At Team Wendy, we’re committed to our mission of improving head protection for those who risk their lives every day. We work hard to protect the brave men and women on the front lines. Now more than ever the “front lines” are in our own back yards. The word “unprecedented” has been used to describe the COVID-19 pandemic; this is certainly true. Never have I seen the world impacted so quickly and change so much as in the last three months. And yet, in the midst of tragedy and uncertainty, we see countless stories of kindness and humanity, from neighbor helping neighbor to companies stepping up to help those in need. We have joined these efforts. As a critical supplier to our nation’s military, law enforcement and first responders, Team Wendy remains open. With only essential employees onsite, the rest of our work is done from home. Included in our team of essential employees are several dozen professional sewers. A normal day for them might be to stitch our chin strap that holds a helmet on the operator’s head. But these days are far from normal for our country. So, early last week, members of this team transitioned from their typical tasks to sewing cloth masks. In the last few weeks, we worked tirelessly to source and purchase 1,100 yards of plain weave white cotton, 800 yards of twill weave green cotton and 93 rolls of a shoelace material – enough fabric to make 10,000 cloth masks using a pattern recommended by University Hospitals. We will donate these masks to Cleveland-area hospitals in batches on a weekly basis as we are able to complete them.
We are proud to be a Cleveland-based company. We love our city, our state and this nation. We are ready to bring our experience protecting essential personnel to the fight against COVID-19. But, the health and well-being of each team member is our top priority. We implemented extreme precautions to safeguard our employees and our community at large. We have employed rigorous sanitation measures, as well as PPE and social distancing precautions. We will continue to adhere to the directive of our national, state and local leaders to play our part in helping stop this pandemic, while continuing to serve the needs of the men and women who are on the front lines of this fight. I am so proud of this team. We humbly thank all essential workers across the country and around the world for their efforts. Sincerely, Jose Rizo-Patron CEO