A Black, female-owned marketing firm has switched gears to help companies and organizations acquire Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to help during the coronavirus pandemic.
Impact Consulting Enterprises announced Wednesday that it has changed its focus from marketing, website design, and development to temporarily join the PPE network. President and CEO Cheryl McCants activated her supply chain to begin helping organizations in New Jersey, where Impact is based.
“When I learned of the many challenges that procurement
officers faced in identifying legitimate suppliers for masks, gloves, and other types of PPE, we instinctively jumped in to help,” McCants said in the release. “While we are not doctors, grocery workers, or first responders, Team Impact consists of great researchers and crises managers. We put our skills to use and shored up a portion of the PPE supply chain for those in need. It only made sense. We did what we could to help others save lives.”Beginning in March, East Orange, New Jersey-based Impact Consulting began looking for reliable national and international suppliers to help deliver supplies during the coronavirus outbreak. Impact quickly acquired masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, and wipes for hospitals, schools, utility companies, and other organizations in need.
So far, Impact’s effort has led to 50,000 masks going to New Jersey’s University Hospital. Another 12,000 masks were sent to the Eden School for Autistic Children. 10,000 gloves were sent to Massachusetts’ Veterans Administration Hospital, and nearly 300,000 sanitizing wipes went to utility companies.
Robert Sharbaugh, University Hospital’s acting director of supply chain management, said the PPE it received from Impact Consulting was a huge assist.
“We had an immediate need for additional PPE supplies. Impact’s Newark office is located less than a mile away from University Hospital,” Sharbaugh said in the statement. “So working with Cheryl and her team was an easy, trustworthy and close-to-home solution for the hospital.”
Impact Consulting is still working to provide PPE for organizations in New Jersey. As the need for PPE sourcing settles down, McCants wants to resume her team’s focus on marketing.
Others have also contributed to help as the coronavirus pandemic continues to affect the U.S. A teen in Georgia secured an international PPE deal last week. In March, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo personally thanked musician Rihanna for her donation of PPE equipment to the state.