Oklahoma PPE & Medical Supply Directory Expands as Oklahoma Businesses Re-Open

Launched on May 1, the Oklahoma PPE & Supply Source Directory now features 87 companies, with 42 being Oklahoma manufacturers or suppliers. Some Oklahoma companies have retooled their production during this crisis to be able to offer personal protective equipment (PPE) and other medical supplies.

“With a shortage of face masks at the time, Bruce Baade, our company’s owner, came up with a face shield to help protect medical workers in many different offices and believed we could produce a disposable paperboard face shield in a timely manner, and for a very good price,” said Brenda Willey, Oklahoma Folding Carton. “We have had orders from multiple companies and entities, including the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, SSM Health and the Oklahoma Health Department, in addition to interest from college nursing programs.”

“NewView has supplied the State of Oklahoma with PPE products for a number of years now. Recently, we’ve been able to shift our efforts to support Oklahomans amidst the COVID-19 crisis,” said Lauren Branch, President and CEO, NewView. “We already have this capacity in our manufacturing division, so we’re uniquely set up to provide essential products. Our mission at NewView is to empower people with vision loss, but now we’re able to empower even more people to stay resilient in this crisis. Our employees find it incredibly rewarding to come to work every day and provide essential products and services to people who need them.”

The Tulsa Regional Chamber has joined the effort as a partner, further expanding the directory’s reach. Other partners include the Oklahoma Department of Commerce, Oklahoma Manufacturing Alliance (OMA) and the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber.

“As businesses begin to reopen, we want to ensure they have the necessary supplies and resources to open safely — a large part of which includes having personal protective equipment (PPE),” said Mike Neal, president and CEO of the Tulsa Regional Chamber. “Our goal is to do whatever we can to support our businesses during this time.”

The purpose of the list is to help prepare Oklahoma businesses as they re-open and invite their employees back into an office setting.

“As Oklahoma enters Phase 2 of Governor Stitt’s Open Up & Recover Safely Plan and the state’s economy further opens up, more Oklahoma companies and organizations will need access to these supplies in order to provide safe environments for employees and customers,” said Brent Kisling, Executive Director, Oklahoma Department of Commerce. “This list continues to grow and we are proud to support Oklahoma companies offering these goods.”

Businesses can search the PPE directory at https://okcommerce.gov/ppe. Oklahoma companies that manufacture or supply PPE and other needed supplies can fill out the form on the Commerce PPE webpage to be considered for inclusion. After a brief vetting process through OMA, the companies will be added to the list.

The state’s guidelines for reopening businesses under Governor Kevin Stitt’s Open Up & Recover Safely (OURS) Plan can be found at https://okcommerce.gov/ours.