Message from CEO, Randy Edge

When I look back on the COVID-19 Pandemic in the future, I'll be reminded of what Louis Pasteur, the inventor of penicillin once said, "luck favors the prepared mind." 

When a call went out to support health care workers as the pandemic knocked on the Midwest's door, InStore Design Display (IDD) was thankfully in the right place at the right time with the right connections and the right capabilities to respond in a meaningful way. In a matter of days, we were able to pivot our custom retail display business to design and build personal protective equipment (PPE).

Our core capability involves cutting and fabricating plastic, and that's exactly what goes into most PPE. Plus, we have long-standing relationships with suppliers, which has made it possible to source the plexiglass material at a time when material is in short supply.

Our team's ability to turn on a dime and get creative to serve frontline workers meant we were able to preserve 35 permanent and 10 temporary jobs when countless other companies were furloughing and laying off workers. As a small business, it would have been tough to survive the downturn in the retail industry—our core business—if the opportunity to pivot into PPEs had not presented itself.

As the stay-at-home orders are lifting, our team has been able to pivot our products further to support companies getting back to work safely—including IDD's core market, retail environments—and educational institutions getting K-12 and college students back to school. From clear face shields to counter protection, hanging barriers, and cubicle screens, IDD is responding to the needs of businesses and schools as they navigate this new normal with stock items and custom products.

I'm proud of the IDD team and our supply chain partners. Each and every person has responded to this call to be innovative in how we help solve the problems associated with keeping people safe in this new normal of social distancing.