Supporting Canada’s Frontline

A Global Pandemic // Back in March, 2020 took a turn for the worst as the COVID-19 Virus became a front page issue here in Ontario. Declared a global pandemic, many businesses that were deemed non-essential were forced to close down in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. Thankfully, businesses involved in print were deemed essential allowing C17media to remain open.

Weathering the Storm // As many were quarantined at home and businesses slashed marketing budgets, the ripple effect through the economy was also felt here at C17media. In a collective effort, our team came together (virtually, of course) to determine a course of action to get through this period of uncertainty.

Realizing the dire need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) facing Frontline Healthcare workers and recognizing that our print production equipment could be repurposed, our team began experimenting with making Face Shields and Countertop Guards. After multiple concepts and iterations, a ready-t0-market product was finally complete.

To legitimize our face shields for public sale, we obtained a Medical Device License (MDEL) from the Government of Canada authorizing our shields as medical devices.

Support Canada’s Frontline// To bring our face shields to market on a tight budget, we relied on the generosity of our community to subsidize the initial production run of our face shield effort.

Launching our “Support Canada’s Frontline” initiative via a GoFundMe Campaign as well as our independent website, we matched every $3 Donation to ensure we could cover our base costs while also donate to hospitals in need. To help spread words of encouragement, each donated shield was outfitted with vinyl strips bearing the words “Stay Strong!”

Thanks to the support of our donors, we delivered 4,000 face shields to 8 hospitals and care centers in and around the GTA. During this difficult time, it was relieving to see businesses working symbiotically to support the fight against COVID. Alongside the corporate donations received on our GoFundMe, we were thankful for CAA’s initiative to transport our donated face shields free-of-charge to each respective hospital.

A Government Call-for-Action // With the pandemic showing no signs of slowing down and the nationwide demand for PPE increasing, the Government released a number of tenders for various PPE.

As a result, we were selected to supply over 60,000 face shields to a government organization. To accommodate such a request, it was necessary to ramp up production and hire temporary staff to assist. This introducing a number of challenges, including guaranteeing output while adhering to strict safety and physical distancing measures. Thankfully, with our 14,000 square-foot facility, we were able to sufficiently separate all staff and keep workflow up. After four weeks of constant production, we were able to successfully deliver the 60,000 face shields.

Back to Business// As the seasons changed from Spring to Summer, and Ontario passed through its stages of quarantine, a number of businesses and medical practices began to slowly reopen.

In preparation for their reopening, we recognized a growing need for providing protection between businesses’ employees and patrons. To meet this need, we launched our polycarbonate countertop sneeze guards which were an instant hit with dentistry offices followed by other organizations.

Through our Support Canada’s Frontline website, we made the order process effortless and contactless for customers to order the PPE they required for a safe reopening. We also offered various floor, wall, window and freestanding signage options.

To date, we have delivered over 300 sneeze guards to a number of public and private institutions including medical clinics, dental offices, law offices, educational institutions and restaurants.

Looking towards the future// It’s hard to say what the future has in store for us. The last couple of months have been filled with a lot of challenges, but also a lot of growth. Our team came together and performed the extraordinary while navigating through uncertainty. We’re thankful that our core business operations have resumed but we stand ready to produce more PPE in the unfortunate event that another occurrence of COVID-19 arises.