Gordon Go-Getters

Honoring those making a difference during the COVID-19 outbreak. 

Lending a Hand Across the Country

Recently a contractor was fixing an MRI machine at a New York hospital when a crucial part was needed. The manufacturer was out of stock for the part across the nation. The contractor called Gordon Electric Supply to see if there was anything we could do. Our inside sales representative, Nick diligently searched for a source in the metro New York area to supply the part needed to fix this MRI machine. Within a few hours, Nick had located the part at a vendor warehouse in New Jersey. The contractor drove to the warehouse to pick-up the part and made it back to New York on the same day.

Making Masks, Making a Difference

Ashley Ramos, e-commerce rep here at Gordon Electric Supply, has been busy sewing face masks for medical workers between helping customers each day. She has donated masks to Riverside Medical Center and local senior citizen homes. Friends and coworkers have aided her goal by dropping off elastic and fabric. Thank you, Ashley, for your thoughtfulness and making us proud.

Powering Up for a Purpose

Across the nation, states and municipalities are preparing alternative care centers for COVID-19 patients (current and future). In the Chicagoland area, McCormick Place convention center’s change to a makeshift hospital is underway while in the southern suburbs, our friends at Titan Electric are helping to power a shuttered hospital that is reopening as a center for COVID-19 patients. The MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island, IL is undergoing infrastructure work after years of disuse. We are so proud of Titan Electric and all of the people involved in this project.

Can’t Mask Our Appreciation

The Gordon Electric Supply and Pontiac Electric Supply on-site teams received a special gift recently. Linda Flowers, the wife of long-time employee Wayne Flowers, gave masks to the team, but these were not just any face masks. They featured the logo of Square D by Schneider Electric for whom we are premier distributors. Thank you to Linda for keeping the safety of our branch teams in mind and making us look stylish!

Out of Stock Is a Good Thing This Time

The need for Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is felt around the world. Many health care workers have become creative and citizen volunteers are sewing and donating masks to health care institutions. Manufacturers are doing their part to produce PPE gear, but some companies are taking different approaches to help. Our friends at Milwaukee Tool have donated all remaining inventory of N95 respirators to hospitals in need. They sent 960 masks to the Greenwood Leflore Hospital in Mississippi from their warehouse stock.

United for COVID-19 Cure Research

Biotech and medical institutions (private and government) are working and volunteering their skills to research treatments for the novel coronavirus. Among the treatment research is the study of potential plasma-derived therapies that the newly formed CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance is working on. The initiative comprises of plasma- and blood-industry companies like our friends at CSL Behring, who are one of the founding companies for the alliance. Early in the announcement of the virus sweeping the nation, CSL Behring offered to lend its expertise to the science community fighting the virus. The CoVIg-19 Plasma Alliance is the latest efforts of companies helping to combat the virus.

Lunch Is On Us!

Employees at healthcare facilities have been very busy working in a hazardous environment. It has been heartwarming to see so many people come together to help and support our healthcare workers. Bradbury Plumbing, Heating, & Air surprised the employees of Miller Rehabilitation Center in Kankakee with lunch from Beef ‘O’ Brady’s today. Thanks to Bradbury, there are probably some happy smiles and full stomachs this afternoon!

Glasses Half Full

Amid all of the news reports, the outpouring of donations to our healthcare workers, first responders, and essential service providers shares hope. Our friends at Generac Power Systems recently acquired and donated hundreds of safety glasses to ProHealth Care and Aurora Medical in Oshkosh. These donations probably mean a lot while personal protective equipment supplies are still low.

PPE Now Stands For Powering Positive Efforts

Milbank is the latest manufacturer to join the fight against COVID-19 by adding production of personal protection equipment along with their regular electrical products. They used 3D printing to create close to 500 face shields that were all donated to local Kansas City metro area healthcare professionals. Production on the face shields will continue with more donations to the local healthcare institutions to come.

Everyone Said 3D Printing Is the Future…For PPE

We heard more great news about 3D printed personal protective equipment! Many healthcare and essential workers have been creative with prolonging or making new gear for themselves and colleagues. One of the latest developments is finding ways to keep face masks firmly in place, which is what ILSCO Corp decided to help with. They stepped up to the plate by sending 3D printed ear savers to healthcare workers in their local Cincinnati, OH area. Ear savers keep the masks firmly in place, improve comfort, and decreases workers from touching their faces to adjust the mask.

A Real Light Bulb Moment

Temporary hospitals around the nation have opened with makeshift supplies and ingenious ideas to begin operating quickly. One of the critical needs at temporary and field hospitals is lighting for examinations and patient use. Our friends over at Acuity Brands put their heads together and came up with a portable healthcare light stand that not only meets lighting requirements from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Health and Human Services but also encompass all lighting needs with one light. Acuity Brands streamlined the development process, which allowed them to have over a thousand lighting stands manufactured and shipped to temporary hospitals within a period of a month.

Water Treatment for Patient Treatment

Back in May, the good folks at Pentair‘s plant in Chardon, Ohio answered the call to provide rush equipment to a New York hospital in need of replacements due to many COVID-19 patients in the area. Resources have been thin for many hospitals whether they are for COVID-19 or other patients being treated. The water treatment equipment by Pentair removes contaminants in kidney dialysis systems.

Well-Rounded Approach

We’ve heard some heart-warming and inspiring stories of plants adding PPE production and/or donating the PPE to area medical workers. Even months later, companies like Federal Signal are still coming up with ideas to help. They even set up a website to share tips for sanitizing equipment and the face shields they are manufacturing at their University Park, IL location.