At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the management of Carolina CoverTech was trying to disinfect the North Augusta plant and convince employees that it is safe to continue working, so they received an unusual order.
It is not any ordinary customer from the manufacturer, who is engaged in everything from selling commercial awnings to supplying heavy-duty spill prevention devices to chemical plants and oil exploration companies.
The order came from a distributor of autopsy, anatomy and pathology equipment.
It requires 500 leak-proof bags with multiple handles. The size is approximately 6 feet long and 3 feet wide.
"We don't call them body bags, but they are just like that," said Rian True, president of Carolina CoverTech. "We are not trying to deceive our employees because they know what they are. We just call them "panel bags."
True stated that the initial order from the medical supplier Mopec subsequently verbally requested an additional 5,000 bags. Although the number of deaths from COVID-19 is not close to the worst-case prediction, True believes that the pandemic is the cause of the order.
"I think people are looking up at their shelves and saying,'Hey, we are out of stock,'" True said.
Although Carolina CoverTech is more willing to produce higher-margin spill-proof products-this segment of the market has fallen due to record low crude oil prices-but True said the company is happy to receive the order.
The company also recently got a boost by manufacturing disaster relief shelter components for Western Shelter Products, a supplier of FEMA-style tents used to temporarily house first responders.
True stated that the masking panels made by Carolina CoverTech for the Eugene, Oregon-based company are one of the few products that helped the manufacturer remain classified as "essential business" throughout the pandemic lockdown.
Carolina CoverTech received attention last month for helping university hospitals provide disposable gowns. Like many hospitals, in the first few weeks of the pandemic, the university’s supply of personal protective overalls has been exhausted.
Within one and a half weeks after receiving the gown template, the company shipped 2,000 pieces to the hospital every day. Even after the hospital’s supply chain returns to normal, disposable protective clothing may remain in Carolina CoverTech’s portfolio; peach packers at JW Yonce & Sons in Johnston, South Carolina are using this gown to help prevent clothing The peaches on it are itchy.
In late April, Carolina CoverTech further diversified its business by acquiring School Safety Supply in North Carolina, a supplier that only provides hidden products to prevent active shooting situations online. True said he decided to acquire the company after serving as the company's contract manufacturer for the past two years.
The core product is a blackout curtain designed to cover the rectangular windows on most classroom doors.
"In the case of an active shooter, the first thing is that if he can't see the door and can't get in, he may move on," True said. "Unfortunately, this is a growing market."
Carolina CoverTech’s last attempt outside of its normal industrial supply channels was to make fashionable masks for Koss Creative in Columbia, South Carolina. Koss Creative is a screen printer specializing in Southern lifestyle-themed clothing.
True believes that 100% cotton masks are the company's first non-coated fabric product. Carolina CoverTech manufactures most of its products using industrial stitching machines and radio frequency welding machines, which bind polymers at the molecular level.
Only a household sewing machine worth $300 is needed to make Coase's masks. True admits that the product is not part of the company's core expertise, but said that his main purpose is to help his friend, Koss Creative owner Rusty Koss, find a retail market.
"He thinks people may continue to wear masks indefinitely, at least when they travel," True said. "He believes they will want something more fashionable, not just an ordinary mask."
Now is the permit time: I have noticed three building permits in the last few days.
The first is a $1.4 million shopping mall project, adjacent to the Wal-Mart Community Market in Evans, located at 280 S. Belair Road. Developer Pui Yin Chan's 12,800-square-foot retail belt will have 9 stores and is expected to start renting out in September. In addition to the aforementioned Wal-Mart, this 6-acre property also has an O'Reilly Auto Parts.
The second permit is to provide $2.1 million in work for the new MedNow Emergency and Primary Care Clinic at 3044 Taoyuan Road, South Augusta. The 4,600-square-foot clinic is located on a ¾ acre site previously occupied by Emilio's Italian Eatery and is also expected to open this fall.
Last but not least, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers awarded Allen-Batchelor Construction a $10.1 million federal contract for the construction of a single-family officer's residential unit in Fort Gordon.
COTILLION QUEST: Augusta already has a cotillion-Augusta Symphony Orchestra Association Cotillion and Rosa T. Beard Debutante Club immediately come to mind-but it does not have a junior cotillion.
At least none of them belong to the National League of Junior Cotillions. The Charlotte, North Carolina-based organization hopes to change this situation this year.
The 120-member organization said it is seeking to establish a branch in Augusta and hopes to appoint a local director by August. For those who don't know what cotillion is, it helps teach young people etiquette, etiquette and semi-useful skills, such as ballroom dancing.
"The program is having a positive impact on students across the country, and we are happy to know that more young people will have the opportunity to take advantage of this important training," said Charles Winters, president of the National League.
Do you think you are suitable for this job? Call the Union (800) 633-7947.
Sleeping soundly? : Ok...this is a study in my inbox.
When I typed the word "study", I made an air quotation gesture.
Sleepopolis, an online sleep industry review and information site, has processed a series of numbers on various health and environmental factors, creating "sleep scores" for multiple regions...including ours. On this score, 100 is a happy sleep and 0 is a rusty nail.
Sleepopolis's Georgia data shows that the Columbia County bedroom community in the metropolitan area performs well in terms of bedrooms. Evans ranked No. 5 with a sleep score of 85.34; 83.64 was No. 33 Martinez; No. 43 Grovetown was 83.3 .
Big cities are more restless; Augusta has a sleep score of 80.77, ranking 124th out of 159 neighborhoods.
According to the omniscient overlord of Wikipedia, the neighborhood with the highest sleep score in Georgia is 86.82. Milton is a place I have never been to, but I understand it as "the wealthy suburban city of Fulton County." . The place with the worst sleep score on the list is 79.44, which is where I have been to Albany. once.
The above-mentioned "health and environmental factors" include the smoking rate in the community, the rate of insufficient sleep, the number of days of mentally unhealthy days, lack of physical activity, air pollution levels, and unemployment rates.
I don't know how Sleepopolis calculates the "rate of sleep deprivation" and "days with unhealthy mental health".
But Sleepopolis did say, “Hopefully extending the time spent working at home will help reduce air pollution, thereby increasing monthly sleep time.”
Hey guys, I read these studies, so you don't have to.
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