Anyone going out and about in the Chippewa Valley is sure to encounter the
changes at any counter, from banks to convenience stores and supermarkets.
In the age of COVID-19, plastic barriers have been installed to shield clerks from patrons in an effort to slow the virus’s spread. And a Chippewa Falls company is taking the lead in supplying the equipment to set up the protective measures.
“It started with a national news story on kids in some nation overseas sitting in green boxes looking through clear plastic windows at their desks in school,” said David Goldbach, general manager at Alliance Plastics. “I thought, why not make the whole thing clear? Who wants to sit in a little box with one window?”
At the time, the business had slowed a bit at the manufacturing plant specializing in plastic profile extrusions. Alliance is a custom shop that can make normal customer orders, but it does have certain specialties.
“We are one of just three manufacturers in the country that makes awards and trophies,” Goldbach said. “But that got shut down last spring when there were no sports going on.”
Goldbach said he is not aware of any other Chippewa Valley companies making protective shields. “We saw an opportunity, and now companies are buying our product to put together themselves. It’s helping people stay safe and saving businesses time and money.”
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TOP PHOTO: An Alliance Plastics product now being marketed to schools like CVTC is the Portable Personal Space Protective Shield (PPSPS). This clear partition can be folded and easily transported. It can be distributed to students at a lower cost than building such shields in study and classroom locations.
