LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For eight years, Clayton & Crume has been a successful small business nestled in Nulu.
There, Clayton Simpson and Tyler Jury have run their leather shop, manufacturing everything from wallets to belts to coasters.
COVID-19 stopped their production, but the guys are fighting back against the virus.
“We made a prototype face shield,” Simpson said.
The shield is meant to protect doctors and nurses from infection, shielding their face from sneezes and coughs by infected patients.
Their concept is simply made - a plastic cover, a thick foam forehead strip, and an elastic strap.
“When we made this prototype Monday, we just started sending photos out to friends and family,” Jury said. “People that have worked in hospitals.”
He went on to add that they all said it was a product healthcare workers could use.
Even the Kentucky governor’s office, they say, got wind of it.
“We told them we expect to have the ability to make about 600,000 masks over the course of the next six-ish weeks,” Simpson revealed. “They say we want the whole supply.”
Simpson and Jury believe they can make it happen, with more staff and a bigger space for social distancing and sterilization.
They just need the materials.
Right now, they claim they have enough for a thousand face shields.
“Fortunately when the materials are being requested for a state agency, people are willing to help,” Jury said.
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