Kevin Plank Steps Up to Help Slow the Spread of COVID-19 in Maryland
Aside from Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg stepping up to donate millions of dollars for coronavirus relief aid, a few other members of the billionaire and millionaire clubs have acted with similar altruism during the pandemic. Kevin Plank is one of the exceptions. Plank’s businesses, Under Armour and Sagamore Spirit Whiskey, have both lent important assistance to those in need during the coronavirus outbreak.
Under Armour’s Public Service During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Though the mainstream media has not gone out of its way to highlight Under Armour’s manufacture of half a million face masks, the company performed this altruistic act in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus and ultimately save lives. The athletic clothing manufacturer also donated PPE to local hospitals in the Port Covington area to help healthcare workers at a heightened risk for contracting the deadly virus. Aside from making the half-million face masks as noted above, Under Armour is also making fanny packs and face shields at its Port Covington buildings to help those battling COVID-19.
In fact, Plank’s company is even debating the idea of making hospital gowns so our heroic healthcare workers have fresh gowns to don when treating patients, ultimately reducing the chances of passing the virus to others.
Additional Details About Under Armour’s Charitable Efforts
Under Armour’s generous donation of medical equipment will be provided to upwards of 28,000 healthcare workers at the University of Maryland Medical System, or UMMS for short. Some of the medical equipment will also be provided to the LifeBridge organization. Plank is also leading discussions with additional medical facilities in regard to their need for supplies amidst the pandemic. When all is said and done, it is quite possible Plank’s businesses will also lend medical equipment to MedStar, Johns Hopkins Medicine, and a litany of other medical institutions in the area.
Corporate Benevolence in America’s Time of Need
Under Armour did not hesitate to put its machines into motion when area medical providers reached out, asking the athletic apparel manufacturer to assist with medical supply needs. All in all, in excess of 50 Under Armour employees ranging from apparel designers to materials scientists and footwear specialists worked in unison to meet the need. Company employees from Portland to Baltimore joined forces to rapidly manufacture exactly what the medical community needed most during the pandemic: medical supply kits, gowns, masks, and more.
Under Armour’s Mask for Medical Personnel
Under Armour’s product designers quickly brainstormed a unique protective mask to help safeguard those working on the frontlines to fight the coronavirus. The company’s protective mask proved particularly helpful as it was designed to be rapidly produced at high volumes. Kevin Plank and fellow Under Armour executives jumped into action creating their own mask after listening to an interview with an Italian doctor who insisted if more masks were available in Italy, the virus would not have spread nearly as quickly. Under Armour’s one-piece mask design is quite idiosyncratic in that it does not mandate sewing of any type. This is an origami folding mask that proves quite breathable and resists moisture. These masks are being made in Port Covington with the company’s specialized lab knife cutter that can slice upwards of 100 pieces of fabric into the desired shape in unison. These cutouts are then passed on to Under Armour volunteers for distribution.
Sagamore Spirit Chips In
Plank’s other company, Sagamore Spirit Whiskey, is also contributing to halting the spread of the coronavirus and helping those who heroically put their personal interest to the side to help individuals in need. Sagamore Spirit dedicated the entirety of its operations to fighting the virus. The company’s operations are now making upwards of 54,000 liters of hand sanitizer. This hand sanitizer will be provided to the Johns Hopkins Health System and other local medical facilities. Sagamore Spirit’s distillery is uniquely suitable for such a conversion. It is particularly interesting that Plank was able to bring about this transformation in merely 10 days. The first batches of the distillery’s hand sanitizer were provided to Johns Hopkins in massive 5-gallon buckets equipped with spigots.
The aim is for the company’s distillery to generate enough hand sanitizer to help those providing coronavirus medical services avoid contracting and spreading the virus. This altruistic effort is welcomed with open arms as it is nearly impossible to find a single bottle of hand sanitizer in local stores. If Johns Hopkins no longer needs hand sanitizer in the days and weeks to come, the excess sanitizer from Sagamore Spirit’s facilities will be provided to other local medical care providers, ultimately slowing the spread of the virus that much more.
