Colgate Mattress Shifts Gears to Make Masks During COVID-19 Pandemic
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Atlanta-based Colgate Mattress™️ has shifted the focus of a portion of its factory employees from handcrafting crib mattresses to creating masks, which will be donated to Shepherd Center. These masks are a collaborative effort across the company, from hospital outreach to mask design to sewing and manufacturing. Together, the Colgate family is aiming to donate about 3,000 masks by mid-April.
“When COVID-19 began impacting our community, we knew we had to help,” said Colgate Mattress Vice President Richard Wolkin. “As a manufacturing facility, we have the unique ability to repurpose some of our supplies for our healthcare workers. We have worked tirelessly to manufacture a mask that can be utilized to better protect our healthcare providers.”
Colgate Mattress™️, the nation’s oldest family-owned manufacturer of crib mattresses and accessories, is committed to supporting its local Atlanta community during the recent coronavirus pandemic. In response to the shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) for healthcare workers, Colgate is taking actionable steps to manufacture necessary masks at scale. Shepherd Center, also an Atlanta mainstay, is a private, not-for-profit hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal cord injury, brain injury, stroke, multiple sclerosis, spine and chronic pain, and other neuromuscular conditions.
Over the course of three days, Colgate Mattress developed a mask prototype in conjunction with Shepherd Center and accelerated manufacturing efforts to produce about 500 masks per day. The company is committed to continuing its mask development to aid the local healthcare system and to help fill the shortage of PPE for local medical personnel and first responders.
“We’re grateful for and inspired by local businesses such as Colgate who have pivoted on their own business model to help organizations get the equipment they need,” said Sarah Morrison, PT, MBA, MHA, president and CEO of Shepherd Center. “We know that many organizations are experiencing shortages of PPE, and we’re grateful to Colgate for committing to keeping our patients and staff safe. Community support is always vital, but even moreso during this challenging time.”
Colgate Mattress also continues to manufacture and provide parents with high-quality crib mattresses and accessories. The company has been an industry pioneer, being the first to manufacture polyurethane mattresses, foam crib mattresses and dual-firmness mattresses from its home base in Atlanta, Georgia.
“We’ve been a part of the Atlanta community for 65 years,” Wolkin said. “Through our mask-making efforts, we’re honored to give back to the community that has given us so much in a small way. “
For more information about Colgate Mattress, visit ColgateKids.com.
