Community “pays it forward” through Red Rooster Coffee campaign

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Floyd, VA – On March 20, 2020 Red Rooster Coffee launched an online campaign to help its employees while giving back to a local food bank. The impacts of the COVID-19 on its business had been quick and dramatic. Red Rooster Coffee had seen its wholesale demand drop by over half in just 4 days, and expected it to plummet even further as the global pandemic intensified.

As they were coming to grips with the economic realities facing their business, Red Rooster Coffee learned that the local food bank in Floyd, Plenty!, was becoming overwhelmed by increased demand. This sparked an idea to create a win/win situation for them and their community.

The idea, Red Rooster Rooster asked their customers to donate $10 so that they could keep their staff employed making healthy meals that would be delivered to the Plenty! food bank twice a week. The meals would be made through their cafe with each one costing only $10 to make. The meals would be the same as what their customers would normally order; made from fresh vegetables from local farms and other delicious ingredients.

The Win/Win campaign received an immediate outpouring of support. Within the first 48 hours, its customers and friends donated over $12,000; enough to make 1,277 meals for the hungry and to keep its staff busy for at least two to three weeks. A Win/Win!

If you are interested in supporting the Win/Win campaign, CLICK HERE.

Kollmorgen motion solutions used in fight against COVID-19

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Radford, VA – Kollmorgen is playing a critical role in the global fight against COVID-19. Its global production facilities are fully operational, including those in Radford which are CURRENTLY HIRING for a number of positions, and are producing motion solutions that are used by essential equipment manufacturers around the world.

Kollmorgen motion solutions are being used in the manufacturing of respirators and other personal protective equipment, test kits, diagnostic machines, ventilators, blood-gas analyzers, blood pumps, CT scanning equipment, and more. All of these products are essential to the diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and its complications.

Beyond healthcare, many other Kollmorgen partners that provide essential services – from aerospace and defense, to food production and packaging, automated warehousing of critical household supplies, and energy and communications, to name a few — depend on a reliable supply of its components.

Its design teams and manufacturing facilities are responding with urgency to dozens of requests to accelerate design cycles, increase production, and speed delivery for the motion systems that directly fight COVID-19 and keep essential services continuing for people who need them the most.

As Kollmorgen helps its partners defeat this pandemic and provide for essential needs around the world, its number-one priority remains the well-being of its employees and their loved ones. Kollmorgen is scrupulously following best-practice safety recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), national health organizations, and other local government agencies.

Giles County matching gift card program supports restaurants in time of need

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Pearisburg, VA – In an effort to immediately support local restaurants and lodging properties impacted by the economic slow down caused by COVID-19, Giles County has launched a “matching” gift certificate program to support these business where customers will receive 50% more value than the purchase price!  The purpose of the program is to help these business in Giles County generate revenue quickly to support their operations through this very difficult time.

The gift certificates are available to purchase online in $20 increments and are matched by 50%. This means that a gift certificate purchased for $20 will actually be worth $30. A gift certificate purchased for $40 will be worth $60. You get the gist. The 50% increase in value is subsidized by dollars generated from meals taxes and other tourism related revenues. One-hundred percent the funds are sent to the restaurants or lodging properties immediately after purchase.

The program launched on March 25, 2020 and has been a hit! In just over one week, the community rallied to generate over $40,000 of revenue for local businesses through the program.

Gift certificates through the program for Giles County restaurants and lodging establishments can be purchased on-line at www.virginiasmtnplayground.com/shop. Customers will receive an email after your purchase with order details to print the “gift certificate.”

Spectrum Brands shifting production to produce hand sanitizer in Blacksburg

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BLACKSBURG, Va. – Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SPB; “Spectrum Brands”), a leading global branded consumer products company committed to delivering strong brands and exciting innovation whose Home & Garden business unit supplies Cutter® Insect Repellents, today announced it has shifted production in its Blacksburg, Va., manufacturing plant to produce hand sanitizer. The hand sanitizer is being produced during the COVID-19 pandemic to support the company’s facilities, U.S. employees, and several local organizations in communities where the company operates.

In two short weeks, the Blacksburg team formulated and pivoted manufacturing to produce hand sanitizer, a much-needed product during this unprecedented pandemic. The team then began supplying the hand sanitizer to all 15 Spectrum Brands facilities and offices across the U.S. to promote the safety of the organization’s employees.

In addition to supplying hand sanitizer to employees and facilities, Cutter™ brand will donate hand sanitizer to local organizations across the communities in which Spectrum Brands has operations. Cutter® mosquito and tick repellent products have been protecting families for over 50 years as one of the leading repellent brands in the U.S.

“It’s a natural extension of the brand portfolio to expand the Cutter™ line beyond insect protection to fight germs as well,” said Steve Schwallie, Division Vice President of Marketing at Spectrum Brands. “We are pleased to be able to move into this segment and provide these products for our community partners.”

While the team continues to identify community partners, Carilion Clinic, a not-for-profit health care organization based in Roanoke, Va., and the St. Louis Area Foodbank are among the first organizations to receive Cutter™ hand sanitizer donations. The St. Louis Area Foodbank will distribute the donated sanitizers to its network and use them within its facility.

“We are so grateful for our ongoing partnership with Cutter™ brand and for this donation of hand sanitizers,” said Meredith Knopp, President and CEO for the St. Louis Area Foodbank. “Proper sanitation is critical for us to continue serving those in need in the St. Louis community. Cutter™ brand has been a longtime partner of ours, and this donation will go a long way – for our network and the individuals in need of assistance in our community.”

Cutter™ hand sanitizer will also be available to consumers in the coming weeks.

About Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.

Spectrum Brands Holdings, a member of the Russell 1000 Index, is a leading supplier of residential locksets, residential builders’ hardware, plumbing, shaving and grooming products, personal care products, small household appliances, specialty pet supplies, lawn and garden and home pest control products, and personal insect repellents. Helping to meet the needs of consumers worldwide, Spectrum Brands offers a broad portfolio of market-leading, well-known and widely trusted brands including Kwikset®, Weiser®, Baldwin®, National Hardware®, Pfister®, Remington®, George Foreman®, Russell Hobbs®, Black+Decker®, Tetra®, Marineland®, Nature’s Miracle®, Dingo®, 8-in-1®, FURminator®, IAMS® and Eukanuba® (Europe only), Digest-eeze™, Healthy-Hide®, Littermaid®, Spectracide®, Cutter®, Repel®, Hot Shot®, Black Flag® and Liquid Fence®. For more information, please visit www.spectrumbrands.com.

About Cutter® Products

Wherever your outdoor adventures take you, Cutter® products keep your family covered. For more than 50 years, the Cutter brand has been a trusted name in insect repellents, with a range of formulations available that make it easy to pick the right product to ward off mosquitoes and ticks. With the brand’s expansion into the personal care category with hand sanitizer and insect bite care products, now there are more Cutter options available than ever to protect what you love most. For more information about Cutter products, visit www.cutterinsectrepellent.com.

Media Contact:
Connie Caldwell, Communications/Creative Services
Spectrum Brands, Inc. – Global Pet Care/Home & Garden
connie.caldwell@spectrumbrands.com 

Source: Spectrum Brands Holdings, Inc.

 

H&V Delivering Critical Materials in the Fight Against COVID-19

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Floyd, VA – As the COVID-19 virus is straining the global healthcare supply chain, Hollingsworth & Vose, which has operations in Floyd County, is busy making filtration material that is a critical component in Respiratory Protection Equipment being used to fight the virus. H&V is taking this responsibility seriously as well as the safety of its employees and the community. Over the last few months, the corporation has added staff and adjusted manufacturing schedules to optimize the amount of product it can produce in response to this global health crisis. H&V is also prioritizing orders from existing customers who have active manufacturing and distribution within the respiratory protection market with approved products. This approach will optimize the speed and number of people who can be helped in this challenging situation. H&V is currently supplying media that will be used in the following applications:
  • 40 million N95 facemasks per month
  • 40 million medical breathing devices, including ventilators per month
  • 20,000 HEPA filters per month used in hospitals and pharmaceutical laboratories

COVID-19 Resources for Business Portal Launched

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Blacksburg, VA – Onward New River Valley and its partnering organizations are working diligently to understand the short- and long-term impacts of COVID-19 on businesses in the NRV. As we begin to adapt to the new challenges our region and nation face, Onward NRV and its partners are here to do everything we can to support your company in this evolving business climate.

Today, we launched a new “COVID-19 Resources for Business” page on the Virginia’s New River Valley website. The page is designed to be an online portal for information and resources to help businesses in the NRV plan and respond to the impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The page will allow us to collect and compiling resources in one central location as they become available.

If we or our partners can be of any assistance to you during these uncertain times, please let us know. For question or assistance, contact James Cabler, Director of Business Engagement, at james@onwardnrv.org or 540-267-0007.