Small Business Month

S M A L L B U S I N E S S M O N T H - S U P P L E M E N T T O T H E W I N N I P E G F R E E P R E S S - S A T U R D A Y , O C T O B E R 1 7 , 2 0 2 0 6 • VLT Dividers • Table Dividers • Counter Barriers • Office Cubicle Dividers • Roll Away Barriers • Student Desk Barriers Custom Orders Welcome www.sneezeguardcovid19.com Acryl Design Limited Photos by Mike Sudoma PAIR OF BUSINESSES EXECUTE PANDEMIC PIVOT TO PERFECTION When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Manitoba in mid-March, its impact was immediate. T o limit the spread of the coronavirus, the Province of Manitoba instituted a lockdown that allowed only businesses that offered essential services to remain open. Countless small businesses were forced to close, immediately putting them into survival mode. One of those businesses was Patent 5 Distillery, a craft distillery located in the Exchange District at 108 Alexander Ave. "Having to close really shook us," says Brock Coutts, co-owner of Patent 5, which produces specialty vodka and gin spirits, and operates a cocktail room at the front of its distillery. "We closed our cocktail room on March 17 and wondered what we were going to do next." Then, a friend asked a timely question. "He asked if we were making hand sanitizer," recalls Coutts. "After a quick look around, I realized we had everything to make it except hydrogen peroxide and glycerin." Four days later — after rapidly procuring the hydrogen peroxide and glycerin — Patent 5 was producing hand sanitizer in place of spirits. "We were up and running inside a week. Our biggest issues were getting glycerin and proper bottles," he says. "Within two weeks, we were pumping out large quantities under World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines." As it turned out, it was critically important to adhere to those WHO guidelines. "Fortunately, our sanitizer was safe. Some producers used fuel grade ethanol to make it, so the hand sanitizer wasn't safe to use and was recalled by Health Canada. Ours was very safe, so people continued to buy it." As the pandemic stretched into late spring and early summer, the demand for hand sanitizer essentially kept Patent 5 afloat. "Of course, we had to lay off our cocktail room staff, but producing hand sanitizer kept our people in the back busy," Coutts says. "Sales were strong during the early part of the pandemic. It helped us weather the storm." Today, Patent 5's cocktail room is once again open. Staffing levels are back to about 65 to 75 per cent of normal, all cocktail room employees are working regularly, and alcohol production for those delicious spirits is going at a good clip. However, as is the case everywhere else, management and staff at Patent 5 are dealing with the new normal that's been imposed by the pandemic. "Business is far from normal. Tables in the cocktail room have been set at distance and everyone is wearing masks, including our production staff," he says. "Right now, hand sanitizer is about two per cent of our business. We sell hand sanitizer to school divisions in 20-gallon drums." Like Patent 5 Distillery, Acryl Design Limited was also hit hard by the pandemic. Their business — which normally produces specialty products for the entertainment, escape game and theatre industries — also came to a full stop when the lockdown was enforced. It was time to pivot, but the question was how. "Fortunately for us, we'd designed a type of sneeze guard for a food chain in the 1990s," says longtime owner John Wardrope. "When the pandemic hit, a former customer called, asking for a new design." Wardrope and his production team quickly obliged, coming up with a strong, lightweight plastic design. Comprised of three panels that used packing tape as hinges, it was compact and portable. "Within a day, we got an order for 3,500 of the guards. We manufactured those 3,500 guards in about five days." As things stand today, Acryl Design is still operating, though in a far different way than Wardrope ever imagined. "We're now supplying a western Canadian grocery store chain and a number of schools in Toronto," he says. "In fact, this past August was the best month for our company in 35 years of being in operation, even though the business I was in doesn't exist anymore." That said, the ability to shift gears has enabled Acryl Design to thrive during challenging times. The company launched an e-commerce website for its sneeze guards and other barriers (www. sneezeguardcovid19.com) in addition to the regular website (www.acryldesign.com). "I've hired another full-time employee, bought another C & C machine to bolster production, and leased the building next to us to house the guards," Wardrope says. "As I said earlier, I feel fortunate." And with COVID-19 cases rising both in Winnipeg and Canada entering fall and winter, Coutts says Patent 5 is poised for a quick reboot if the demand for hand sanitizer increases. "Not only can we help others by producing the hand sanitizer, but doing it will also help us sustain our business," he says. "We're ready to pitch in if necessary." ■ By Todd Lewys John Wardrope, owner of Acryl Design Limited Brock Coutts, co-owner of Patent 5 Distillery ‹‹ "Of course, we had to lay off our cocktail room staff, but producing hand sanitizer kept our people in the back busy. Sales were strong during the early part of the pandemic. It helped us weather the storm." Patent 5 Distillery photos submitted ‹‹ "Fortunately for us, we'd designed a type of sneeze guard for a food chain in the 1990s. When the pandemic hit, a former customer called, asking for a new design." ‹‹ Acryl Design Limited shifted gears to produce strong, lightweight sneeze guards. ›› Patent 5 Distillery is pitching in during the pandemic by producing hand sanitizer that adheres to World Health Organization guidelines.

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