WCBC

April 28th, 2020 by WCBC Radio

Governor Larry Hogan today announced that Maryland has awarded more than $1.6 million in a first round of grants to 20 Maryland companies for pivoting to or expanding production of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Through the Maryland COVID-19 Emergency Relief Manufacturing Fund administered by the Maryland Department of Commerce, companies are receiving grants of up to $100,000 to manufacture everything from face shields, gowns, N-95 masks, and respirator parts to battery packs for ventilators.

“Ramping up our supply of PPE is a critical building block in our state’s recovery plan, and we are taking an all-hands-on-deck approach to secure these resources for our front line workers,” said Governor Hogan. “I want to thank and commend the local businesses who have shifted their operations and increased production to help us save lives and flatten the curve.”

The $5 million program was created in response to a growing demand for items to protect health care and front line workers, including face shields, surgical masks and gowns and gloves, as well as items for hospitals, like thermometers, respirators, and ventilators. The program received more than 200 applications, and additional grants will be made available in the coming weeks.

“We quickly created this program to address an immediate critical need, and our business community has responded in a big way,” said Maryland Commerce Secretary Kelly M. Schulz. “Many of these companies have had to rapidly ramp up production of these items, while others pivoted completely from their normal operations and came up with a creative way they could help, with some adding new jobs in the process.”

The following Maryland companies are receiving grant funding:

 

Grant Recipient	County	Typical Production	COVID-19 Production
Awesome Ninja Labs	Baltimore City	Medical devices	Face shields
CoastTec	Carroll	Battery back-ups for computers	Battery packs for Vyaire ventilators
CR Daniels	Howard	Textile, plastics, and metal manufacturing	Face masks and gowns
DiPole Materials	Baltimore City	Custom nanofiber manufacturing	Filters for medical masks and respirators
DVF Corporation	Washington	Metal and plastic fabrications	Plastic components of respirators
Fashions Unlimited	Baltimore City	Apparel manufacturing	Surgical masks and protective gowns
Fabrication Events	Howard	Special event decor	Face masks, head coverings, and other PPE
Harbor Designs	Baltimore City	Manufacturing design and engineering	Ventilators
Hardwire, LLC	Worcester	Bulletproof body armor and equipment for law enforcement and the military	Face shields
K&W Finishing	Baltimore City	Traditional die cutting, coating, and other bindery services	Face shields
Key Technologies	Baltimore City	Medical devices	Blower units for positive air pressure respirators
LAI International	Carroll	Components for aerospace and defense,medical devices, and infrastructure systems	Face shields
Manta BioFuels	Baltimore County	Energy technology	Face shields
Marty’s Bag Works	Anne Arundel	Canvas boating products, cushions, laser printing, and bags	Surgical masks, face shields, and lightweight gowns
Nations Photo Lab	Baltimore County	Full-service photo printing	Face shields
NRL & Associates	Queen Anne’s	Ultra-precision machining, fabrication, and assembly	Ventilators
Potomac Photonics	Baltimore County	Biotech and medical devices	PPE visors
Rankin Upholstery	Montgomery	Auto, marine, aircraft and custom upholstery	Masks, gowns, and other PPE
Strouse	Carroll	Adhesive solutions	N-95 masks
X-Laser	Howard	Laser light show systems	Face shields

“After hearing story after story of ventilator shortages, I wanted to put our resources to use to help,” said Jonathan Sevel, CEO of CoastTec. “I knew that our company is adaptable enough to focus engineering and manufacturing towards a cost-effective viable strategy to get non-working ventilators back into circulation. We estimate that we will be able to manufacture 200-300 ventilator battery packs per day, hopefully easing some of the strain on the system.”

“The Commerce Department's rapid response to getting us assistance has given us the confidence to invest in our filter production equipment and allowed us to bring on an additional dozen employees to operate it,” said Ken Malone, chairman of DiPole Materials. “Importantly, our expansion will also allow us to rapidly grow our business post-crisis when we pivot back to being a custom manufacturer of high performance materials.”