When Corporations Do Good

Being that my regular, full-time, everyday job hasn't been changed by the pandemic thanks to my employer being identified as an "essential service", I haven't had to wonder about whether or not I'll have a job when this entire situation passes. For a lot of you, I empathize with this situation, and I hope that everything works out for you. Small business owners? I'm with you too in empathizing over your situation. Where I have less empathy is for large businesses who have the ability to draw upon their resources and assets to keep their employees afloat in these hard times. However, two business are doing what they can to help keep those on the front lines be safe and secure by transitioning their normal business to other ventures, and I think they deserve a shout-out for their efforts.

In an article filed by Emily Kaplan on ESPN.com yesterday, Bauer, who normally makes hockey equipment, has moved to making medical shields for doctors, nurses, first responders, and employees in the medical field in an effort to help stock the dwindling base of resources available to hospitals. As Emily wrote, "[b]y Wednesday morning, Bauer had orders come in to its Quebec facility for more than 100,000 units across Canada, according to Bauer CEO Ed Kinnaly."

According to Bauer, they've called employees back to work in its Liverpool, New York facility and Blainville, Quebec facility in order to start mass production of these masks, and "Kinnaly said the number of employees working on the project will go up, based on the demand they are already seeing."

While they have yet to take orders from US hospitals and medical centers, expect Bauer employees to be busy at both facilities as more and more medical facilities will seek these forms of safety and protection equipment for their employees. Bauer has estimated the cost of these new medical shields to be about $3 USD including shipping, and Bauer is not profiting off the sales of these medical shields which gets an automatic thumbs-up from me when we're talking about protecting the very people trying to slow the spread of this virus.

"Frankly I wish we could do more," Kinnaly told Kaplan. "Any way we can help, we're going to try."

Well done, Bauer, and you deserve some free press for this kind of effort. You're helping your employees, your community, and the general public, and that's precisely what big businesses should be doing in this time of need.

The second company who I want to point out doesn't actually have a hockey tie-in, but they are based in my community so I want to give some space for a company whose practices have been maligned in recent months and years, but seem to realize they can do a lot of good with some changes.

Canada Goose has taken its fair share of public scrutiny over its use of coyote fur and goose feathers in its products. In the aspect of fairness, I don't own a Canada Goose jacket nor any other product from Canada Goose due to my feelings on the subject, but if I have the power to criticize the company, I also hold the responsibility of praising it when it does something good.

Canada Goose announced on Wednesdsay that its manufacturing facilities in Toronto and Winnipeg will bring employees back in to begin production of scrubs and patient gowns to donate to local health facilities across Canada. The company also indicated that it may use other facilities across Canada to produce scrubs and gowns if the need arises.

"Across Canada, there are people risking their lives every day on the front lines of COVID-19 in health care facilities, and they need help. Now is the time to put our manufacturing resources and capabilities to work for the greater good," Dani Reiss, president of Canada Goose, said in the press release. "Our employees are ready, willing and able to help, and that's what we're doing. It's the Canadian thing to do."

According to the company's release, "[f]ifty employees will work while socially distanced at each of the two facilities, and the goal is to produce 10,000 scrubs and gowns. Distribution will begin next week".

If Canada Goose is working to shift these two, and possibly more, facilities to making these scrubs and gowns to donate to medical facilities, I applaud them for this effort. I get that they make high-end winter clothing as their main product, but perhaps we'll see a division of Canada Goose remain open after the pandemic passes where producing these scrubs and gowns becomes part of their corporate identity. I'd get behind that effort since it requires no animals to be harmed to make the garments, and the effect would be entirely more far-reaching than their winter gear. Yes, I get there would have to be a price tag attached to the ongoing production of these garments, but as long as the cost isn't something outrageous just because it has the Canada Goose logo on it, I'd be in favour of that effort.

Together, Bauer and Canada Goose are making the lives for medical professionals better with these efforts. I am hopeful that other big businesses step up and contribute like these two companies have, and only time will tell if that happens. I think it's important to make note of these companies who have jumped into the fray to help others rather than shutting down during our nations' times of need, so major kudos to both Bauer and Canada Goose for their efforts and their part in helping our taxed medical system.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!