Alan

Introduce yourself within a sentence.
Driven entrepreneur who believes in giving back to the community.

What is the most challenging part of your life in this time of crisis?
Keeping my small upholstery business going while also doing our best to help those on the frontlines – first responders, medical employees, etc. – get through the pandemic safely.

What is your guiding light every day that makes you smile?
Knowing that we are helping those helping us. The fact that we were able to use the upholstery shop and equipment to shift focus to manufacturing PPE and potentially save someone’s life – whether it is a nurse, a doctor, a firefighter, a police officer, etc. – by helping to prevent them from contracting the virus and in turn, spreading it even further. That is what makes me smile every day even in the midst of this crazy situation we are all going through. Knowing that my small staff and I came up with a way to provide these individuals the equipment they need, but cannot find anywhere, is our guiding light every day through this. The fact that thousands of people stepped up and donated to the cause so that we could keep the production going when we thought we would only be able to do it for a short time with the resources we had…that makes me smile.

If you can share a source of hope with someone in need, what would it be?
To always have trust. To trust that whatever it is that we are going through, there will either be a lesson or a blessing, but to trust that we will get through it, regardless.