Webster Enterprises produces for pandemic

BY JESSI STONE N EWS EDITOR W hen Mandy Wildman opened up her own bridal shop on Hazelwood Avenue in February, she had no idea her new business venture would take an immediate hit when COVID-19 brought the wedding industry to a standstill.

Not even a month after opening, UpLove Bridal & More closed its doors on March 15.

“We plan on reopening the shop whenever Disney World reopens,” Wildman said. “We figure that they of all people know how best to protect the world’s most beloved princesses. We cherish our brides, so we will follow their lead.”

But closing up the shop for a while didn’t stop Wildman and others from keeping busy and finding purpose during the Coronavirus Pandemic. As soon as it became clear that there was — or would soon be — a shortage of medical supplies like facial masks, Wildman got busy.

“We started making personal face masks as soon as we realized that they wouldn’t be available to our community. As a women’s clothing brand — we don’t just do bridal — we have a huge stash of fabrics and materials. We focus on being eco-friendly, so we were uniquely positioned to make pretty masks using the scrap stash we were keeping for a rainy day. And boy, did it rain,” she said.

Not only is she providing a much-needed product right now for community members, but she’s also keeping people working as much as she can during this uncertain economic time. Currently, Wildman said she had seven part-time local seamstresses making a total of 200 to 300 masks per week.

“Most of them were laid off from their regular jobs. Many of their spouses were laid off too, including my own husband,” she said. “The bills keep streaming in, so this was a way for me to help them earn a little money while doing something important to help the community.”

Among these local seamstresses is a young woman who is a black belt in taekwondo, a great grandmother who was laid off from her teacher’s aide job, and a local barista with two young children whose hours were drastically cut. They are all working from their own homes while strictly observing social distancing when doing pickups and dropoffs. And of course, they are always wearing masks.

“Some of UpLove Bridal’s customers have kindly given us some 100 percent cotton fabrics from their quilting stash. One local doctor’s office gave us a huge bag of old scrubs, which were wonderfully soft and comfortable on the skin,” Wildman said. “I had bought several industrial-sized reels of panty elastic at a sale some years ago. It’s very soft and stretchy so it doesn’t hurt the ears. At the time I purchased it, my husband wondered aloud what I would do with it all, but I knew it would come in handy someday. He now wears his mask proudly with a grin on his face.”

Wildman and the other seamstresses started making the masks before the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention changed its recommendations for protecting yourself from COVID-19, but once the CDC began advising the general public to wear masks, the demand increased dramatically.

“We got over 400 requests for face masks within a grueling non-stop 48- hour period. People called, texted, Facebooked and emailed me begging for masks,” Wildman said. “I quickly put the word out and doubled my sewing team overnight. I’m happy to say that we are now caught up with our waiting list, and if someone needs a mask we can have it to them within a few days.”

UpLove Bridal’s masks cost $10 each including tax. They come in women’s, men’s and children’s sizes. To order masks, you can email UpLoveCreations@gmail.com or order online at www.UpLoveBridal.com.

“All we ask is that you don’t order more than 10 masks without talking to us ahead of time,” Wildman added. “We have provided masks for people from many walks of life — nurses, caregivers, cancer patients, KFC employees, Bojangles employees, a lady who recently had a heart transplant, immunecompromised folks and senior citizens, and even the sheriff ’s department. Everybody is important to us. Everybody needs to be wearing a mask right now.” Mandy Wildman, owner of UpLove Bridal Shop in Hazelwood, has been making facial masks for people in the community. Donated photo

Webster Enterprises produces for front lines of COVID-19

BY HOLLY KAYS S TAFF WRITER W ebster Enterprises has long used the production of medical supplies as a vehicle for its main mission, vocational rehabilitation for people with disabilities and disadvantages.

However, the onset of the COVID-19 crisis has pushed that vehicle to a position of core importance as worldwide shortages have increased demand for the nonprofit’s products.

“We’re building product that goes straight to the front line for individuals battling this virus,” said Executive Director Joe Rigdon. “It’s been real topsy-turvy over the last month or so.”

When the crisis first hit, Webster Enterprises’ first reaction was to see what it could do to help the local community, and Board Chair Dr. Cliff Faull suggested that the nonprofit make gowns and face masks for use at Harris Regional Hospital. Webster mocked up some samples, and the hospital liked them — but before production could begin Webster got some news from one of its largest customers, Indiana-based Cook Medical. Drapes and wraps from Webster Enterprises would be going specifically to treat COVID-19 patients, and Cook would need 260 percent the amount of product it had been buying to meet demand.

“In order to do that, we had to pour all of our energy and efforts back into drapes and really were not and still aren’t in a position to make masks,” said Rigdon.

However, Webster Enterprises found another way to do its part to help Harris. While the masks Webster had designed would have helped, what Harris really wanted were N-95 masks, which Webster was not set up to do. However, gowns were also becoming an issue for the hospital.

As it turned out, about two years ago Cook had a surplus of disposable Tyvek gowns and donated 1,700 of them — a $12,000 value — to Webster Enterprises. The nonprofit didn’t end up using them, because their employees wear cloth gowns that can be laundered and reused. Webster donated the gowns to Harris.

“We have been overwhelmed with the generosity and compassion that our commu

A Webster Enterprises employee works to process drapes that will be used to treat COVID-19 patients worldwide. Webster Enterprises photo

nity has shown us during this unprecedented time,” said Stephen Plemmons, Director of Emergency Services for Harris, in a press release. “The usage and supply of personal protective equipment is something we keep at top of mind in order to keep our frontline staff safe and healthy and we cannot thank you enough for your generous donation of Tyvek protection gowns. What an honor and blessing it is to provide health care to this community, and thank you for thinking of us in our time of need.”

Meanwhile, Webster Enterprises is in a hiring frenzy as it seeks to meet the newly heightened demand for its products. Before the virus hit, the nonprofit employed 45 people, of whom 10 worked with high school students in Jackson, Macon and Swain counties. Those employees lost their jobs, then got them back as a result of the CARES Act, and now Webster Enterprises is onboarding new employees to bring its total roster to 55 or 60 people.

These new employees are mostly displaced workers who had previously been working jobs not considered essential in the current climate. They’re being hired on a temporary basis through the crisis. Several of the new hires are actually alumni of the Webster Enterprises program who were successful in getting and keeping a job as a result of that training but are now unexpectedly out of work.

While the hiring frenzy is a response to what will hopefully be a short-lived pandemic, Rigdon said that he expects the heightened demand for Webster Enterprises products to continue into the foreseeable future.

“My understanding is that customers like our vendors are trying to stock up on these items to not only treat the here and now in the present but are looking ahead to having safety stops so that if there is another wraparound — and I hope and pray there’s not — in the fall, they’ve got preparations for that,” he said.