BmoreArt

There’s a slim chance of success at getting a manufacturing enterprise like this off the ground, but we had a much better shot at it with all of us bringing our experiences of owning and operating small businesses to the table.

Anytime you get that many business owners working together, you’re bound to get some friction. We’re all small-business owners because we hate having bosses. In the beginning, there was some head-butting, I think mainly from me, but remarkably, it’s been going pretty smoothly on that front for a while now. The idea that eight knuckleheads can get together and make something meaningful happen is pretty cool. 

We’ve learned each other’s strengths at this point, which makes us much better at collaborating. For example, Dan Janssen from Imperium Shaving is great at making relationships, so he’s been the glue that has kept us together. He has a very Zen presence. He keeps us motivated and on the same page and he’s great at making sales. Jill is very educated with cloth and materials. Jeremiah and Cecilia are excellent with procurement and operations. Mount Royal Soaps has played a large role in numbers and accounting. Kim from Words with Boards is great with design, and Rob from Nightmare Graphics is great at managing production. 

For the last year, there have been no breaks or personal time. The fact that no one on the team is divorced is a success in itself. My wife, Sam, and I are newlyweds and we are doing better than ever. Maybe a little attention has been diverted from our business, but it’s been for a great cause. 

The lessons learned have been nonstop, and I think we have yet to encounter the most stressful part of this operation. Every week we’ve experienced something new. Equipment has been delayed and/or arrived damaged; one piece of equipment exploded and almost killed one of us. We’ve had to figure out all of the supply chain and logistical issues during the middle of a deadly pandemic, consider our safety, and secure our workforce. 

I think COVID opened a lot of people’s eyes as to what can happen at any time with the PPE supply demand. As local and regional manufacturers, it’s our job to figure out a way to make products, make them affordable, and also be really good to the people that work for them. It’s just not going to work if you can’t do all of those things.

It’s been a lot, but anytime we get pissed off or discouraged, we have to remind ourselves that we are really helping folks. What we’ve accomplished gives us much to be excited about. We’ve hand-made 90,000 N95s within the last couple of months, almost all of which have gone to the Maryland Food Bank. That feels really good.

I think I’m most proud that our team held it together and executed a crazy idea that we were joking about just months ago. We’re still moving forward, but I hope that we did something that had an impact in preventing the spread of COVID-19 in our community—even in the smallest way. That’s what I want to take with me.

*****

Words by Patrick Iles, story curated by: Jon Bregel via Baltimore Small Business Stories.

This is the first in a series of profiles created for Made In Baltimore by the Baltimore Small project, an independently produced media platform built to amplify Baltimore’s thriving and diverse small business and nonprofit community.

BmoreArt is excited to partner with Made In Baltimore on the distribution of this new storytelling series featuring tales of grit and resilience from Baltimore’s maker community. As our economy churns back to life over the next several months, BmoreArt and Made in Baltimore will be sharing these stories to inspire and remind readers about the importance of supporting creative entrepreneurs. 

To learn more about Maryland Medical Industries, visit marylandmedicalindustries.com.

To see more stories and learn how to support other local small businesses, visit madeinbaltimore.org