Wintergreen, an iconic outdoor performance clothing manufacturer in Ely, is doing great things in northeastern Minnesota to help with the COVID-19 crisis. Wintergreen owner Sue Schurke and her Northern Wear crew are hand-making facemasks, medical gowns and headgear for Iron Range and North Shore clinics and hospitals. They are using Wintergreen’s specialized fabric cutting machine and industrial sewing machines.

The initiative began about 10 days ago when Schurke and her crew, along with the help of many home sewers, produced about 300 facemasks to give away to community members, staff at nursing homes, and other Elyites in need. Schurke conferred with her daughter, a physician’s assistant, on the most effective facemask pattern. Wintergreen cut the fabric and delivered it to home sewers who then completed the masks and gave them away at no charge to community members.

“It was quite a production effort. We cut the fabric at our Wintergreen shop, packaged the fabric and tie strings in plastic baggies and then left them on the front porch of home sewers in order to practice social distancing,” said Schurke. “It reminded me of the stories my 96-year-old mother tells of the community spirit during World War II and how everyone did was what needed to help.”

Days later Schurke was contacted by North Shore Health Hospital and Care Center in Grand Marais to ask if she could make protective medical gowns. They needed the gowns to be made of plastic that could withstand sanitizing in order to be reusable. Schurke immediately began to research materials as well as develop a pattern on her laser-driven computerized cutting machine. Hospital doctors and administrative staff traveled to Ely to meet with Schurke and her staff as they finalized the materials and pattern to be used, and tested a sample gown.

Soon after, Ely Bloomenson Community Hospital contacted Schurke to ask if she could make medical gowns using Tyvek. Then St. Luke’s reached out to Wintergreen to make a helmet-style hat for its health care workers to wear when caring for COVID-19 patients.

“We, like many other business owners, want to help right now,” said Schurke. “My staff and I are so pleased to be able to provide something of great need to the essential workers and community members as they battle the coronavirus on the frontlines.”

Wintergreen is charging only for labor and materials for the gowns. Schurke is forgoing any profit normally involved with pre-design, cutting time and other operational expenses.

“I am charging the hospitals just enough to cover my labor and supplies, nothing more,” said Schurke. “This allows me to keep our staff employed and working. There are just a few of us in the shop, and we are practicing social distancing in our work place stationed about 12 feet apart.”

For many of the Wintergreen production crew, the COVID-19 effort is reminiscent of 9/11 when they were asked to urgently produce hundreds of mitts, hats and neck gaiters for New York City first responders, fire and police crews.

Schurke is in contact with other northern Minnesota sewing shops and quilting groups that have similar projects underway to help with the COVID-19 pandemic. Together they are collaborating on optimal patterns, fabric options and materials sources.

“Wintergreen exemplifies the innovation of our region’s businesses, communities and workforce,” said Mark Phillips, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation commissioner. “Companies like Wintergreen and all of the sewing shops in northeastern Minnesota demonstrate the strong leadership and workforce in our region. They mobilized to quickly respond and meet an urgent local need in the COVID-19 crisis.”

Note: Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation provided Wintergreen a bank participation loan in fiscal year 2015.

Gov. Tim Walz today unveiled a new State of Minnesota COVID-19 dashboard that tracks the virus in Minnesota and provides the latest available data on available ventilators, ICU beds, personal protective equipment (PPE) and testing. The dashboard will be updated daily and is available at https://mn.gov/covid19/.

“During Minnesota’s Stay Home Order, we’ve worked to collect data, increase the availability of necessary equipment, and develop strategies to address economic and social impacts of COVID-19,” said Gov. Walz. “This dashboard will provide Minnesotans with timely, accurate information about the data that informs our decisions on COVID-19 response, recovery and resources.”

If you are a business owner that has been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and as a result are considering a bank loan, please contact our agency’s development team to discuss the possibility of a loan guaranty. Our agency is able to guaranty a bank loan for eligible businesses for up to 75% of the total loan or a $75,000 maximum, and we are temporarily waiving the 1% guaranty fee.

The program is open to qualifying businesses within our agency’s service area that have been under the same management for at least two years. It is open to sole proprietorships, corporations, partnerships and nonprofits. Loans may be intended for working capital, debt refinancing, property acquisition, building renovation, new construction, and equipment purchases.

“Our agency is committed to helping local businesses, large and small, access the capital they need during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Mark Phillips, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation commissioner. “Our region’s economy is comprised of strong businesses with strong leaders, and we are committed to helping them persevere through this challenge.”

Click here for our business loans webpage or click here to view the loan guaranty application. Email Scott Sundvall or call him at 218-735-3015 for more loan guaranty information. Scott can quickly work with you to achieve your objectives.

Pictured above are employees and business partners at Virginia Plastics and equipment at Range Environmental Drilling. Both companies utilized the loan guaranty program.

Minnesota Peacetime emergency child care grants

Grants starting at $4,500 per month will be awarded to licensed child care providers serving essential workers during the COVID-19 public health emergency. Licensed family and group family programs, licensed child care centers, and Tribal licensed child care programs are eligible to apply. Grant recipients will receive their funding on a month-to-month basis during the pandemic.

An additional $1,000 is available for programs providing non-standard hours care, that care for children who have special needs, and/or who care for children whose first language is not English. Providers that are licensed to serve 15 or more children will be eligible for an additional amount of up to $15,500 per month.

This funding was proposed by Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan in partnership with the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet and the Department of Human Services, and was passed by the legislature as part of their COVID-19 Response Supplemental Budget. It was signed into law on March 28, 2020.

“Child care providers are providing an essential emergency response to our communities,” said Governor Tim Walz. “These grants will be critical in ensuring that child care continues to be available to first responders, health care workers, and so many other folks responding to the COVID-19 emergency.”

These grants will provide about $10 million per month over the next few months to support basic infrastructure needed to keep child care capacity available.

“Child care providers have stepped up to the challenge and are willing to respond to the needs of their communities,” said Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan. “We hope this funding will help ensure that workers can continue to respond to community needs.”

In Minnesota, there are approximately 420,000 children under the age of 12 who live in a household of an essential worker within a critical sector. Of these, the state estimates that during this peacetime emergency, about 270,000 children will need care and approximately 120,000 are likely to need and use licensed child care settings.

Child Care Aware of Minnesota will administer and distribute these funds for emergency child care services. Click here for details and a link to apply. For grant application questions email EmergencyGrants@childcareawaremn.org or call 651-290-9704. Applications are due by April 15. Award decisions will by April 20.

Northland Foundation emergency child care grant program

Northland Foundation created the Emergency Child Care Grant Program to offer immediate financial support to child care providers caring for children whose parents/guardians are designated as emergency personnel and other essential workers.

• Licensed family child care is eligible for $1,000 grants.
• Licensed center-based care is eligible for $3,000 grants.

Providers must be located within one of the following counties or Tribal Nations: Aitkin, Carlton, Cook, Itasca, Koochiching, Lake, and St. Louis County, Bois Forte Band of Chippewa, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Grand Portage Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe-District 1, or Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe-District 2.

Northland Foundation intends to provide a response and funding within two weeks of applications being received. Funding will be awarded on a first-come first-served basis to qualifying applicants for as long as grant dollars are available.

Click here for a direct link to the simple online application. Click here for the Northland Foundation website.

For grant application questions email Carol Chipman at Northland Foundation.

The Grand Rapids area launched Itasca Strong, an initiative to disseminate factual COVID-19 information and resources to Grand Rapids and Itasca County community members and business owners. Founding organizations include Visit Grand Rapids, Itasca Economic Development Corporation (IEDC), City of Grand Rapids, Itasca County, Grand Rapids Downtown Business Association and the Grand Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce.

Local media assisted in the launch, and it quickly became a county-wide brand of hope and inspiration. Area residents and local businesses began hanging Itasca Strong banners and decals to show their support.

“In the current climate information is coming from all sides and, while it is well intended, often can leave people confused,” said Megan Christianson, executive director, Visit Grand Rapids. “We want our community members to stay informed with the facts.”

Part of the new initiative is a COVID-19 Business Impact Survey for Itasca County businesses. The survey results will help IEDC monitor the impact of COVID-19 on business operations in the Itasca County area. IEDC President Tamara Lowney (Benson) is strongly encouraging businesses to take the survey to identify a possible application for financial assistance to businesses as well as to prepare for a full economic recovery. Click here to take the survey.

“Northeastern Minnesota has a long history of innovative responses to turbulent times in our state’s and nation’s history,” said Mark Phillips, Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation commissioner. “What the Itasca area is doing will help our communities, businesses and workforce endure and positively respond through this crisis.”

Itasca area community members and businesses that want to showcase the Itasca Strong brand may buy decals and banners from Minuteman Press of Grand Rapids. Minuteman is donating 100% of the proceeds from the deals and 25% of the banner proceeds to Second Harvest Food Bank. Email Minuteman at call 218-327-9984.

For more Itasca Strong information email Megan Christianson, executive director of Visit Grand Rapids. Go to the Visit Grand Rapids website for COVID-19 resources and information.