The call went out from states: Masks, gowns, gloves and other personal protective equipment were needed fast in the battle against the new coronavirus. Many businesses that jumped in to help this spring soon found themselves facing delays from suppliers and, in some cases, having orders canceled by states too impatient to wait. States scrambling to acquire personal protective equipment, or PPE, ended up halting billions of dollars worth of orders this spring, sometimes sticking businesses with huge costs they can't recoup, according to an Associated Press analysis of states’ purchasing data. “It was a nightmare, it was an absolute nightmare," said Christian Weber, CEO of Advanced Shelter Systems Inc., which saw Texas cancel a contract to supply millions of KN95 masks, similar to the N95 that filters out tiny particles.