KCMO mayor, Made in KC launch portal for face masks, hand sanitizer made by more than 50 local makers
May 7, 2020 | Startland News Staff
Editor’s note: The following is part of Startland News’ ongoing coverage of the impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) on Kansas City’s entrepreneur community, as well as how innovation is helping to drive a new normal in the ecosystem. Click here to follow related stories as they develop.
Kansas City’s gradual return to business doesn’t mean the need for face masks and hand sanitizer has peaked — quite the opposite, said Mayor Quinton Lucas, announcing the launch of a new online resource to help businesses purchase personal protective equipment for their workers, while also supporting Kansas City entrepreneurs.
Mayor Quinton Lucas
“As we begin to reopen our community, we must implement sustainable strategies that keep our workforce healthy and support our local businesses — the creation of KCPPE.com will help accomplish both,” Lucas said.
The new KCPPE.com website — developed as a collaborative effort by Made in KC — connects Kansas City businesses and individuals with more than 50 local makers who have shifted their operations to produce PPE amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click here to purchase locally-made protective gear.
Why masks,
why now?
Earlier this month, Mayor Quinton Lucas announced details of Kansas City’s approach to re-opening, which includes:
- Requiring all public-facing businesses to provide masks for their employees;
- Allowing businesses to refuse entry to any customers who do not wear protective face masks or coverings; and
- Recommending that all Kansas Citians wear protective face masks or coverings when going out in public.
“Throughout this public health crisis, our local businesses have remained agile, serving our community in new and creative ways,” said Lucas. “I’m tremendously proud of the way our local business community has stepped up during this crisis — many halting or adding to their normal operations to make PPE and sanitary items for our frontline workers, our homeless population, and our community at large.”
Click here to read about an effort by Made in KC to produce face masks for health care workers.
Click here to read about Trabon Group’s newly retooled USA Shields operation to make face shields.
Made in KC was happy to fill the need created by multiple makers pivoting to PPE production without a centralized point of coordination, said Tyler Enders, co-founder of the retailer that specializes in locally made goods.
“Working with 250 artists and makers at any given time, we’ve been so proud to see how many Kansas Citians have found ways to help fight this pandemic — many by sewing face masks,” he said. “As we look to recover and rebuild, it’s so important to consider the impact of our dollars. Kansas City is lucky to have so many creative small business owners and I have no doubt we’ll be able to fill the PPE needs of our business community.”
Click here to read about Made in KC’s effort to determine the true value of shopping local.
“This is why Kansas City is such a great place for entrepreneurs and startups,” added Rick Usher, assistant city manager. “We work together, work quickly, and solve problems. The City’s #ShopLocalKC initiative is one way we connect makers with buyers in the KCMO marketplace.”
This story is possible thanks to support from the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, a private, nonpartisan foundation that works together with communities in education and entrepreneurship to create uncommon solutions and empower people to shape their futures and be successful.
For more information, visit www.kauffman.org and connect at www.twitter.com/kauffmanfdn and www.facebook.com/kauffmanfdn
Featured Business
2020 Startups to Watch
stats here
Related Posts on Startland News
New collaboration will help OP startup 3D bioprint, scale its next-gen biotech solution
A Kansas biotech startup’s new manufacturing partner will boost efforts to automate and mass produce Ronawk’s headline-grabbing Bio-Block technology — a platform that has already accelerated medical advancements in tissue therapy. “Collaboration is critical for turning research advances into commercial therapies rapidly. The complexity and diversity of modalities is so big that nobody can do…
Museums shouldn’t feel like artifacts, KC firm says; Here’s how Multistudio uses analog experiences to build buzz
Multistudio doesn’t exclusively design museums, but the Westport-based architecture firm — along with Kansas City itself — certainly is having a museum moment, shared Robert Riccardi. The firm’s local portfolio includes a growing number of new-era museums, including The Rabbit Hole, the Laugh-O-gram animation studio, and the Satchel Paige House. They’re not your traditional museums…
Back2KC sets return date for its 2024 homecoming effort, scouting familiar faces to build an even stronger KC
When Back2KC returns this fall, the homegrown talent recruitment initiative will lean on unexpected connections to entice former residents — now out-of-town professionals — to give Kansas City’s recent Golden Age another look, organizers said. “The biggest win we can have is if these expats and ex-Kansas Citians come back, move their families here, move…
‘A piece of something bigger’: Makers help raise fabric of community with Union Station quilt project
A trio of Kansas City maker businesses wove together their talents this spring in support of a new, local health initiative — culminating in a towering expression of hope and healing at Union Station. Ampersand Design Studio, Tia Curtis Quilts, and Collective EX spent the past three weeks designing, fabricating, and displaying a colorful quilt…