During the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, several Chandler businesses have stepped up to help their community. These businesses are using their unique capabilities to make a difference and demonstrate that we are all in this together.
Join us as we share stories of hope and support from Chandler businesses, large and small. Send additional stories of businesses’ impact on the community during COVID-19 to Chandler News.
Mingle + Graze and Peixoto
Downtown Chandler restaurants Peixoto Coffee Roasters and Mingle + Graze have partnered to raise donations to send freshly brewed hot coffee to local hospitals in Chandler and Gilbert. According to Peixoto, Dignity Health expressed a need to find ways to provide hot coffee and other food items for the dozens of emergency workers on the front lines of the pandemic.
The companies have begun donating boxes of hot coffee and comfort food to cover the overnight shift at Chandler Regional Hospital. The program is seeking public financial support with goals to offer weekly donations of food and coffee to the staff at Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert hospitals.
AvAir
To help support the local economy, Mike Bianco, CEO of Chandler-based AvAir, has given $500 to every employee worldwide with the encouragement to spend that money at small and local businesses in the local communities. AvAir is a global leader in the aftermarket aviation industry and has more than 80 employees at its Chandler headquarters.
Floratech
From Community Impact News: “Floratech, a Chandler-based business that provides botanical ingredients to formulators of cosmetic and personal care products worldwide, has distributed some 3,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to churches, nonprofits, first responders and more with a focus on getting the sanitizer to those who are immunocompromised, the elderly and those in need.”
Helluva Brewing Company
From Community Impact News: “Helluva Brewing Company in Chandler is making hand sanitizer to donate to first responders. The sanitizer will go to the Phoenix Police and Fire departments, Tempe Fire Department and St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center. The company's brewmaster is a former Tempe Fire Department captain.”
Intel
Intel, Chandler’s largest employer with more than 10,000 employees in the City alone, is encouraging its employees to support their community by donating to local nonprofits, including For Our City-Chandler. The company will match the donations up to $2 million. Intel also is encouraging employees to volunteer their time as well as donate gently used equipment like cell phones, computers, laptops and tablets to the Arizona Students Recycling Used Technology.
Intel and the Intel Foundation have donated $1,000,000 to the Arizona Community Foundation, which grants funds to nonprofits throughout the state. Intel also donated 80,000 surgical masks to the Arizona Department of Health and more than 700 coverall gowns to Dignity Health and the Chandler Fire Department.
Keap
Keap, the maker of Infusionsoft, is offering nearly $100,000 in grants to small businesses hit hardest by the coronavirus. Both customers and non-customers can apply for a $500 “Keep Going Grant” to help them through difficult economic times. In addition to providing $500, Keap offers the entrepreneurs a Growth Plan and free webinars on maintaining a business mindset to help businesses weather the storm and stay on track during and after the pandemic.
MST Solutions
Software company MST Solutions sought to safely offer supplies to some of the City’s most vulnerable populations. In March, MST Solutions purchased $8,000 in groceries for Chandler senior residents and delivered them straight to their doors to help keep them safe and supported during uncertainty.
Rogers Corporation
Rogers Corporation serves the medical industry by manufacturing critical products. DSP silicones produced by the company’s Elastomeric Material Solutions team are featured in face shield headbands that help keep medical professionals safe while providing care to those impacted by the COVID-19 virus. Thank you to the Elastomeric Material Solutions (EMS) team for their commitment.
VB Cosmetics
VB Cosmetics, a Chandler-based developer of clean cosmetics, is working with Analyze, a chemical product manufacturer, to produce hand sanitizer to fill a community need. Starting with production to fill four-ounce bottles, the two companies are planning to move on to producing 300-gallon batches and packaging in one-gallon plastic bottles.
SanTan Brewing
SanTan Brewing Company in Downtown Chandler is recycling more than 16,000 gallons of draft beer that will not be delivered to Arizona bars and restaurants. The company has shifted gears and is distilling the beer to produce 400 gallons of medical-grade hand sanitizer. Most of the “SanTanitizer” will be donated to HonorHealth and the City of Chandler.
Video below: SanTanitizer from the City of Chandler and SanTan Brewing Company.