As the Coronavirus began to spread in March, Duerr pivoted Hatteras' resources to make face shields for nurses, doctors, and hospital personnel.
- Name: Bill Duerr
- Title: President
- Company: Hatteras Press
- Region: Eatontown, New Jersey
- Industry: Professional Services
- Vistage Chair: Roger Miller
Bill Duerr's longtime family company, Hatteras Press, typically produces marketing material and retail graphics. But these are extraordinary times and it's no longer business as usual. As the coronavirus began to speak in March, Duerr pivoted Hatteras' resources to make face shields for nurses, doctors, and hospital personnel.
The Challenge: "We've had about a 40-50% drop-off in our traditional business since this all started, so we've reacted quickly to find out where there would be a need for our services," Duerr says. The answer: face shields.
Leadership Opportunity: Duerr reached out to government agencies and hospitals, offering to produce and drop off truckloads of them, but the response was slow. So he took matters into his own hands-- blasting out the word on social media -- and the replies came flooding in.
In early April, Hatteras manufactured 7,000 face shields and delivered them, box by box, to hospital workers across New Jersey, in New York, Virginia, and Florida. Some were paid for; Hatteras donated the rest. Thousands more are on the way.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy praised Hatteras during a daily coronavirus briefing and also lauded the company in this tweet:
