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In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Nic Campesi, CEO of Jelly Bean Rubber Mulch, shares three lessons learned from the crisis.
Jelly Bean Rubber Mulch is a domestic manufacturer supplying schools, daycares, churches, and residences with a non-toxic playground safety surface composed of an antimicrobial compound that naturally stays clean.
Renewed Focus on Playground Hygiene
With the Presidential Guidelines focusing on hand washing and social distancing to avoid infection, schools and their playgrounds were ordered to shutter in many states due to the possible aiding in potential transmission of the infectious disease.
“What was, and is, a very practical tactic to keep infections and asymptomatic carriers down, unfortunately created a stop to business as usual for our company. That said, we hope that non-toxic safety surfaces like ours will be looked at as part of creating a healthy safe environment for kids to play on in the future. We’ve seen an uptick in interest from schools and Head Start programs, the stimulus money should help propel that forward into sales later this year,” explains Jelly Bean CEO Nic Campesi.
Shoring Up Supply Chain
With a myriad of statewide stay-at-home orders affecting businesses across the country, Jelly Bean Rubber Mulch worked to act quickly in the best interest of consumers and the company.
“As with many companies we were taken back by how quickly COVID-19 spread. After taking stock of our warehouses nationwide, our available freight carriers, and distributed workforce, we were able to successfully adjust operations to continue delivering playground safety surfaces in this difficult time,” notes Campesi.
Not Taking The Playground For Granted
With children spending so much time indoors interfacing with modern technology for everything from school work to entertainment, the playground has become sorely missed.
“Look, we love playgrounds, we’re in the playground business, and we built this product as something I literally have my own kids play on. It’s sad to see children forced away from the school playground, and cooped up, like many parents across the country, I can’t wait for them to join their friends again on the playground. Until then, the backyard playground will have to suffice,” notes Campesi.
As states work to enact orders for returning to a new normal, playground safety and hygiene will become a focal point. Jelly Bean Rubber Mulch will continue to deliver a safe non-toxic surface to meet the demand.
