The United States is facing one of the worst threats to our public health and economic growth in our nation’s history due to the rapidly increasing spread of COVID-19. The response from our government to ensure Americans are undertaking social distancing measures – while the right decision to control the spread of the coronavirus – will no doubt have a significant impact on the economy and the bottom lines of chemical distribution companies for weeks and months to come.
Many of our members are doing everything they can to support the response effort – from delivering needed medical supplies to their local first responders to offering their employees “thank you” bonuses for continuing to come into work.
In fact, I’d like to highlight a few examples of what our members are doing to address the COVID-19 crisis. First, NACD Service Provider Affiliate Echosystem has opened up their Visibility And Procurement Platform during the pandemic to be able to buy and sell chemical products needed for COVID-19 response efforts. Another Service Provider Affiliate, Chemformation, has launched a no-charge trial of their online platform to be able to search for chemical ingredients needed to address the pandemic. Chemical distributors can and should leverage these systems to support their communities and at the same time help keep their businesses operating as normally as possible.
There are also examples of distributors contributing to the fight against COVID-19 however they can. One member based in Ohio is exploring ways to leverage the chemical blending tanks they have onsite to make soaps and other materials government agencies may need to combat the coronavirus. Another member company in California has turned their conference room into a makeshift daycare so their employees can bring their children to work given school closures. A few of our members have also indicated they are working with local hospitals and first responders to supply needed sanitizers at no cost so they can continue their work on the front lines to treat those who need medical attention. One of our Chemical Handler Affiliates is supporting their local restaurants by delivering food to their employees and members of the community. And one of our Affiliate Chemical Producers has donated large quantities of hydrogen peroxide to various governments and healthcare systems around the world to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
During this difficult time, it’s critical that we tell the stories of chemical distributors contributing to the COVID-19 response efforts. If your company is taking steps to assist in coronavirus relief, we want to know! Feel free to reach out to me (ebyer@nacd.com) or Jenni Jenkins (jjenkins@nacd.com) to share your story. Together, we can demonstrate the incredible value the chemical distribution industry is bringing to the fight against COVID-19.
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