Purchasing collaborative reduced barrier to critical supplies for regional businesses
Baton Rouge, La. (September 30, 2020) – The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) today announced that its PPE Marketplace, a purchasing collaborative with Lyons Specialty Company, LLC to source and supply Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at competitive rates to the Capital Region business community, will end and transition to include broader office supplies effective October 1.
“The economy is rebounding, slowly but surely,” said Adam Knapp, president and CEO of BRAC. “Businesses are still very much using masks and other PPE in their workplaces, but access is no longer the urgent barrier to reopening that it was in the spring and over the summer. We’ve appreciated the swift response of the team at Lyons to provide a critical service to the business community when we needed it. It is another positive sign of the recovery that this phase of the crisis has passed.”
Since its inception in May, the PPE Marketplace has facilitated nearly 800 orders from businesses across the nine-parish Capital Region and beyond. Businesses have had next day, contactless pickup access to items such as 3-ply sanitary masks, N95 masks, gloves, hand sanitizer with 60% alcohol, alcohol wipes, sanitizing towels, disinfectants, and more.
To date, more than 3,000 boxes of gloves, 1,800 packs of alcohol wipes, 1,100 boxes of disposable masks, and 600 cases of hand sanitizer have been purchased.
“We were blown away by the response to the marketplace, and are grateful for the opportunity to play a role in helping our regional economy get back on track safely,” said Hugh Raetzsch, Jr., CEO of Lyons Specialty Company, LLC.
Businesses interested in purchasing PPE from the PPE Marketplace may do so at brac.org/ppe through Wednesday, September 30. On October 1, the Marketplace will transition from a strictly PPE operation to one that offers basic office supplies for local businesses. The permanent Marketplace will be available on Lyons’ website at lyons-aav.com.
“The BRAC PPE Marketplace allowed our company to quickly and safely respond to the changing landscape of the pandemic,” said Rob Wise, owner and CEO of ITinspired. “The PPE supplies we purchased from other providers online got delayed, lost, canceled, and re-routed during shipping. The BRAC PPE Marketplace allowed me to make an order online and pick up supplies the next day with amazing customer service. I have the BRAC team and their incredible responsiveness to thank for keeping me and my work family safe.”
The PPE Marketplace initiative was part of BRAC’s COVID-19 recovery priorities. Read more about BRAC’s work to support businesses through the pandemic and recovery period here.
BRAC is regularly updating brac.org/recovery with business resources like the PPE Marketplace and guidance related to COVID-19.
About the Baton Rouge Area Chamber
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber (BRAC) leads economic development in the nine-parish Baton Rouge Area, working to grow jobs and wealth and to improve the business climate and competitiveness in the region. Today, BRAC investors include more than 1,400 small businesses, mid-sized firms, large industry and entrepreneurial startups, as well as individuals and organizations that support business and economic development. In this capacity, BRAC serves as the voice of the business community, providing knowledge, access, services and advocacy. More information is available at brac.org.
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