Two of Baltimore’s most recognizable businesses, Under Armour and Sagamore Spirit, are teaming up to give back to their community during the coronavirus pandemic. And the man at the center of the charitable efforts is Maryland businessman, Kevin Plank.
Plank’s whiskey company, Sagamore Spirit has already changed gears amid the crisis—using their facilities to make hand sanitizer instead of their signature rye whiskey. In fact, in a recent statement this distillery announced that they are preparing to produce 54,000 liters of antimicrobial hand sanitizer for their community.
The first round of hand sanitizer from the distillery will go out to Maryland hospitals and health care providers, such as Johns Hopkins. This comes at a time when Maryland healthcare providers are at a great need for supplies as the number of cases in the state skyrockets.
Maryland, particularly the area surrounding Washington D.C., has recently become one of the fastest growing states in terms of coronavirus cases, often doubling their reported cases in a matter of hours. As of April 6, there were 4,045 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the state of Maryland and 91 deaths.
The rapid spread in the area has been met with swift and assertive actions from Governor Larry Hogan, which has included closing all non-essential businesses and issuing a “shelter in place” order for residents. The seriousness of the spread in these areas is what encouraged companies like Sagamore Spirit and Baltimore-based Under Armour to step in and take action.
According to a statement from Sagamore Spirit, their 54,000 bottles of hand sanitizer for local hospitals is just the start. Other future recipients of their product would include first responders, and the brand may also consider shipping the product outside the state, if needed, as well. With their current infrastructure, the distillery states they have the capacity to create as many as 100,000 liters of sanitizer per month if they are able to work around certain “supply chain” and “regulatory challenges.”
Sagamore Spirit even has the guidance from another local Baltimore company in the creation of their sanitizer. John Hopkins University has been advising the company on how to manufacture safe hand sanitizer up to the current standards of the World Health Organization and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
And other Maryland area distilleries are following suit too. Baltimore Spirits Co., MISCellaneous Distillery, Old Line Spirits, Lost Ark Distilling Co. and Patapsco Distilling Co. have also been making hand sanitizer for local healthcare workers as well.
This isn’t the only Kevin Plank business that is doing their part to give back to their home state. Kevin Plank is also the founder of the popular sportswear brand Under Armour (he currently serves as brand chief and executive chairman). The athletic outfitter, located just a stone’s throw from Sagamore Spirit, has been taking their own steps to help amid the pandemic.
The brand opened up their Omni Distribution House to allow the Maryland Emergency Management Agency to stage medical supplies. According to a statement from the brand, they also have a sourcing partner that they will be “tapping into” in an effort to order personal protective gear and equipment for local area healthcare facilities.
Earlier in the month, the company donated all of the fresh food destined their corporate cafeteria to the Baltimore Ronald McDonald House. Along with the announcement, they also pledged to give $2 million in relief for those impacted by the pandemic.
Just a few days later, Under Armour made another announcement regarding their latest efforts in the battle against COVID-19. The brand recently revealed that they are producing a number of personal protective gear for the many doctors and nurses in need of this equipment. This includes: face masks, face shields and specially equipped fanny packs for health care workers.
The company will not only make these items on site but donate them to the local University of Maryland Medical System. According to Randy Harward, a senior vice president for the brand, they received a call from local medical providers about the shortage and instantly went to work, recruiting team members from across the company to step in and start working.
Harward went on to state that it is estimated the company could produce up to 100,000 masks per week in their Baltimore facility.
The company is currently looking into the process of creating hospital gowns—another piece of equipment that local hospitals are stating they have a serious shortage of.
Plank is no stranger to philanthropic efforts, particularly those that benefit the Baltimore community. Plank was born in the town of Kensington, MD located just outside of Baltimore city and attended the nearby University of Maryland.
This is where Plank not only played on the university’s football team, but where he came up with the idea for his breathable athletic undershirts. After college, Plank set up shop in his grandmother’s basement in Georgetown and started making his signature products for local athletes, before expanding to a real headquarters in Baltimore city.
In addition to headquartering the brand in Baltimore, Plank has also been instrumental in bringing new businesses (including his own hotel) to the east coast city, and in creating new opportunities for members of the community.
In 2019, he even received the ESPN Sports Humanitarian Corporate Community Impact Award for his philanthropic efforts in Baltimore. And now, he is only continuing his efforts to help those in need.
With efforts like this underway from both Sagamore Spirit and Under Armour, it is safe to say that Kevin Plank’s Baltimore businesses are doing their part, as many are, to help their communities during these uncertain times.