TRIBE GIVES BACK
“IT WAS JUST THE RIGHT THING TO DO. YOU DO WHAT YOU CAN, THE BEST THAT YOU CAN DO IT” – STEVE HOOGENDOORN, YETI CO-OWNER
About a month ago we asked you to help connect us with those needing personal protective equipment in the fight against COVID-19. Your response was overwhelming, and we quickly realized that our original 10,000 face shield commitment was simply not enough. As we wrap up this project over the next few days, the team here at Yeti will have produced and donated 20,000 face shields and 24,000 medical grade masks to those in need across Colorado. None of this could have been accomplished if it wasn’t for your help.
In total, face shields and masks will be delivered to over 250 organizations across 30 different Colorado cities and municipalities, including:
Children’s Hospital of Colorado, Jefferson County Open Space, Golden Police and Fire Department, St. Anthony’s Hospital, University of Colorado Hospital Anschutz Medical Center, Denver RTD, Swedish Medical Center, Summit County Care Clinic, Vail Health, Yampa Valley Medical Center, Grand Country Emergency Medical Services, Vivage Senior Living, Craig Hospital, Carbondale Rural Fire Department, The Medical Center or Aurora, Poudre Valley Hospital, UC Health, and Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office.
Most importantly we’d like to send a loud and sincere THANK YOU to all of you on the front lines who are tirelessly working to keep us all safe and healthy. Your commitment to your community is astounding and we are honored to be but a small part of the big work you are doing on a daily basis.
From all of us here at Yeti Cycles, we can’t thank you enough for the help you’ve provided in this time of need.
Stay safe. Stay healthy. See you on the trails sometime soon.
“WE KNEW WE HAD TO HELP SO WE’RE DOING WHAT WE CAN IN OUR COMMUNITY.” – STEVE HOOGENDOORN, YETI CO-OWNER
April 14, 2020
Health care workers have always taken care of us. Patching up riders countless times since 1985. In an effort to give back and help the heroes on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have temporarily shifted our focus to making Personal Protective Equipment. What we’re facing as a society is bigger than mountain biking and bigger than all of us. We’ll be producing 20,000 shields for health care professionals and delivering them to workers in our community starting this week. In addition to producing PPE shields, we’ve sourced 24,000 medical grade masks from one of our suppliers. Masks and shields will be donated to healthcare workers, first responders, senior centers and RTD workers.
Making N95 masks wasn’t feasible for us but making protective face shields was. Healthcare workers we talked to identified the face shield as a critical piece of equipment to make their N95 masks last longer. Studies show that when a health care worker wears one over their N95, the lifespan of the N95 is extended.
We began production at Yeti HQ in Golden, CO on Saturday, following an open-source shield template shared by students from the University of Wisconsin (Hoogendoorn’s alma mater). We spent last week sourcing, acquiring and setting up the die-cutting machine needed to produce the main plastic component — the shield. We sourced the clasp from a local supplier, graphics from Victory Circle Graphics, and our friends at Smith Optics and Black Diamond supplied over 6,000 yards of elastic goggle-strap material. The first delivery of finished shields to doctors, first responders and hospital worker will leave Yeti HQ on Wednesday.
'We typically design products from the ground up, but in this case we wanted an efficient way to make the most effective thing. Time is critical, so we’re doing it with materials we’re pulling together from industry friends and available through our supply chain. We’re building in our factory in Golden, CO. It’s not surprising, but everyone we contacted wanted to help and their help was critical in this coming together so quickly,' said Hoogendoorn.
We are looking to get in touch with those in need of face shields in Colorado. If you are a healthcare worker or first responder, please email us at [email protected] and include “Face Shields” in the subject line. If you know someone in need please share this information and have them get in touch with us directly.
