As the coronavirus pandemic rages worldwide, some companies are springing into action to do what’s right.
Fitness company Rogue Fitness announced on Instagram earlier today that they began manufacturing “masks, gowns, [face] shields, and ventilators” to aid hospitals that are running low on medical supplies ahead of an expected surge in coronavirus patients. You can check out the post in full below.
Rogue Fitness, one of the leading manufacturers of gym equipment and wraps used by bodybuilders, has prioritized public health during this crisis and directed their chain of production to focus on the essentials that matter. The post also mentions that their product development team is working “solely on medical supplies” and that they have already “purchased three industrial 3D printing machines to help make parts.” As a promised $1.8 trillion dollar economic stimulus package stalls in Congress, it’s becoming clearer than ever that companies and private citizens need to step up and look out for each other during this crisis.
Rogue Fitness encouraged others who wanted to get involved to do the same. “We would encourage you if you want to this in your state to contact the local hospitals and your state leadership,” they said in the caption of their post. Clearly, they are trying to lead by example here, and there are obviously many companies in the country that have the means of production necessary to lend a hand to struggling healthcare providers.
But production of equipment is not the only way that Rogue Fitness is trying to help. CEO Bill Henniger also announced last week that they would be hiring an additional 100 people to help them produce these supplies in light of the economic hardship many are experiencing due to coronavirus.
“We know that many people in Ohio are losing their jobs and we want to help…the demand for our equipment is very strong and we need people to help us build and pack out the orders. We are also actively working to help sew masks or build medical equipment, we want to help. Rogue is hiring 100 team members and we have implemented a stimulus wage of additional $2/hour during this tough time. The minimum starting wage is $17 currently,” read the post.
This is an admirable response from a company that is showing us all how to handle the economic insecurity of coronavirus in the best possible way. Henniger has put his workers first because he knows what every good businessman knows: a company is only as strong as the workers that make it up. Not to mention he’s contributing to Ohio’s community in a positive way with quality workout equipment that is also locally manufactured.
The Rogue Fitness website also announced that they were halting online orders for the next 24 hours, as “their operations team needs to get caught up” with the demand. Looks like this was a smart business decision, too.
*All images and media courtesy of Instagram.
