Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Ortho Mattress Producing Masks for Customers and General Public
April 8,
2020 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Calif.-based bedding manufacturer Ortho Mattress has announced it has reconfigured a factory in Phoenix, Arizona and is now producing 1,000 non-medical facemasks per day for essential workers.
The company is shipping to its hospitality customers this week and will begin shipping to needy customers next week for the cost of shipping only. These non-N95-rated masks are not for healthcare workers but to meet ever increasing demand by local officials for everyone to wear masks in public.
In a press conference on April 2, Mayor Eric Garcetti pleaded for residents to wear protective masks and Dr. Sajay Gupta, neurosurgeon, explained that the virus can spread through talking or breathing, even when social distancing.
“Our heart went out to our customers in hospitality for the immediate need to protect their workers, and we now are embracing this call to action to support others in our community,” said Ken Karmin, CEO of Ortho Mattress. “Mayor Garcetti’s plea that people should wear a protective face covering made us realize the imperative to step up our efforts to reduce the spread of the coronavirus to the best of our abilities. It’s a small step, but a needed one that we were happy to make because we’re truly all in this together.”
Ortho Mattress is taking orders on its website and will prioritize at risk customers, such as essential workers and senior citizens.