COASTAL PET CONVERTS TO MAKING MASKS FOR HEALTHCARE WORKERS 

ALLIANCE, OH - Coastal Pet Products, Inc. innovated their way to become a leader in the national pet products market, sewing leashes, collars and thousands of other products.  When the Covid-19 Pandemic came they were declared an essential business and remained open supplying customers like Tractor Supply, Pet Supply Plus, Family Farm and Home, and more with badly needed products for feeding pets and other uses.  However, founder Jim Stout saw the chance to do more for people, whether they owned pets or not.  Working with Summa Health and JoAnn Fabrics he began manufacturing sorely needed protective masks for area hospitals and healthcare facilities. 

According to Mr. Stout, “JoAnn Fabrics was looking for ways to help out and donated a lot of material to Summa Healthcare.  Summa contacted us and the next thing I knew we were in the mask business.”  Coastal Pet already had the sewing expertise, but their machines were too heavy-duty, so Stout quickly purchased a new commercial sewing machine strictly to use making masks for healthcare workers.  On her own initiative, one of his supervisors, Roseann, took material home over the weekend and created a process for the sewers to follow.  Soon Coastal Pet had seven people dedicated to the time-consuming task and at peak capacity expects to turn out over 100 masks per day.

Converting manufacturing from an established product line to something new is never an easy task.  Three things were working in Coastal Pet’s favor when they started the process.  First, as an essential business they were able to stay open, so didn’t have to call people back to work.  Second, they already had the skills required to make face masks.  Third, their plant has always been a clean, sanitary environment so they didn’t have to do a lot of space conversion.

Switching some of their manufacturing space to make masks has put pressure on production schedules for Coastal’s traditional pet products but, according to Mr. Stout, “sometimes you just have to do certain things and I’m very pleased that we can make some small contribution to the fight against this virus.”

Professional healthcare providers who want to learn more about getting masks from Coastal Pet Products, should contact the company at (800)321-0248, or email sales@coastalpet.com.

Coastal Pet Products values people as the source of their strength and is also looking for more good employees.  To see jobs available and apply, visit www.coastalpet.com/careers/.