Worcester Business Journal

wbjournal.com | April 13, 2020 | Worcester Business Journal 15 UniBank's team of business experts provide customized solutions that help you meet the modern-day demands of running a business. Our comprehensive suite of products and services, including our UniPay Online Payment solution, were designed to provide businesses the competitive edge needed to strategically navigate fi nancial challenges. You be you. You you. bank Member FDIC/Member DIF Contact one of our experts or visit unibank.com to fi nd out more. Kristy L. Genga AVP, UniPay Business Sales Offi cer 508.849.4245 Todd Mandella SVP, Senior Commercial Lender 508.849.4253 Lemonia Mironidis VP, Branch Manager Worcester 508.756.0807 Tom McGregor SVP, Chief Commercial Lending Offi cer 508.849.4340 M A N U F A C T U R I N G F O C U S producing in a few days. Both have pro- duced hundreds of gallons of sanitizer each week donated to area hospitals and other health facilities. "ey responded quickly," Jim Comber, Garden Remedies' director of marketing, said of his staff. "e spirit in that building is just tremendous." Manufacturers who have made the switch plan to keep going as long as their help is needed. In some cases, once they get the hang of making their new prod- ucts, they expect to get far more done. FLEXcon, for example, hopes to make 40,000 masks a week by the second full week of April. By May, it's aiming for 1 million a month. Proud to join the fight Some manufacturers, including Sparx, would be temporarily closed if not for making such necessary products. Nashoba Valley Spirits remained partly open because it includes a farm as well as a retail business offering deliveries. e cannabis producers were able to stay open because their businesses include medicinal sales, which are considered essential. "We as a company were really excited to be able to contribute," said Keith Cooper, Revolutionary Clinics' CEO. Besides for keeping the lights on, making masks and sanitizer has given manufacturers a role in combating a pandemic expected to kill at least 100,000 in the United States alone. Among those pitching in however they can are the nearly 100 members of the Worcester makerspace Technocopia. ough its 11,000-square-foot space in the Printers Building downtown is closed, Technocopia was able to create with 3D printers some materials to get started before the closure, and some of its members are now making masks from home. Technocopia is working with international manufacturer Saint- Gobain, the Worcester Center for Cras, Ferromorphics Blacksmithing of Worcester and Cotyledon Farm of Leicester to help make shields, said Lauren Monroe, Technocopia's co- executive director. e effort – which includes a Facebook page, the Worcester Face Shield Project, to solicit help or materials – has been grassroots, with a lot of out-of-stock and other roadblocks. "It has felt like it's one individual talking to another individual, who's talking to another individual, who is getting you what you need," Monroe said. A sense of pride has accompanied the manufacturers' work, even if it's largely forgotten about during the rush. "We haven't spent a whole lot of time talking about it because we're working so diligently," Winkler, the FLEXcon CEO, said. At Nashoba Valley Distillery, the staff was able to celebrate when, aer a seven- day work week they made 275 gallons of sanitizer. "It was our goal for a while, and we finally hit it," said Justin Pelletier, the company's COO. "So that was a big deal for us." Sparx Hockey in Acton has switched from making skate-sharpenin equipment to protective face masks. W

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