Local companies coming together to make hand sanitizer

What does Buckeye Vodka, Miracle Corp and Dayton Freight all have in common? Wanting to make a difference. They all came together, now making hand sanitizer for essential workers.

“It’s been a good little community here,” said Jim Fink, CEO of Buckeye Vodka. “Getting together three little companies. All trying to do a little bit of good.”

Hand sanitizer is in high demand for healthcare professionals and other essential workers. Fink had the key ingredient to start helping, alcohol.

“I was getting calls from the Cleveland Clinic, Homefull and people looking for hand sanitizer, wondering if we’d do it,” Fink added.

While Fink had the base product, he needed hydrogen peroxide, glycerol, and containers to meet the World Health Organizations’ requirements. Fink’s warehouse neighbor, Miracle Corp., who makes sterile pet products, had the rest covered.

“A lot of our sterile care products we mix and blend here, we produce here,” said Joe Neeb, director of operations at Miracle Corp. “So we are in a very unique position to supply a lot of these needed ingredients.”

Dayton Freight then volunteered to transport the sanitizer to those who are in need.

“We will start moving things up to Cleveland Clinic and other places that he’s committed to,” said Dayton Freight Executive Vice President Michael Cronin.

Homefull, a local nonprofit that offers services to the homeless, stopped by to pick up some product.

“It’s not just the physical product,” said Trudy Elder, Homefull’s chief strategic officer. “It’s the spirit of support that we feel right now. When they say we are in this together and we truly are.”

These three companies collectively are donating up to $100,000 of retail for free.

“It’s hard to sit on the sidelines and do nothing,” said Fink. “So, we understand a lot of the difficulties people are going through and we’re trying to help people on the front lines as much as we can.”

WKEF