The world’s largest manufacturer of musical instrument accessories has struck a chord with the Suffolk County Legislature with a donation of 2,000 face shields, manufactured with the materials the company usually uses to make drumheads.
D’Addario, a global company based in Farmingdale, has been engineering and manufacturing face shields since the onset of the pandemic to help alleviate the dire shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) for New York and the world’s healthcare workers. The face shields donated to the legislature will be distributed to Suffolk legislative offices for use as well as distribution to constituents.
“The Suffolk County Legislature has been heavily involved with securing and distributing PPE to constituents in need. We are grateful to D’Addario for this generous donation and to Legislator Tom Cilmi for helping to arrange it,” said Suffolk County Legislature Presiding Officer Rob Calarco. “It has been truly incredible to see how companies like D’Addario have used their resources to help with the tremendous lift that is fighting this pandemic. D’Addario’s pivot from producing drumheads to engineering face shields is an extraordinary example of ingenuity and goodwill in the face of dire challenges. This collaborative spirit is a hallmark of Long Island’s exceptional business community.”
Legislator Tom Cilmi said, “Corporate citizenship is in the DNA at D’Addario. For sure, the company has a long history of innovation when it comes to guitar strings, Evans drumheads, and a variety of musical instrument accessories. That innovative spirit quickly turned to this creative response to the pandemic. But what people generally do not see is the humanitarian work that goes on behind the scenes at one of Long Island’s largest employers. This donation came about after the company reached out to me to connect them with charitable organizations who might be able to use their face shields. While extraordinarily generous, it represents only a small example of the charitable, community-minded giving that goes on at D’Addario. I was happy to help connect some dots here, but the credit goes to D’Addario and companies like theirs throughout Suffolk County who recognize and strive to fulfill a greater good.”
At the start of the spring shutdown last year, D’Addario was directed to close its Farmingdale Evans Drumhead Factory. Looking to use its resources to support the global response to COVID-19, D’Addario started exploring ways to manufacture face shields. By working with Mylar film and drumhead manufacturing equipment and reaching out to nearby suppliers for a few essential materials, the D’Addario team had working prototypes within several days. The company gained permission from the state to reopen its Farmingdale Evans Drumhead Factory to mass-produce face shields under the FDA-registered brand Dynatomy. So far, the company has shipped 2 million face shields to medical professionals, small business owners and consumers across North America.
“I am incredibly proud of the way our family of employees stepped up to manufacture PPE when it was needed,” said D’Addario CEO John D’Addario III. “On a more personal note, being able to donate our face shields across Long Island is a particular source of pride given this is our home, and we’re helping to protect our neighbors and their families.”
