Whether you play hockey or you’re just a casual fan, there is a good chance the name Bauer is a familiar one. But like so many other companies, a lack of activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic brought their production to a halt.
“Like many of us we have people in our company who have loved ones that are nurses and doctors without the appropriate protective equipment,” says Mary-Kay Messier, Bauer’s VP of Global Marketing.
So, Bauer pivoted. Going from protecting the faces of hockey players to health professionals.
“It’s a tragic story that front-line workers are risking their lives every day without even thinking about it,” Messier says. “And yet they don’t have the protective equipment they need to keep them safe.”
“So really it was just what can we do to help.”
Bauer partnered with their sister company cascade to develop and manufacture a facemask to help health professionals on the front lines. The design isn’t all the different from a half or full shield you’d see on a hockey helmet. Just retooled by Bauer’s engineers in a matter of just four days.
“There was a lot of effort that went into it,” Messier says. “A lot of smart engineers, super passionate, committed people and I think when you put that together with a real desire to do good you can do great things.”
The problem is Bauer’s 'good' was too good. They say they’ve already taken orders for over a million of their units. They’re so backlogged now, that they’ve stopped taking orders. Instead, they’ve put the design plans on their website for other companies to make. Sharing their “company secrets”.
“We’re all one team,” says Messier. “We’re all working toward a greater good. We’ve been protecting hockey players; this is about protecting those who put their lives on the line every day.”
Protecting those who protect all of us. While protecting the jobs of their employees.
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