As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold of the U.S., Katie Smith, founder of women’s apparel and home accessory company rockflowerpaper, pivoted her three-plus decades of production and logistical experience, her 37 years of experience importing from China, and her robust e-commerce business to focus on helping U.S. companies provide masks for employees and customers. She created a new line within rockflowerpaper called RFP Protect that focuses solely on high-quality masks. Since early March, she has delivered more than 6.2 million masks to businesses, franchises, associations, state and local governments, healthcare systems, and non-profits.
Critical to RFP Protect’s success is Smith’s long-time production manager Zheyan Gong. Gong, who lives in China, tapped and vetted their existing Chinese manufacturing relationships to quickly shift the business focus. With a master’s degree in chemical engineering, he personally oversees every aspect of mask production to ensure critical standards are continually met.
“The economic devastation of the pandemic has been horrendous and I knew the right thing to do was help by providing well-priced, high-quality masks to businesses and organizations,” said Smith from her company’s headquarters in northern California.
RFP Protect offers the 3-Ply Personal Protective Mask and the KN95 Face Mask in quantities from 10 to more than 1 million. Masks can be ordered online, and for orders of 5,000 or more, Smith provides one-on-one service and can be reached at Katie@rockflowerpaper.com.
To help companies and organizations that need to order masks for multiple locations at various times in differing quantities, Smith provides secure, private online portals that feature discounted pricing for orders of more than 100 masks as well as free shipping on orders over $100.
Smith can also source items urgently needed for U.S. businesses and organizations beginning the re-opening process including face shields, capes, and more.
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