May 7, 2020

(Updated) FloraCraft Response to COVID-19

May 7, 2020 Letter from CEO Eric Erwin

To our employees and community:

Throughout these difficult and uncertain times, the health and wellbeing of our employees and community have always been our top priorities. I want to thank our office staff, who continued to keep our business going from the safety of their homes, and our production staff, who showed a great deal of patience during this stressful time away from work.

As you know, FloraCraft has kept our team on the payroll through this crisis and took action early by adding 80 hours of paid time off, on top of the 40 hours of paid time off all employees earn, and continued health care coverage. We also secured a loan from the Paycheck Protection Program to allow us to continue paying our entire full-time team through May.

Now it’s time for us to take our next step forward by bringing employees back to work safely as we begin the transition to a more stable environment.

Per Gov. Whitmer’s latest order, as of May 11, FloraCraft will be allowed to reopen its doors. While we all are thankful and relieved to be able to get back to work, I want to make sure our employees, their families and the community know we have established new safety precautions to ensure a safe return and a healthy work environment. That is why we will be instituting the following safety measures effective immediately:

  • Employees who are able to work from home will continue to do so.
  • FloraCraft will have on-site health and temperature screenings using a no-touch thermometer that employees will participate in daily before entering the facility.
  • Any employee who shows symptoms of illness or has a temperature of 100.4 or above will be required to stay home.
  • Every employee will utilize hand sanitizer provided by FloraCraft upon entering the facility.
  • Shift schedules will be adjusted to create gaps between shift changes reducing the risk of cross-contact.
  • All employees will wear face masks provided by FloraCraft if they are not able to maintain safe social distance.
  • Physical distancing will continue to be maintained throughout our facilities. Six feet is the minimum distance allowed between employees in all operations, including manufacturing and offices areas.
  • In areas where a six-foot separation is not possible, employees will be separated by plastic barriers engineered by the company in addition to wearing their face mask.
  • Areas where employees typically gather such as offices, breakrooms and copy rooms will be temporarily limited to one person present at a time.
  • All employees will wash hands for a minimum of 20 seconds after using restrooms.
  • All employees will not exceed capacity limits in designated areas.
  • Employees will refrain from unnecessary travel to areas other than work and their home.

We believe that keeping our employees safe and healthy helps our community stay safe and healthy. We hope our fellow Mason County businesses will join us in best practices so we can all collectively work together to continue flattening the curve – and return back to normal as soon as possible.

We understand the typical workday will be different for some time, but it won’t be forever. We also understand that despite orders from our government and the precautions FloraCraft is taking, employees and family members may still be nervous about this transition back to work. That’s natural. Please know we would not return to work if we did not feel it was safe to do so. Our success is built on the great relationships we have with our team and we plan to continue working hard to provide the best work experience possible.

By re-engaging back to this “new normal,” we can gradually begin to look towards the future with hope and positivity, not fear and doubt. For so long we have asked our FloraCraft family to “Make It: Fun!” now we ask you to “Make It: Safe!”

We look forward to seeing you back soon.

 

 

 

 

Eric Erwin
President & CEO

 

April 10, 2020 Letter from CEO Eric Erwin

To our community:

While we are facing uncertain times, it has been incredible to see how our community has rallied, pulling together to do what we can to flatten the curve.  From donating personal protective equipment to our local hospitals so they have extra supplies to helping out elderly neighbors, many in Ludington are stepping up, showing the true community spirit we have here.

At FloraCraft, we’re adjusting to this new normal, as well.  In response to Gov. Whitmer’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” order, which has been extended through the month of April, our production has been temporarily halted while our office staff continues to keep the business going from the safety of their homes.  While it is not easy for us to close down, it is for the health and wellbeing of everyone.

We have taken a number of efforts to ensure our team weathers this storm.  Our production team continues to be paid while operations are paused under the Federal Families First Coronavirus Act, which began April 2.  Prior to that, we offered 80 hours of paid time off, so there hasn’t been an interruption to paychecks.

With the help of West Shore Bank, we have also applied for and secured a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan, which is part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act).  This loan will allow us to continue paying our entire, full-time team through the end of May.  We know it can be scary, not knowing if a paycheck will continue to come during these uncertain times, so FloraCraft wants to do whatever we can to relieve those worries.  We are committed to our team – and to Mason County.

We have already begun planning for when we are able to return to work and the extra safety measures we will need to have in place.  We will all have to adjust to a new normal, but we will be able to do so working together.  We have a team of great employees and a community of resilient people, and I know we are collectively up to the challenge.

Though these are trying times, we all have to hang in there together.  As a Ludington employer, FloraCraft looks forward to reopening our doors safely.  In the meantime, check on your neighbors, get out for a walk (using safe, physical distancing practices, of course), connect virtually with friends, enjoy your time with your family and stay safe.

 

 

 

 

Eric Erwin
President & CEO

March 23, 2020 Statement on Michigan’s “Stay Home, Stay Safe” Executive Order

Following Gov. Whitmer’s executive order, and to stop the spread of COVID-19, we are temporarily suspending production at our Ludington facility starting Tuesday, March 24 at 12:01 a.m. While we hoped this step would not be necessary, we know it’s critical as we all work together to flatten the curve of COVID-19.

We have committed to providing 80-hours of paid time off to all of our team members. This will take us through April 2, when the recently announced Federal Families First Coronavirus Act is scheduled to begin.

When the time comes, our goal is to open our doors, happily welcoming back the many team members critical to the success of our company. In the meantime, we hope everyone stays well, takes necessary precautions and finds solace and peace in their loved ones.

March 13, 2020 Letter from CEO Eric Erwin

To our community:

At FloraCraft, the health and safety of our team is always a top concern. We know many families rely on us for a steady, dependable income, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. We continually address ways to improve our procedures, policies and practices so they meet the highest standards of safety possible.

With the recent outbreak of COVID-19, the novel form of coronavirus, we know there are concerns over what this means for our team – and our larger Ludington community. Our leadership team has been monitoring the situation very closely over the last few weeks and continues to develop robust plans on how to best safeguard the health and well-being of our team.

Using best practices from the Center for Disease Control and our healthcare partners, we have taken strides to bolster our safety measures to prevent the spread of illness, much as we would do in any cough, cold and flu season. We have shared preventative information with our team and will continue to update them on any new developments. In the unfortunate event a team member contracts the virus we have plans developed, which includes proactively offering up to 80 hours (10 working days) of additional paid time off so our team doesn’t have to worry on their road to recovery. We are fully committed to mitigating the stress on our employees and their families – and to keeping our community safe and healthy – during this national health crisis.

Fostering an environment that cares about our team’s health and safety is just how we operate at FloraCraft. As always, we remain committed to our Ludington community and the many team members who are critical to the success of our company. In the meantime, we encourage everyone to practice good hand hygiene, cover coughs and sneezes and stay home if you are sick.

 

 

 

 

Eric Erwin
President & CEO