Orange County IDA Takes Steps To Help Those Affected On The Frontlines Of The COVID-19 Crisis

NEW WINDSOR, N.Y., April 3, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Orange County Industrial Development Agency (IDA) announced today groundbreaking steps to help those affected by the coronavirus crisis.

First, four of its member businesses are working to produce face shields for St. Luke's Hospital, Nyack Hospital and other medical facilities amid national shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 crisis.

Thousands of hard plastic face shields manufactured in Orange County will be delivered weekly to St. Luke's and Nyack Hospital as well as other medical facilities.

Addibots designed the initial prototypes of the face shield using 3D printers. Melo iterated on the design to make volume production, using a laser cutter, for the version of the face shields going to hospitals. Orange Packaging is delivering another version of the face shields to facilities throughout the country. Orange Packaging also provided supply chain assistance to Melo to provide constrained plastic materials.  EMS of New York is providing sanitization systems to help ensure the face shields are sanitized and safe to use. All four companies are members of the Orange County IDA's Accelerator program.

"Businesses in the Orange County IDA's Accelerator program quickly collaborated to help local health care workers during this national crisis. We are proud of our member companies for their rapid response and for working together to produce critical equipment for frontline workers battling this virus," said Laurie Villasuso, Chief Executive Officer of the Orange County Industrial Development Agency.

Second, the Orange County Foundation Corporation, an affiliate of the IDA, will vote on April 9 to set aside $500,000 to create a loan fund to make available to local businesses. This is will be a first step in the initiative to help rebuild the local economy in the aftermath of the deadly virus.

This comes on the heels of a recovery initiative recently launched by the Orange County IDA to support local small business in Orange County that have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis. The recovery program will offer critical resources to help revitalize the local economy.

Over 30 companies have contacted the Orange County IDA and are already receiving support in the form of business counseling and access to the Federal stimulus program.

About the Orange County Industrial Development Agency
The Orange County Industrial Development Agency, a public benefit corporation organized under Article 18-A of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York, provides assistance to qualified companies through a program of incentives. While the IDA does not lend money, it offers a wide range of incentives to qualifying businesses to encourage job creation and job retention. These incentives include, but are not limited to, sales and mortgage tax exemptions, real property tax abatements and, in some cases, the issuance of tax-exempt bonds. To learn more, click here.

SOURCE Orange County Industrial Development Agency