APRIL 22, 2020
Read our latest blog for a look into the materials we are using to manufacture PPE.
Our latest blog post details creative thinking during challenging times and how thinking out-of-the-box can help keep materials out-of-the-dumpster.
-READ BLOG NOW-
APRIL 20, 2020
The week is off to a great start!
On Monday we had a group of 12 college students join us for an afternoon training session on sewing face masks. They came in for 4 hours, learned the basics of needle feed sewing machines and stepped on the pedal. Everyone had different backgrounds and skill levels, and we could not believe the bins that they filled with finished and quality made masks! They were paid for their time and best of all, almost everyone from the group will be returning for more shifts to help the support the cause.
Later on in the week we are expecting a group of high school students in for their first session. A huge THANK YOU to all of the students for stepping up during these tough times, showing their support and doing whatever they can to help.
We would also like to take this time to again recognize and thank the other local businesses that have helped and supported us on our endeavor to manufacture PPE.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP, SUPPORT & DONATIONS!
MELLIN PROMOTIONAL ADVERTISING
UNIVERSITY OF MN - DULUTH FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
APRIL 10, 2020
It has been a busy and transformative week at the shop!
First, the busy part- this week we were able to deliver thousands of Face Shields to St.Lukes and Essentia hospitals, with the help of Cirrus Aircraft, SCS Interiors, and Aerostich. The cutting table and our production crew successfully carved out 45,000 cut plastic pieces for shields as well as elastic.
Face masks are the newest form of PPE that we are now manufacturing. We are very excited about this, because there is a lot of sewing that goes into them. Hence, the production team is back at it! We have been able to bring more team members back day by day. Machines are whirring and it is so nice to hear the hustle and bustle of the shop again. Each team member is now sporting a mask and glasses, and luckily our current production facility allows perfect spacing for social distancing. But…. With the ever-growing demand of PPE we are thinking creatively on how to expand and maximize our production and overall support.
Now, to the transformative part- what has been our retail shop is being converted to ANOTHER production floor! The waxed canvas goods have been hauled away, but still easily accessible for online ordering, the fixtures are being housed in a container out back (kindly donated by Johnson Wilson Construction) and we’ve got 12 sewing machines on the way. Our hopes are to have sewers making face masks to produce daily quantities in the thousands!
We've got more PPE designs in the works as well! Thanks to a hat donation from Mellin Promotions and East End Stitch N Screen, we are getting farther along on our PAPR Hoods and just a few more tweaks are needed for a coverall suit.
APRIL 3, 2020
WE HAVE TO SAY THAT IT IS SURREAL TO BE SWITCHING OUT OUR ROLLS OF WAXED CANVAS FOR ROLLS OF FACE SHIELD PLASTIC, BUT WE COULD NOT BE MORE EXCITED TO BE MOVING FORWARD WITH OUR ENDEAVOR.
First and foremost, we would like to thank everyone who has reached out in support of us switching our operations from crafting reliable softgoods to manufacturing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for our local healthcare facilities. Currently we are working in conjunction with Duluth, Minnesota's Essentia and St.Luke's hospitals to manufacture our first round of 45,000 face shields. Face shields are being worn by healthcare workers to shield their N95 masks from splashes or sprays.
Our cutting table, along with dedicated production staff, will keep the cutting of shields going 24/7 until we reach the 45,000 mark. This is just the beginning. We are working to produce more types of PPE and distribute not just locally, but on a national scale (if we can get the protection to do so). Please keep sharing our message- all of your support helps us get much needed supplies to our healthcare workers!
MARCH 28, 2020
FROST RIVER IS READY TO HELP AND LOOKING FOR BACK-UP IN THE EFFORT OF PRODUCING PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT (PPE) FOR MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS ON THE FRONT LINES IN THE BATTLE WITH COVID-19.
We have skilled sewing staff, computer-aided cutting equipment, and a full-featured manufacturing facility in Duluth, Minnesota. We are not a large scale manufacturer, and our team is like a family, and as such, they care very much about the current situation and want to help where possible. But having the skills, labor, and equipment is not enough. There is an aspect of this that makes us nervous...
