DULUTH — Chris Benson calls the fabric cutting machine at Frost River the "big gun." He is aiming it squarely at the coronavirus.
"We don't need to be making backpacks right now," said Benson, owner of the Lincoln Park canvas bag maker. "It can wait and it will wait."
This week the company shifted its industrial sewing operation to turn out thousands of face shields to supply local hospitals — 45,000 just in the next few days with the goals of doubling that as material becomes available. The disposable face coverings are meant to be worn over N95 masks, in short supply around the country, so they can be used longer.
Frost River will also be turning out PAPR hoods — used for a different type of medical-grade respirator — and "bunny suits" for total body coverage.
The shift to personal protective equipment hits especially close to home for Benson, whose wife is an anesthesiologist at St. Luke's.
"She's right there, the tip of the spear," he said. "The PAPR hoods are very personal for me, and there is an extreme shortage."
Whether the business branches out to other cities and continues beyond the immediate crisis remains to be seen. Raw materials have been an issue, and local hospitals are supplying some of them so far.
"If we have the demand we'd like to be able to send them to Chicago, to New Orleans, or where there are hospitals in need," Benson said. "It's amazing the phone calls we're receiving, people looking for masks."
