabrication shop and hired two full-time employees to run it.