PPB July 2020

Finding the Way Back Straight talk from suppliers on their businesses post-lockdown and what they are most optimistic about. by Tina Berres Filipski T his spring, hundreds of supplier companies across North America remained open during the pandemic—many bymeeting the requirements of essential businesses as they worked to produce personal protective equipment such as facemasks, face shields, gowns, gloves, sanitizer and similar products for health-careworkers and customers. Althoughmost operated with fewer employees (many working fromhome), limited hours and extended production times, promotional products continued to ship out— as long as distributors were placing orders. As state shelter-in-place mandates were slowly lifted beginning in late April, companies across the industry have resumed operations, but they are returning to a much different landscape. a2 studio, Hugo Felix, Kamenetskiy Konstantin, kzww / Shutterstock.com FEATURE | Supplier Insights 42 | JULY 2020 |