March 15, 2021 I Philanthropy
D’Addario Donates 40,000 Face Shields
From left: Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi, D’Addario CEO John D’Addario III and Presiding Officer Robert Calarco.
D’Addario has donated 40,000 Dynatomy Face Shields to help safeguard organizations across Long Island, New York. On Feb. 26, Suffolk County Legislator Tom Cilmi and Presiding Officer Robert Calarco met with D’Addario CEO John D’Addario III to accept a portion of the donated face shields on behalf of Suffolk County’s 18 legislative districts.
“The Suffolk County Legislature has been heavily involved with securing and distributing PPE to constituents in need. We are grateful to D’Addario for this generous donation and to Legislator Tom Cilmi for helping to arrange it,” said Rob Calarco, Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer. “It has been truly incredible to see how companies like D’Addario have used their resources to help with the tremendous lift that is fighting this pandemic. D’Addario’s pivot from producing drumheads to engineering face shields is an extraordinary example of ingenuity and goodwill in the face of dire challenges. This collaborative spirit is a hallmark of Long Island’s exceptional business community.”
A year ago, D’Addario was directed to close its Farmingdale factories by the State of New York. A small group of D’Addario product development and manufacturing engineers, led by Chief Innovation Officer, Jim D’Addario met to find a way to make medical face shields from materials normally used to make Evans Drumheads.
By working with Mylar film, D’Addario’s own drumhead manufacturing equipment, and the coordination with nearby suppliers for a few essential materials, the D’Addario team had working prototypes within several days, gaining permission from the State of New York to reopen the Evans Drumhead factory. Production began within weeks, and today, 2 million face shields have been shipped to medical professionals, small business owners and consumers across North America.
“I am incredibly proud of the way our family of employees stepped up to manufacture PPE when it was needed,” said John D’Addario III, D’Addario CEO. “On a more personal note, being able to donate our face shields across Long Island is a particular source of pride given this is our home, and we’re helping to protect our neighbors and their families.”
D’Addario has also focused donation efforts on organizations servicing the autistic, deaf and hard of hearing communities that cannot wear masks.
Those organizations include Mill Neck Family of Organizations, Nassau Suffolk Services for Autism, Cleary School for the Deaf, EJ Autism Foundation and AHRC Suffolk. Other organizations who’ve received donations include Long Island State Veterans Home, Northwell Health / Huntington Hospital and Catholic Health Good Samaritan Hospital.
