by Jewel Pickert

[email protected]

In March, 2020, Plastic Printers was set to have their best year ever. Then COVID-19 hit. Sales decreased by 60%. With sad hearts, some staff had to be let go. Many of their customers had been forced to close.

Always ready for a challenge, Katie Buss, the Director of Marketing, said the company had to pivot fast.

She said customers were trying to think creatively and sought help from Plastic Printers. Thus, the company not only made new products, but acted as a consultant.

And many clients had multiple locations. Circumstances weren’t always the same at each site.

Restaurants wanted more gift cards, so Plastic Printers made them.

Customers wanted face shields. The company got the face-shield model from John Hopkins and went to work.

Then, they had to _gure out

the right plastic and packaging to use, so the shields wouldn’t break in transit.

They made sneeze guards, those plexiglass dividers for countertops, and ear guards to relieve pressure on the ears from wearing face masks 24/7. They made face masks, social distancing decals, awareness and safety signs, and keypad protectors.

And they developed disposable Sure-Touch Sticks, which have a paper core but enough conductivity to be used on touch screens and keypads. They allow you to input your information without having to touch potentially contaminated surfaces. You could use them at banks and grocery stores, for example.

The sticks are biodegradable. It is a Touchless Payment Tool about two inches long. It looks like a key with the _at end turned

at an angle to touch surfaces.

Plastic Printers is working with schools on face shields and other PPE, too. With a team of graphic designers at the ready, they can create just about any type of plastic or branding imaginable.

When a contractor wears branded PPE, the customers will be con_dent they are from the

company they do business with.

Some employees at Plastic Printers work remotely. Like other companies, they’ve had to make adjustments to create a safe environment for those still working on site. Katie said they’ve had some internal events like guessing which baby picture belongs to which employee. All to keep the spirits positive, because they think of each other as family Usually, they’d be part of all sorts of community events and trade shows. But the Hastings Family Service golf fundraiser had to be cancelled, for one. Then there were concerns about clothing drives. No one knew how long or if COVID-19 could remain on clothing.

Plastic Printers donated PPE to the Hastings Fire Dept. They’ve donated to Animal Ark. The list goes on. They care about the community.

During this time, they created an online store for PPE supplies.

They make wedding invitations, programs, wine charms, menus of all types, business cards, and more.

Some products are recyclable. For some, they can reuse plastic collected from the ocean. Other products are not recyclable, because they need to be durable, reusable, and/or washable.

All of their products are made in the Industrial Park in Hastings. They have two buildings right next to each other. One of them was the old Hastings Star Gazette building.

Twenty-three years ago, Luke Lingle started the company in his parents’ basement. He and his dad wanted to do something together, so they settled on printing.

At the time, customers requested phone cards, so they made phone cards. As requests for other products came in, Luke _gured out how to make

them.

Then, they hired friends from across the street. It grew to around 65 employees. Many of those employees grew up here.

Two years ago, Peter Woog became the CEO. He had worked at the company for 16 years.

Katie has been there _ve

years.

The coronavirus has been

particularly dif_cult, because

the Plastic Printers family prides itself on human contact and relationships.

Whatever life throws at them, you can bet they will pivot to meet the needs of their customers.

You can _nd out more information by going to www. plasticprinters.com.

Making PPE Left to Right: Tyler Shanley, Richard Alvarez and Cassie Bauman.