When Tom Dempsey founded SylvanSport in 2004, it was born from a desire to create an innovative pop-up camper for outdoor adventurers.
That desire resulted in a line of clever, award-winning campers, equipment trailers, and complementary outdoor gear.
These days, SylvanSport is also engaging in a different kind of adventure — joining the fight against novel Coronavirus.
How does an RV manufacturer end up helping fight a pandemic?
It started with a mind shift. When COVID-19 temporarily put the great outdoors on hold, Dempsey chose to be proactive rather than a victim of circumstance. Recognizing that the SylvanSport team is made up of extremely talented designers, engineers, fabricators and manufacturers, he deployed that talent to help those most impacted by the illness: the frontlines of the healthcare industry.
SylvanSport has undertaken several initiatives which put their skills, products, and connections to work.
- First, they’ve used their extensive supply chain to find sources for hundreds of thousands of units of N95 masks, Tyvek suits and other needed items, under direction from healthcare Supply Chain Officers.
- Dempsey is working with state and federal emergency management officials to ensure these emergency supplies get where needed as quickly as possible.
- Currently, they are working outward from western North Carolina and are in contact with the largest healthcare providers in the region.
- Second, they’ve converted some of their assembly employees to manufacturing face shields.
- The face shields are created by three teams: procurement, assembly and distribution.
- They’re made in-house, having converted SylvanSport’s manufacturing plant into a safe workplace, following CDC recommendations and in compliance with FDA manufacturing procedures. The assembly team can pick up the components and assemble them at home.
- Counter guards and foot-operated door openers have also recently been made available.
- And third, SylvanSport is in discussion with healthcare and government officials to have their GO campers made available as rapid-deployment shelters where needed. Their GOzeebo is also being offered as a medical tent.
Check out this equipment here: https://www.sylvansport.com/personal-protection-equipment-ppe/
“The entire SylvanSport team is currently working on solutions for the extensive challenges that are impacting us all. We have refocused our design, engineering, and manufacturing capabilities in service of our community, deploying resources and activating networks, to provide tens of thousands of safety face shields, hundreds of thousands of N95 masks, thousands of Tyvek suits, and this is just the beginning.”
Tom Dempsey
All of these initiatives keep the SylvanSport employees on payroll while working for the benefit of all.
Every purchase of regular SylvanSport items right now helps support their mission to aid the battle against the virus.
Thank you for supporting SylvanSport as they work hard to support us!
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This is a great pick me up story.
Just think if everyone chipped in to help like Sylvansport.
Tom and company great job, so glad rv insight posted this article. Thank you, thank you,thank you.